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500 | A $150 Million Stairway to Nowhere on the Far West Side - The New York Times | Ted Loos | By the look of the renderings officially unveiled on Wednesday morning, New York’s next significant landmark may be the city’s biggest Rorschach test, too. Big, bold and the structure, “Vessel,” stands 15 stories, weighs 600 tons and is filled with 2, 500 climbable steps. Long under wraps, it is the creation of Thomas Heatherwick, 46, an acclaimed and controversial British designer, and will rise in the mammoth Far West Side development Hudson Yards, anchoring a plaza and garden that will not open until 2018. Some may see a jungle gym, others a honeycomb. But Stephen M. Ross, the billionaire founder and chairman of Related Companies, which is developing Hudson Yards with Oxford Properties Group, has his own nickname for “Vessel”: “the social climber. ” And the steep price tag Mr. Ross’s privately held company is paying for Mr. Heatherwick’s installation? More than $150 million. The back story of the “Vessel” involves two men who are in step in more ways than one: a designer known for dreaming big, and a developer who will spend whatever it takes to make a statement. Currently under construction in Monfalcone, Italy, the and concrete pieces that make up “Vessel” are not to be assembled on site until next year, but on Wednesday, Related Companies rolled out the design with a Hudson Yards spectacle hosted by Anderson Cooper, with a performance by the Alvin Ailey dance troupe on a set that mimicked the multiple stairways inside “Vessel. ” The crowd of hundreds included Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We know ‘Vessel’ will be debated and discussed and looked at from every angle, and Thomas,” the mayor added, addressing the architect, “if you meet 100 New Yorkers, you will find 100 different opinions on the beautiful work you’ve created. Do not be dismayed. ” On a visit to New York this summer, Mr. Heatherwick, founder of the Heatherwick Studio in London, was eager to explain his design. “We had to think of what could act as the role of a landmarker,” he said. “Something that could help give character and particularity to the space. ” Mr. Heatherwick said “Vessel” was partly inspired by Indian stepwells, but he also referred to it as a climbing frame — what Americans would call a jungle gym — as well as “a Busby Berkeley musical with a lot of steps. ” The design reflects Mr. Heatherwick’s belief that city natives are always looking for their next workout. “New Yorkers have a fitness thing,” he said. (It will test many city folk who can barely climb into their Ubers, but there will be an elevator for anyone unable to reach the top.) Inside the piece, the 154 interconnecting staircases may put visitors in mind of a drawing by M. C. Escher, especially given that the structure will have 80 viewing landings. Mr. Heatherwick’s career, as measured by his personal profile, has certainly been climbing. He gained fame for ingenious designs like his torch for the 2012 London Olympics, known as the Caldron. He is collaborating with the architect Bjarke Ingels on the design for Google’s new campus in Mountain View, Calif. and he is reimagining the home of the New York Philharmonic, David Geffen Hall, with Diamond Schmitt Architects of Toronto. But other projects have faced some downward pressure. Mr. Heatherwick’s proposal for a bridge across the Thames River in London was held up by budget issues in July, though Mr. Heatherwick said it was moving forward again. In New York, the Hudson River island park known as Pier 55 — funded by another billionaire, Barry Diller — was stalled by a legal challenge that was rejected last week. (According to Mr. Diller, the challenge is being secretly sponsored by Douglas Durst, a real estate rival of Mr. Ross’s.) “It’s a leap of faith in terms of scale,” said Susan K. Freedman, president of the Public Art Fund, who has seen the “Vessel” renderings and likes them. “ I admire the ambition,” she added. “You can’t be small in New York. ” But Ms. Freedman had her reservations. “The bigger problem may be traffic control,” she said, given that the work will be near the already crowded High Line, the tourist attraction whose northernmost segment winds around Hudson Yards. “I think people will want to experience it. ” Thomas Woltz, of the firm Nelson Byrd Woltz, designed Hudson Yards’ Public Square and Gardens, with input from Mr. Heatherwick, as a dramatically landscaped attraction. The square will be the $200 million centerpiece of Hudson Yards’ eastern section, a parcel with eight buildings comprising office space, retail outlets, residences and a new cultural institution, the Shed. The eastern section stretches from 30th to 34th Streets and from 10th to 11th Avenues, built largely on a platform over the West Side Rail Yards. Despite the name “Public Square,” Hudson Yards is a private development, and “Vessel” was commissioned and approved by a committee of one: Mr. Ross, who has kept the design models in a locked cabinet in the Related offices — when not allowing brief peeks to lure commercial tenants. “I have the only key,” he said with a smile. When Mr. Ross began the process of finding a piece several years ago, he first turned to five artists who are known for working in public plazas — and whom he declined to name — and asked them for detailed proposals. One of the unbuilt plans cost him $500, 000, he said, and another $250, 000. But he was unsatisfied. “Been there, seen that,” Mr. Ross said of his reaction. A Related colleague suggested Mr. Heatherwick, who had come in previously for a meeting at the company to discuss a future pavilion on the site. Mr. Heatherwick and Mr. Ross talked, and six weeks later, the designer sent a proposal. “I looked at it and said, ‘That’s it,’” Mr. Ross said. “It had everything I wanted. ” That was in 2013. “Everybody here thought I was nuts,” Mr. Ross said of his colleagues’ reactions. The idea of “Vessel” as an exclamation point toward the northern end of the High Line is part of Mr. Ross’s grand plan to make Hudson Yards the center of New York, despite its location. “The most important place in New York is Rockefeller Center during Christmas time,” Mr. Ross said. “I wanted to have a Christmas tree. ” One of Mr. Heatherwick’s main goals for the piece is to raise people significantly above ground level so they can see the city — and one another — in a new way. “The power of the High Line is the changed perspective on the world,” Mr. Heatherwick said. The interactive feature of “Vessel” was partly a reaction to what Mr. Heatherwick sees as previous failures in public projects: Plop art. “We’ve gotten used to these 1960s, 1970s plazas with obligatory big artworks plunked down,” he said. “Vessel” is only 50 feet in diameter at its base, rising to 150 feet at the top, meaning that it has a “small bum,” Mr. Heatherwick said, and does not take over the plaza’s ground level. The cost of the piece has ballooned from the original estimate, $75 million, Mr. Ross said. Mr. Heatherwick noted that the process of making the steel pieces was unusually complex. “We didn’t have an unlimited budget, but no corners have been cut,” Mr. Heatherwick said, adding that “Vessel” was sturdy enough to “take Hurricane Sandys. ” The price does not appear to trouble his patron. Mr. Ross has now hired Heatherwick Studio to design two residential buildings, one at Hudson Yards and one in Chelsea. For Mr. Heatherwick, “Vessel” represents his firm’s focus on doing innovative work for the public to enjoy. “I’m doing this project because it’s free, and for all New Yorkers,” he said. “I’m just itching to see a thousand people on it. ” | 0 |
501 | Cyber War From Trifle to Catastrophe : Information | Ernest Partridge | Cyber War - From Trifle to Catastrophe By Ernest Partridge
November 06, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Hillary Clinton tells us that all seventeen intelligence agencies agree that the Wikileaks hack comes from the Kremlin. Those agencies proclaim this with a rock-solid conviction that I have not heard since Vice President DIck Cheney told us all that "there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." Add to that, the rock-solid evidence of Saddam's treachery that Colin Powell presented to the UN Security Council. The mainstream corporate media bought it whole.
However, as all know today, these were lies. Saddam had no WMDs, and there were no Iraqi chemical weapons "Winebagos of Death" vividly described by Colin Powell.
Now we are told, "with high confidence," that Vladimir Putin's Kremlin has launched a cyber attack to disrupt our presidential election. Never mind that, as MIT expert Theodore Postol has written that there is, "no technical way that the US intelligence community could know who did the hacking if it was done by sophisticated nation-state actors."
The lies that launched the disastrous Iraq war have had lasting consequences to the credibility of the United States Government. The last time that government cried "wolf," there was no wolf. Why should we believe it now?
So no, I am not convinced. There is good reason not to believe the "Kremlin hack" story.
A crucial distinction is in order: First, there is the actual content of the hacked emails. Second, there are the consequences of the general media assumption and public belief that the emails were a Kremlin plot to disrupt the presidential election.
As for the content , it was trivial and still worse, not credible. There is nothing remarkable in the disclosed content of the hacked emails. They might, if believed, cause John Podesta some embarrassment. In addition, they might reveal that the Democratic National Committee is controlled by a political elite. But we already know that.
But why should we believe any of that content? If, as claimed, the leaks came from the Kremlin, there is not, and cannot be, any authentication of the hacked emails unless the original sources (e.g, John Podesta) produce the originals. And why would they? Accordingly, the leakers (whoever they might be) are free to concoct forgeries at will. And of course, it follows that we, the intended audience, are advised to ignore all of them.
Furthermore, , why would Putin want to use these emails to "rig" our election? To tilt the election toward Trump? If that is his motive, it has backfired spectacularly. That alleged "disclosure" of the hacking has benefited Clinton far more than Trump. It is one of her favorite talking points, as we discovered in the final debate.
So we are left with two alternate conclusions: The Russian government likely had no part in the leaking. Or if they did, the leaks will have little or no effect on the election, except to provide Hillary Clinton with a talking point and to embarrass John Podesta.
In short, the Wikileaks hacks, whatever the source, appear to be a just a prank: A trifle, blown hugely out of proportion by a scandal-hungry media.
However, even though the content of the hacked emails may be trivial and not credible, the consequences of the accusation of Kremlin connivance could be catastrophic.
First of all, as we are finding out, the neo-cons and the media are using the hacks to intensify the demonization of Putin and to heat up the renewed Cold War.
Still worse, as Joe Biden stated recently on Meet the Press , the accusation that Putin is behind the hacks and their release might provoke a cyber retaliation from the United States.
A Kremlin spokesman has called Biden's threat a a "virtual American declaration of war on Russia."
If, as Biden warns, the United States retaliates, then the Russian response might, unlike the present alleged leaks, be devastating to the US economy.
Be assured that a "cyber-war" entails infinitely more than leaked emails. It might include the shutdown of the internet and emails. Also, the disruption of business and financial communications and utility grids. The world today runs on silicon and microprocessors. Imagine returning home to no electric power, phone service or access to the internet. Add to that, no restocking of the local supermarket or gas stations. And no capability of the government to make prompt repairs. The result: Total economic shutdown.
We can do this to Russia, and be assured that Russia can do this to us.
The reality of cyber attacks is no mere speculation, we have seen them at work. The Iranian nuclear weapons program was severely damaged and set back by a CIA implanted computer virus. And this past month, large regions of the United States temporarily lost internet service. The cause remains unknown.
Has Joe Biden thought through the implications of his threat? Is this the horror that Biden wants to unleash on us and the world in response to an essentially harmless prank? To what purpose? Some kind of capitulation by the Russians? No chance of that.
A far more likely result would be an escalation from cyber to military combat. And then what?
Where are the cool-headed grownups, now that we need them?
Dr. Ernest Partridge is a consultant, writer and lecturer in the field of Environmental Ethics and Public Policy. He has taught Philosophy at the University of California, and in Utah, Colorado and Wisconsin. He publishes the website, "The Online Gadfly" (www.igc.org/gadfly) and co-edits the progressive website, "The Crisis Papers" (www.crisispapers.org). His book in progress, "Conscience of a Progressive," can be seen at www.igc.org/gadfly/progressive/^toc.htm . Send comments to: [email protected] . Ernest Partridge's blog | 1 |
502 | President Putin Asks US To Stop Provoking Russia | Gillian | Here is President Putin’s speech at Valdai Putin speech, Valdai 2016 – JRL, October 29, 2016.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin:
Tarja, Heinz, Thabo, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to see you again. I want to start by thanking all of the participants in the Valdai International Discussion Club, from Russia and abroad, for your constructive part in this work, and I want to thank our distinguished guests for their readiness to take part in this open discussion.
Our esteemed moderator just wished me a good departure into retirement, and I wish myself the same when the time comes. This is the right approach and the thing to do. But I am not retired yet and am for now the leader of this big country. As such, it is fitting to show restraint and avoid displays of excessive aggressiveness. I do not think that this is my style in any case.
But I do think that we should be frank with each other, particularly here in this gathering. I think we should hold candid, open discussions, otherwise our dialogue makes no sense and would be insipid and without the slightest interest.
I think that this style of discussion is extremely needed today given the great changes taking place in the world. The theme for our meeting this year, The Future in Progress: Shaping the World of Tomorrow, is very topical.
Last year, the Valdai forum participants discussed the problems with the current world order. Unfortunately, little has changed for the better over these last months. Indeed, it would be more honest to say that nothing has changed.
The tensions engendered by shifts in distribution of economic and political influence continue to grow. Mutual distrust creates a burden that narrows our possibilities for finding effective responses to the real threats and challenges facing the world today.
Essentially, the entire globalisation project is in crisis today and in Europe, as we know well, we hear voices now saying that multiculturalism has failed.
I think this situation is in many respects the result of mistaken, hasty and to some extent over-confident choices made by some countries’ elites a quarter-of-a-century ago. Back then, in the late 1980s-early 1990s, there was a chance not just to accelerate the globalisation process but also to give it a different quality and make it more harmonious and sustainable in nature.
But some countries that saw themselves as victors in the Cold War, not just saw themselves this way but said it openly, took the course of simply reshaping the global political and economic order to fit their own interests.
In their euphoria, they essentially abandoned substantive and equal dialogue with other actors in international life, chose not to improve or create universal institutions, and attempted instead to bring the entire world under the spread of their own organisations, norms and rules. They chose the road of globalisation and security for their own beloved selves, for the select few, and not for all. But far from everyone was ready to agree with this.
We may as well be frank here, as we know full well that many did not agree with what was happening, but some were unable by then to respond, and others were not yet ready to respond. The result though is that the system of international relations is in a feverish state and the global economy cannot extricate itself from systemic crisis. At the same time, rules and principles, in the economy and in politics, are constantly being distorted and we often see what only yesterday was taken as a truth and raised to dogma status reversed completely.
If the powers that be today find some standard or norm to their advantage, they force everyone else to comply. But if tomorrow these same standards get in their way, they are swift to throw them in the bin, declare them obsolete, and set or try to set new rules.
Thus, we saw the decisions to launch airstrikes in the centre of Europe, against Belgrade, and then came Iraq, and then Libya. The operations in Afghanistan also started without the corresponding decision from the United Nations Security Council. In their desire to shift the strategic balance in their favour these countries broke apart the international legal framework that prohibited deployment of new missile defence systems. They created and armed terrorist groups, whose cruel actions have sent millions of civilians into flight, made millions of displaced persons and immigrants, and plunged entire regions into chaos.
We see how free trade is being sacrificed and countries use sanctions as a means of political pressure, bypass the World Trade Organisation and attempt to establish closed economic alliances with strict rules and barriers, in which the main beneficiaries are their own transnational corporations. And we know this is happening. They see that they cannot resolve all of the problems within the WTO framework and so think, why not throw the rules and the organisation itself aside and build a new one instead. This illustrates what I just said.
At the same time, some of our partners demonstrate no desire to resolve the real international problems in the world today. In organisations such as NATO, for example, established during the Cold War and clearly out of date today, despite all the talk about the need to adapt to the new reality, no real adaptation takes place. We see constant attempts to turn the OSCE, a crucial mechanism for ensuring common European and also trans-Atlantic security, into an instrument in the service of someone’s foreign policy interests. The result is that this very important organisation has been hollowed out.
But they continue to churn out threats, imaginary and mythical threats such as the ‘Russian military threat’. This is a profitable business that can be used to pump new money into defence budgets at home, get allies to bend to a single superpower’s interests, expand NATO and bring its infrastructure, military units and arms closer to our borders.
Of course, it can be a pleasing and even profitable task to portray oneself as the defender of civilization against the new barbarians. The only thing is that Russia has no intention of attacking anyone. This is all quite absurd. I also read analytical materials, those written by you here today, and by your colleagues in the USA and Europe.
It is unthinkable, foolish and completely unrealistic. Europe alone has 300 million people. All of the NATO members together with the USA have a total population of 600 million, probably. But Russia has only 146 million. It is simply absurd to even conceive such thoughts. And yet they use these ideas in pursuit of their political aims.
Another mythical and imaginary problem is what I can only call the hysteria the USA has whipped up over supposed Russian meddling in the American presidential election. The United States has plenty of genuinely urgent problems, it would seem, from the colossal public debt to the increase in firearms violence and cases of arbitrary action by the police.
You would think that the election debates would concentrate on these and other unresolved problems, but the elite has nothing with which to reassure society, it seems, and therefore attempt to distract public attention by pointing instead to supposed Russian hackers, spies, agents of influence and so forth.
I have to ask myself and ask you too: Does anyone seriously imagine that Russia can somehow influence the American people’s choice? America is not some kind of ‘banana republic’, after all, but is a great power. Do correct me if I am wrong. The question is, if things continue in this vein, what awaits the world? What kind of world will we have tomorrow? Do we have answers to the questions of how to ensure stability, security and sustainable economic growth? Do we know how we will make a more prosperous world?
Sad as it is to say, there is no consensus on these issues in the world today. Maybe you have come to some common conclusions through your discussions, and I would, of course, be interested to hear them. But it is very clear that there is a lack of strategy and ideas for the future. This creates a climate of uncertainty that has a direct impact on the public mood.
Sociological studies conducted around the world show that people in different countries and on different continents tend to see the future as murky and bleak. This is sad. The future does not entice them, but frightens them. At the same time, people see no real opportunities or means for changing anything, influencing events and shaping policy.
Yes, formally speaking, modern countries have all the attributes of democracy: Elections, freedom of speech, access to information, freedom of expression. But even in the most advanced democracies the majority of citizens have no real influence on the political process and no direct and real influence on power.
People sense an ever-growing gap between their interests and the elite’s vision of the only correct course, a course the elite itself chooses. The result is that referendums and elections increasingly often create surprises for the authorities. People do not at all vote as the official and respectable media outlets advised them to, nor as the mainstream parties advised them to. Public movements that only recently were too far left or too far right are taking centre stage and pushing the political heavyweights aside.
At first, these inconvenient results were hastily declared anomaly or chance. But when they became more frequent, people started saying that society does not understand those at the summit of power and has not yet matured sufficiently to be able to assess the authorities’ labour for the public good. Or they sink into hysteria and declare it the result of foreign, usually Russian, propaganda.
Friends and colleagues, I would like to have such a propaganda machine here in Russia, but regrettably, this is not the case. We have not even global mass media outlets of the likes of CNN, BBC and others. We simply do not have this kind of capability yet.
As for the claim that the fringe and populists have defeated the sensible, sober and responsible minority – we are not talking about populists or anything like that but about ordinary people, ordinary citizens who are losing trust in the ruling class. That is the problem.
By the way, with the political agenda already eviscerated as it is, and with elections ceasing to be an instrument for change but consisting instead of nothing but scandals and digging up dirt – who gave someone a pinch, who sleeps with whom, if you’ll excuse me. This just goes beyond all boundaries. And honestly, a look at various candidates’ platforms gives the impression that they were made from the same mould – the difference is slight, if there is any.
It seems as if the elites do not see the deepening stratification in society and the erosion of the middle class, while at the same time, they implant ideological ideas that, in my opinion, are destructive to cultural and national identity. And in certain cases, in some countries they subvert national interests and renounce sovereignty in exchange for the favour of the suzerain.
This begs the question: who is actually the fringe? The expanding class of the supranational oligarchy and bureaucracy, which is in fact often not elected and not controlled by society, or the majority of citizens, who want simple and plain things – stability, free development of their countries, prospects for their lives and the lives of their children, preserving their cultural identity, and, finally, basic security for themselves and their loved ones.
People are clearly scared to see how terrorism is evolving from a distant threat to an everyday one, how a terrorist attack could occur right near them, on the next street, if not on their own street, while any makeshift item – from a home-made explosive to an ordinary truck – can be used to carry out a mass killing.
Moreover, the terrorist attacks that have taken place in the past few years in Boston and other US cities, Paris, Brussels, Nice and German cities, as well as, sadly, in our own country, show that terrorists do not need units or organised structures – they can act independently, on their own, they just need the ideological motivation against their enemies, that is, against you and us.
The terrorist threat is a clear example of how people fail to adequately evaluate the nature and causes of the growing threats. We see this in the way events in Syria are developing. No one has succeeded in stopping the bloodshed and launching a political settlement process. One would think that we would have begun to put together a common front against terrorism now, after such lengthy negotiations, enormous effort and difficult compromises.
But this has not happened and this common front has not emerged. My personal agreements with the President of the United States have not produced results either. There were people in Washington ready to do everything possible to prevent these agreements from being implemented in practice. This all demonstrates an unexplainable and I would say irrational desire on the part of the Western countries to keep making the same mistakes or, as we say here in Russia, keep stepping on the same rake.
We all see what is happening in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and a number of other countries. I have to ask, where are the results of the fight against terrorism and extremism? Overall, looking at the world as a whole, there are some results in particular regions and locations, but there is no global result and the terrorist threat continues to grow.
We all remember the euphoria in some capitals over the Arab Spring. Where are these fanfares today? Russia’s calls for a joint fight against terrorism go ignored. What’s more, they continue to arm, supply and train terrorist groups in the hope of using them to achieve their own political aims. This is a very dangerous game and I address the players once again: The extremists in this case are more cunning, clever and stronger than you, and if you play these games with them, you will always lose. Colleagues, it is clear that the international community should concentrate on the real problems facing humanity today, the resolution of which will make our world a safer and more stable place and make the system of international relations fairer and more equal. As I said, it is essential to transform globalisation from something for a select few into something for all. It is my firm belief that we can overcome these threats and challenges only by working together on the solid foundation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
Today it is the United Nations that continues to remain an agency that is unparalleled in representativeness and universality, a unique venue for equitable dialogue. Its universal rules are necessary for including as many countries as possible in economic and humanitarian integration, guaranteeing their political responsibility and working to coordinate their actions while also preserving their sovereignty and development models.
We have no doubt that sovereignty is the central notion of the entire system of international relations. Respect for it and its consolidation will help underwrite peace and stability both at the national and international levels. There are many countries that can rely on a history stretching back a thousand years, like Russia, and we have come to appreciate our identity, freedom and independence. But we do not seek global domination, expansion or confrontation with anyone.
In our mind, real leadership lies in seeing real problems rather than attempting to invent mythical threats and use them to steamroll others. This is exactly how Russia understands its role in global affairs today.
There are priorities without which a prosperous future for our shared planet is unthinkable and they are absolutely obvious. I won’t be saying anything new here. First of all, there is equal and indivisible security for all states. Only after ending armed conflicts and ensuring the peaceful development of all countries will we be able to talk about economic progress and the resolution of social, humanitarian and other key problems. It is important to fight terrorism and extremism in actuality. It has been said more than once that this evil can only be overcome by a concerted effort of all states of the world. Russia continues to offer this to all interested partners.
It is necessary to add to the international agenda the issue of restoring the Middle Eastern countries’ lasting statehood, economy and social sphere. The mammoth scale of destruction demands drawing up a long-term comprehensive programme, a kind of Marshall Plan, to revive the war- and conflict-ridden area. Russia is certainly willing to join actively in these team efforts.
We cannot achieve global stability unless we guarantee global economic progress. It is essential to provide conditions for creative labour and economic growth at a pace that would put an end to the division of the world into permanent winners and permanent losers. The rules of the game should give the developing economies at least a chance to catch up with those we know as developed economies. We should work to level out the pace of economic development, and brace up backward countries and regions so as to make the fruit of economic growth and technological progress accessible to all. Particularly, this would help to put an end to poverty, one of the worst contemporary problems.
It is also absolutely evident that economic cooperation should be mutually lucrative and rest on universal principles to enable every country to become an equal partner in global economic activities. True, the regionalising trend in the world economy is likely to persist in the medium term. However, regional trade agreements should complement and expand not replace the universal norms and regulations. Russia advocates the harmonisation of regional economic formats based on the principles of transparency and respect for each other’s interests. That is how we arrange the work of the Eurasian Economic Union and conduct negotiations with our partners, particularly on coordination with the Silk Road Economic Belt project, which China is implementing. We expect it to promote an extensive Eurasian partnership, which promises to evolve into one of the formative centres of a vast Eurasian integration area. To implement this idea, 5+1 talks have begun already for an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between all participants in the process.
An important task of ours is to develop human potential. Only a world with ample opportunities for all, with highly skilled workers, access to knowledge and a great variety of ways to realise their potential can be considered truly free. Only a world where people from different countries do not struggle to survive but lead full lives can be stable.
A decent future is impossible without environment protection and addressing climate problems. That is why the conservation of the natural world and its diversity and reducing the human impact on the environment will be a priority for the coming decades.
Another priority is global healthcare. Of course, there are many problems, such as large-scale epidemics, decreasing the mortality rate in some regions and the like. So there is enormous room for advancement. All people in the world, not only the elite, should have the right to healthy, long and full lives. This is a noble goal. In short, we should build the foundation for the future world today by investing in all priority areas of human development. And of course, it is necessary to continue a broad-based discussion of our common future so that all sensible and promising initiatives are heard.
Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I am confident that you, as members of the Valdai Club, will actively take part in this work. Your expertise enables you to understand all angles of the processes underway both in Russia and in the world, forecast and evaluate long-term trends, and put forward new initiatives and recommendations that will help us find the way to the more prosperous and sustainable future that we all badly need.
Thank you very much for your attention. … (comments at end)
Vladimir Putin: I would just like to make a quick response to what Mr Fischer has just said. He mentioned discussions in the EU on the trade agreement with Canada. This is an internal EU matter, but if you permit, I would just like to make one small remark.
I know that some in Europe find Wallonia’s position irritating, after all, the region is home to only 3.5 million people, but these 3.5 million people are blocking a decision on an issue of global importance, namely, this trade agreement with Canada. But when Belgium took part in the EU’s creation, it did so on the basis of particular principles, including that Belgium overall, and Wallonia, would have certain rights. The EU has grown greatly since then and has a much different membership now, but the rules have not changed. Perhaps these rules need to be changed, but in this case, you would first have to give the people who created this organisation a chance to change it through a democratic process and then obtain their approval.
As for the dispute itself, I am not as familiar with all the details as the Europeans are, of course, but whatever the prerogatives of the EU supranational bodies (note that I have already spoken publicly on this point), the European Parliament adopts a far greater number of binding decisions with regard to the member states than did the USSR Supreme Soviet with regard to the Soviet Union’s constituent republics during the Soviet period. It is not for us to say whether this is good or bad. We want to see a strong and centralised Europe. This is our position. But in Europe itself there are many different views, and I hope that this whole issue will be resolved in positive fashion.
On the matter of the UN, I have said before but will say again now that we must return to what is written in the UN Charter, because there is no other such universal organisation in the world. If we renounce the UN, this is a sure road to chaos. There is no other universal alternative in the world. Yes, the world has changed, and yes, the UN and the Security Council do need reform and reconstruction. But as they say in our Foreign Ministry, we can do this in such a way as to preserve the organisation’s effectiveness. We can do this on the basis of broad consensus. We need to ensure that the vast majority of international actors give their support to these reforms.
Today, we must return to a common understanding of the principles of international law as enshrined in the UN Charter. This is because when the UN was established after World War II, there was a particular balance of power in the world. Later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States decided that there was no one to coordinate things with and they did not really need to get anyone’s approval on fundamental matters. This was the start of everything.
First, in the 1990s, we had the airstrikes against Belgrade. I will not go into the humanitarian aspect that preceded these decisions, but just seeing airstrikes carried out in the heart of Europe at the end of the twentieth century seemed to me simply barbaric. This was all the more so as it was done in violation of the UN Charter and without approval. When this happened, people immediately started saying that the old rules were outdated and something had to change.
Things got worse from there with the events in Iraq. Did the UN sanction the operations in Iraq? No. Before this there were operations in Afghanistan in 2001. Yes, we all know the tragedy of September 11, 2001, but even so, under existing international law, a relevant UN Security Council resolution should have been sought first, which was not done.
Then came Iraq, and then came the resolution on Libya. You are all experts here, you have read the resolution on Libya, and know that it was about establishing a no-fly zone there. But what kind of no-fly zone can we speak of if airstrikes began against Libyan territory? This was a flagrant violation of the UN Charter. And then came Syria. It was either Tarja or Heinz who said that the operations in Aleppo are only increasing the number of terrorists. But did the terrorist ranks start swelling only with Aleppo? Were there terrorists in Iraq? There were no terrorists there until the country’s state structures were destroyed. The same was true of Libya, where there were no terrorists at all. But as soon as this country’s statehood was destroyed, who came along to fill the vacuum? Terrorists. The same is happening in Syria.
I understand the insinuations made about our action in Aleppo or elsewhere. But let’s remember that as soon as the conflict began in Syria, and it began long before we became involved, terrorists appeared there and began receiving arms supplies. I mentioned this in my opening remarks. Attempts were made to train these terrorists and set them against al-Assad, because there were no other options and these groups were the most effective. This continues today because these are the most effective fighting units and some think that it is possible to make use of them and then sort them out later. But this is an illusion.
It won’t work, and this is the problem.
I would also like to respond to the absolutely proper developments in Finland, for instance. Bells are tolling for those who have been killed in Aleppo. Bells should also be tolling for those now losing their lives in Mosul and its vicinity. The operation in Mosul is getting underway now. As far as I know, the terrorists have already shot more than 200 people in the hope of stopping the offensive on the town. Let’s not forget this. And in Afghanistan? Whole wedding parties of 120 people were wiped out with a single airstrike. A single strike! Have we forgotten this? And what about what’s happening in Yemen? Let the bells toll for all of these innocent victims. I agree with you here.
We keep hearing Aleppo, Aleppo, Aleppo. But what is the issue here? Do we leave the nest of terrorists in place there, or do we squeeze them out, doing our best to minimise and avoid civilian casualties? If it is better to not go in at all, then the offensive against Mosul shouldn’t go ahead at all either. Let’s just leave everything as it is. Let’s leave Raqqa alone too. Our partners keep saying, “We need to take back Raqqa and eliminate the nest of terrorists there”. But there are civilians in Raqqa too. So, should we not fight the terrorists at all? And when they take hostages in towns, should we just leave them be? Look at Israel’s example. Israel never steps back but always fights to the end, and this is how it survives. There is no alternative. We need to fight. If we keep retreating, we will always lose.
Regarding what Tarja said on the subject of security in the Baltic Sea area, I remind you that this matter came up not on our initiative but during my visit to Naantali in Finland, and on the initiative of Mr Niinisto, the president of Finland. Quite out of the blue, he requested that Russian aircraft do not fly with their transponders off. For those not familiar with military matters, I note that transponders are instruments that signal an aircraft’s location in the air. Of course, if aircraft fly with their transponders on, this increases security in the Baltic Sea region. This is the truth of the matter. I responded immediately then, noting firstly that there are far more flights by NATO aircraft in the region than by our aircraft.
Secondly, I promised the Finnish President that we would definitely raise this issue with our partners at the next Russia-NATO Council meeting. I can tell you that we did this. The result was that our NATO partners rejected Putin’s proposal, as they said. But this has nothing to do with Putin. They rejected the proposal made by Mr Niinisto, the president of Finland.
This was not such a straightforward matter for us either, I would say, because there is a technical dimension involved, a purely military dimension. But I did give the Defence Ministry instructions to find a way to do this without detriment to our security. The Defence Ministry found a solution, but our NATO colleagues rejected it. So please, direct your questions to the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Vladimir Putin: I think that intervention by any country in another country’s internal political process is unacceptable, no matter how these attempts are made, with the help of cyberattacks or through other instruments or organisations controlled from the outside within the country.
You know what happened in Turkey, for example, and the position taken by President of Turkey Recep Erdogan. He believes that the coup attempt in Turkey was undertaken by groups inspired by and with the direct help of an organisation run by a certain Gulen, who has lived in the United States for the last 9 years. This is unacceptable, and cyberattacks are unacceptable.
But we probably cannot avoid having an impact on each other, including in cyberspace. Your question was about the very specific matter of the electoral system though. I think this is absolutely unacceptable. How can we avoid this sort of thing, if it does happen? I think the only way is to reach agreement and come up with some rules on which we will have a common understanding and which will be recognised at the government and state level and can be verified.
Of course, the issue of internet freedom and everything related to it arises, but we know that many countries, including those that support internet freedom, take practical steps to restrict access out of concern for people’s interests. This concerns cybercrime, for example, attacks against banking systems and illegal money transfers. It concerns suicides too, crimes against children and so forth. These are measures taken at the national level. We can take appropriate measures both at the national level and at the intergovernmental level.
Vladimir Putin : On the question of favourites in the US presidential campaign, you said that the media have created this view. Yes, this is the case, and this is not by chance. In my observation, it is a rare occasion that the mass media forms a view purely by chance. I think that this idea, inserted into the public consciousness in the middle of the US presidential campaign, pursues the sole aim of supporting those defending the interests of Ms Clinton, the Democratic Party candidate, in her fight against the Republican Party candidate, in this case, Donald Trump.
How is this done? First, they create an enemy in the form of Russia, and then they say that Trump is our preferred candidate. This is complete nonsense and totally absurd. It’s only a tactic in the domestic political struggle, a way of manipulating public opinion before the elections take place.
As I have said many times before, we do not know exactly what to expect from either of the candidates once they win.
We do not know what Mr Trump would do if he wins, and we do not know what Ms Clinton would do, what would go ahead or not go ahead. Overall then, it does not really matter to us who wins. Of course, we can only welcome public words about a willingness to normalize relations between our two countries. In this sense, yes, we welcome such statements, no matter who makes them. That is all I can say, really.
As for Mr Trump, he has chosen his method of reaching voters’ hearts. Yes, he behaves extravagantly, of course, we all see this. But I think there is some sense in his actions. I say this because in my view, he represents the interests of the sizeable part of American society that is tired of the elites that have been in power for decades now. He is simply representing these ordinary people’s interests.
He portrays himself as an ordinary guy who criticizes those who have been in power for decades and does not like to see power handed down by inheritance, for example. We read the analysis too, including American analysis. Some of the experts there have written openly about this. He operates in this niche. The elections will soon show whether this is an effective strategy or not. As for me, I cannot but repeat what I have said already: we will work with whichever president the American people choose and who wants to work with us.
Question: Mr President, my question follows on the subject of security addressed just before. Obviously, cooperation is an essential part of this, and we realise that cooperation is not always easy. We saw an example just before with the case of the transponders. The planes can still fly at least.
But there are areas of vital importance, areas where innocent people’s lives are at stake. You mentioned recently the case of the Tsarnayev brothers. As far as I know, Russia passed on information but no action was taken. Does this mean that practical cooperation in security is now in a critical situation?
Vladimir Putin : I spoke about this matter at a meeting with French journalists, if I recall correctly. Yes, we passed information on the Tsarnayev brothers on to our American partners. We wrote to them but received no response. After we wrote a second time we got a reply that they are US citizens and so it was none of our business and they would take care of everything themselves. I told the director of the FSB to archive the file. The response we received is still there, in the archives. Sadly, a few months later, the Boston marathon terrorist attack took place and people were killed.
It is a great shame that this tragedy took place. If contacts and trust between us and our partners had been better this could have been avoided. The Americans came here immediately following the attack and we gave them the information in our possession. But it was too late. People had already lost their lives. This partly answers the last question too. We do not know if those who say they want to work with us really will or not, but they do say quite rightly that this is essential for all of us, especially in the fight against terrorism. In this sense, we welcome all who declare such intentions.
As I have also said in the past, the Americans have provided us with real help, during the preparations for the Olympic Games in Sochi, for example, and we are grateful to them for this. Our cooperation was very efficient here, on site and at the level of our intelligence service heads. There have been other good examples of cooperation too.
Overall, we have quite a good situation in this area with our European partners. We have open and professional contacts with the French intelligence services, for example, and exchange information. In general, the situation is not bad, but it could be a lot better.
Sabine Fischer : There was discussion about sending a policing mission to Donbass, and also emphasis on the roadmap that we saw in Russia, for example, in the media and in political debate. I think this was really a case of diverging interpretations of the results.
Vladimir Putin: This is no secret. I can tell you how it was. I might leave something out, so as not to put anyone in a difficult position or interfere with the process itself. As you know, the Minsk agreements, which I think the experts have all read, say in black and white: “Thirty days after the signing of the Minsk agreements Ukraine’s Rada must adopt a resolution outlining the geographical boundaries of areas where the law on the special status of these unrecognised republics would become effective immediately.” Because the only thing needed for it to work was the description of those geographical boundaries.
That had to be established, not by law, but by a parliamentary resolution, and the resolution was finally adopted, even if past the deadline. So one would think that this law was to take effect immediately. It was passed, I would like to remind you, by the Parliament of Ukraine. The lawmakers voted for it, and it was coordinated with the unrecognised republics, which is very important, and in this sense, in my view, makes it viable legislation and a key element of a political settlement.
But after passing this resolution, Ukraine and its Parliament adopted an amendment, a paragraph to Article 9 or 10, which said the law would take effect only after municipal elections in these areas. That once again postponed the law’s enforcement. I repeat, in our opinion, that law is absolutely key to a political resolution to the crisis in southeastern Ukraine. Moreover, that was done without even consulting anyone, least of all the unrecognised republics.
We discussed this very actively a year ago in Paris. I insisted that this be done then and done immediately, as it was part of the Minsk Agreements and is, in our view, a key component. But the Ukrainian president said that this was not possible and everything ended up in a dead end. In this situation, everything could have ended then and there a year ago in Paris, but Mr Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, suddenly proposed a compromise.
He suggested that we agree to have the law come into force on the day of the local elections in these regions, temporarily, and have it come into force permanently after the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights recognises the elections as having taken place in accordance with OSCE rules. This was not at all what was set out in the Minsk Agreements, but in order to get us out of the deadlock we were in, I expressed my agreement and said we would settle the matter with Donetsk and Lugansk, which we did.
But then in Berlin, the Ukrainian president suddenly also attempted to change this proposal, already the result of a compromise. He went even further, essentially renouncing the law’s implementation whatever the case. We thus found ourselves back in the same crisis we had in Paris a year before. But I want to note the Federal Chancellor’s role here. She found arguments to persuade everyone present that we could and should keep to the agreement we reached and said that it was not possible to change what we’d already agreed on a year later, or we would never reach an agreement. But we agreed to bundle the nuances and details of how it would be implemented together with the concept you spoke about, and which still has to be worked through.
That is it, really. But in principle, a lot was accomplished in terms of ensuring security. We reached agreement on nearly every point. We made very little progress on humanitarian matters. These regions remain tightly blockaded and are in a very difficult situation. But the so-called civilised world prefers not to notice this. I do not want to get into debate on this matter now. As far as the [Normandy] format goes and whether it is useful or not, we simply have no alternative.
Yes, the discussions proceed with difficulty, and this is not very effective, I agree, but we have no other option, and if we want to make progress, we have to continue working in this format. As for the question of getting any other actors involved, our position is that we are not opposed to the idea of others taking part, including our American partners. But we have reached an agreement with all participants in the process that we will work in parallel with our American colleagues. My aide and Ms Nuland have regular meetings, discuss these issues and look for compromise. This is not being done in secret though, of course. All participants in the Normandy format meetings are informed and we take into account our American partners’ position too, of course.
Angela Stent: This question is for President Putin. I’m Angela Stent; I’m a professor at Georgetown University in Washington. Mr President, Russia recently withdrew from an agreement with the United States to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium, but at the same time, the Russian Government said that it would consider re-joining the agreement if three conditions were met: firstly, that NATO troops should withdraw to the level that they were before 2000 in Europe; secondly, the Magnitsky Act should be repealed; and thirdly, that the sanctions imposed on Russia after the beginning of the Ukraine crisis should be lifted, and Russia should be paid compensation for them.
So my question is: we will have a new President on January 20, I’m optimistic about that. Are we to understand, in the United States, that these three conditions would form the basis of an initial negotiating position on the Russian part with the American president, when she re-establishes high-level relations with the Kremlin? Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: One can tell straight away that you are an academic and not a diplomat. If you ask the diplomats, they will tell you about the concept of ‘starting position’. As for our decision on the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, we did not withdraw from it. The United States withdrew from the missile defence treaty, but we did not withdraw from the plutonium agreement, we suspended it. Why did we do this? What were this agreement’s provisions? Under its terms, both countries were to build facilities for disposing of the surplus weapons-grade plutonium that had accumulated in both Russia and the USA.
Not only did the USA not meet its obligations under the agreement, but said that it would not do so because of financial difficulties. As if Russia does not have financial difficulties of its own, but we built our facility and are disposing of this plutonium using industrial methods. Without any prior coordination with us, the United States made a unilateral announcement that they would not dilute this weapons-grade plutonium but would store it in some beds and so forth.
This means that they retain what the experts call return potential, in other words, the plutonium could be returned and re-enriched at any moment. But we are eliminating our plutonium using industrial methods. We built our facility and spent money on it. Are we wealthier than the United States? There are many issues it has become difficult to discuss with the current administration because practically no obligations are met and no agreements are respected, including those on Syria. Perhaps we will be able to come back to this. We are ready, in any case, to talk with the new president and look for solutions to any, even the most difficult, issues.
Question : Mr President, my question is on Russian policy towards Asia. The emphasis today in Russian foreign policy is on the construction of a multipolar world. But do you also give some thought to the importance of a multipolar Asia? Both in your speech today, and the general construction of the Russian foreign policy, points, I think, to the growing, deepening contradictions between the US and the West on the one hand, and the Eurasian situation. But it’s also a fact that there are internal contradictions within Eurasia.
The rise of new powers is creating a lot of fears; the breakdown of the old order in some parts is releasing primordial forces. These are internal to Eurasia. But is there a danger that Russia, by its emphasis on a multipolar world, is underestimating the dangers of a unipolar Asia, and the need for great powers to work together to construct a genuinely democratic multipolar Asia?
Vladimir Putin: We are actively developing relations with Asian countries not because of tension in relations with Europe or the United States, but simply because life itself dictates this choice. Why do I say that life itself dictates that we expand these contacts?
The Asian countries’ development and influence is growing and will continue to do so, and, what’s more, they are growing fast. With a sizeable part of its territory in Asia, Russia would be foolish not to make use of its geographical advantages and develop ties with its neighbours.
China is our neighbour and I mentioned this in my opening remarks. We have longstanding good relations with India and it would be a mistake not to make use of this and develop solid long-term relations with India today. We have many common interests. We can naturally complement each other in politics and the economy. As for the question of a multipolar or unipolar Asia, we see that Asia is not unipolar and this is very evident.
Life is very diverse and complex in general and is full of contradictions. It is important to resolve these contradictions in a civilised fashion. I think that the Asian countries’ leaders today have sufficient common sense to work in just this way with each other, and we are ready to work the same way with them all.
I visited India just recently and our Defence Minister has just returned from India. We have cooperation between our defence ministries and also between industry in the defence sector, as well as in the civilian sector, where we have many common interests with India, China, Vietnam and other countries in the region. These ties are extensive and promising.
Thomas Gomart : In September 2014, at the Valdai Club, you described the relations between Ukraine and Russia with the following sentence: “Two countries, one people”. Today, how would you describe the relations between the two countries? Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin : I will not go into who is to blame for what now. I have always considered, and still do today, that Russians and Ukrainians are really one people. There are people who hold radical nationalist views both in Russia and in Ukraine. But overall, for the majority, we are one people, a people who share a common history and culture and are ethnically close. First we were divided, then we were set against each other, but we are not to blame for this. We must find our own way out of this situation. I am sure that common sense will prevail and that we will find a solution.
Question : Mr President, before putting my question, I would like to pass on my young students’ words. Two years ago, you came to Shanghai on other important business and our students missed the chance to meet at the university with you and ask their question, but they asked me to tell you that they would be happy to see you any time, regardless of whether you have retired or not.
My question is as follows: We have discussed the philosophical matter of international relations today. Humanity has already gone through different types of international systems. In your view, to what extent will future systems resemble past ones? What are the positive components we should emphasise in particular? Should we seek more universality or more diversity as far as principles go? What kind of combination of components would you prefer to see?
And I have a specific question too. We have been actively discussing here the relations between Russia, the West, and China.
Vladimir Putin : Heinz said that this is a very philosophical question and that we could spend a long time discussing it.
Will tomorrow’s world resemble the past? No, of course not. How is this possible? Does today’s China resemble the China of the 1960s-70s? They are two completely different countries, and the Soviet Union is gone today too.
Mr Mbeki spoke about Africa before. I share his arguments. But Africa cannot be some kind of peripheral place. If anyone thinks this way, they are deeply mistaken. If we follow this kind of thinking, we can expect very serious trials ahead. We already hear the talk about refugees and Syria. I saw today the news about the latest incident in the Mediterranean, where the Italian coastguard rescued refugees from Africa. What has Syria got to do with this? Africa’s future and the world’s future are very serious issues. The same goes for relations in Asia, where there are also many conflicts or potential conflict situations.
I want to repeat what I have just said. The question is whether we have the wisdom and the courage to find acceptable solutions to these various problems and complicated conflicts. I certainly hope that this will be the case, that the world really will become more multipolar, and that the views of all actors in the international community will be taken into account. No matter whether a country is big or small, there should be universally accepted common rules that guarantee sovereignty and peoples’ interests.
As for our relations with our partners in Europe, the United States, America in general, and the Asian countries, we have a multi-vector policy. This is not just in virtue of our geographical location. Our policy with regard to our partners is built on the basis of equality and mutual respect.
Alexei Mukhin: Alexei Mukhin , Centre for Political Technology.
Mr President, Ukraine is constantly trying to prohibit things Russian. We get the impression that everything Russian is being squeezed out of Ukrainian life. In this respect, I have a philosophical question too. Petro Poroshenko said that he plans to sell his Russian business interests. Does this business actually exist? What is your view on this?
Vladimir Putin : We seek to respect ownership rights. Mr Kudrin is a staunch advocate of property rights, seeing it as one of the pillars of economic policy, and I fully agree with him. We have not always been entirely successful in this area and we still have improvements to make and much legislative work to do, but we will always keep working in this direction.
The same concerns our foreign investors, including from Ukraine. Mr Poroshenko is one of our investors in the sense that he is the owner of a sizeable business in Lipetsk Region, the Roshen factory. Actually, there are two businesses there. The second is engaged in selling the products, as far as I know. There are a few problems there concerning non-return of VAT, and the courts have imposed some restrictions, but the factories are operating, paying wages and earning profits, and there are no restrictions on using these profits, including transferring them abroad. I do not recall the figures now and do not get into such detail, but I know the business is turning a profit and is working with success.
Pyotr Dutkevich : Pyotr Dutkevich, Canada
Mr President, I already put this question yesterday to the Deputy Foreign Minister, but I realise my mistake, because you are the only person this question should really be addressed to.
My question is as follows: We have heard reports, I do not know how accurate they are, that you discussed a ceasefire in Syria at your meeting with Mr Obama in September. I do not know how accurate this information is, but it seems a 7-day ceasefire was proposed. You expressed doubts and said that it would not be possible to separate the radicals from the moderates in such a short time and that this task would likely prove impossible. You were given the answer then that if we failed in this task, you would have a free hand. Can you recall this conversation? It is very important for the history of what is taking place in Syria now.
Vladimir Putin : Yes, I do not need to recall it because I never forgot it. It was a very important conversation. There was indeed talk on the lines that Russian and Syrian aircraft would cease their airstrikes against terrorist targets in Aleppo until the healthy opposition forces could be separated from the forces of Jabhat al-Nusra, a terrorist organisation recognised as such by the United Nations and included on the list of international terrorist organisations.
In this respect, I note that it is no secret that our American partners promised to do this. First, they recognised the need to do this, and second, they recognised that part of Aleppo is occupied by terrorist organisations – ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. We can see this for ourselves from the news reports, where you see the banners of ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra in some parts of the city. They recognised that this needs to be done and assured us that they would do this.
After this, we agreed that we would decide right there on the battlefield who the moderates were, and we would not touch them, and who the terrorists were, and we and our American partners would target the terrorists. They made repeated promises. These promises were made at the level of our defence ministers, foreign ministers, intelligence services, but unfortunately, this fell through each time and they did not keep their promises.
The question was raised again during our meeting in China. Yes, my American partner, President Obama, did indeed propose separating these different forces once again. But he insisted that we must first declare a D-day, cease hostilities, stop the airstrikes, and then, within 7 days, they would take on the responsibility of separating the moderates from Jabhat al-Nusra. I will not go into detail her because I do not think I have the right to make these details public. After all, when we have talks like these, there are always some things we say in confidence. But the fact remains.
Instead of separating the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists from the healthy opposition, our American partners broke the ceasefire themselves. I had originally insisted that they first separate the terrorists from the moderates and we would then end the airstrikes, but in the end, I decided to agree with the American proposal at the talks. They were persistent and I decided to accept a compromise, said that we would go with their proposal, declare a ceasefire first and stop the airstrikes, giving them the seven days they asked for.
The ceasefire was declared on September 12, I think, and on the 17th, American aircraft carried out a strike against Syrian troops, and this was followed by an ISIS offensive. We were told that the strike was a mistake and that the ISIS offensive was only a coincidence. Perhaps this is so, but the ceasefire was broken and we are not to blame for this.
As for what the US President promised or didn’t promise, you should ask him. I imagine that he will speak with our European partners about this when he goes to Europe. I think this should be done openly and honestly and not simply in an attempt to use this to influence our position on Syria.
By the way, do you realise that Russian and Syrian aircraft have not been carrying out any operations around Aleppo for 9 days now. We gave them not 7 days, but already 9, soon to be 10 days. But where is the effort to separate the terrorists from the moderates? You have to realise that if we do not meet our obligations we will never succeed in this fight against terrorism.
I realise that this is not an easy task and we are not looking to make any accusations, but we do have to try to keep our promises. In any case, it should not be we who end up accused of every possible sin. This is simply indecent. We have been showing restraint and do not respond to our partners with insolence, but there is a limit to everything and we might have to reply at some point.
Vladimir Putin : I can turn to Tarja and Heinz who know very well how the OSCE works. But I will give my opinion.
President Poroshenko has advanced the initiative of a so-called policing mission for the duration of the possible future elections in Donbass, Donetsk and Lugansk. I was the only one there who supported him. It is another matter that I do not describe this as a policing mission because the other parties in the process have objected to it. They objected not because they do not want to help Mr Poroshenko, but because the OSCE has never done anything like this before. It does not have the experience, the people or any practice in implementing policing missions.
At this point, the other parties in the process have not supported the idea Mr Poroshenko advanced, while I did. However, we do not describe this initiative as “a policing mission” but as an opportunity for those responsible for the elections and security during the campaign to carry weapons. Those who objected to this initiative pointed out that it could provoke others to use weapons against the armed people. They believe that the power of OSCE observers is not in weapons but in the fact that they represent a respectable international organisation, and the use of weapons against them when they are not armed is absolutely unacceptable and will be seen as the least acceptable behaviour. This is their power, not their guns.
On the other hand, if Mr Poroshenko believes that this would help the cause, I agree with him. However, I was the only one to do so. The situation is strange; it is the only issue on which I agree with Mr Poroshenko. I have spoken about this more than once; there is nothing new here. Ultimately, all parties have agreed that it can be done, but only after careful consideration, including at the OSCE. I think this has never happened before in OSCE history. If I am wrong, Tarja can correct me. What do you think, Tarja?
T.Colton : Representative from Beijing, please.
Question: Thank you. Just now, former President of Austria Mr Fischer said that the relationship between the EU and Russia is not as expected 25 years ago. It’s unfortunate, and it’s hard to be optimistic. So I want to ask you, Mr President, from your point of view, why is this so? And were the expectations or the assumptions 25 years ago wrong, or did something go wrong along the way? And from a philosophical point of view, what do you think is the lesson to be learned for the next 25 years?
Vladimir Putin : What was done correctly and what was not? Expectations were high after the Soviet Union switched to a policy of openness, since ideological differences, which were considered the main cause of division between the Soviet Union and then Russia, and the Western world, have disappeared. Frankly, we, in the Soviet Union, under Gorbachev, and then in Russia, believed that a new life would begin for us.
One of our experts rightly said that there are things that, as we found out, run even deeper than ideological differences, namely, national and geopolitical interests. Could we have done things differently? Yes, indeed. During our previous meeting in this room, I said that there was a German politician, Mr Rau, a well-known figure from the Social Democratic Party of Germany, he is no longer with us, but he used to engage in lively discussions with Soviet leaders. Back then, he said (we have these conversations on record, but cannot get around to publishing them, which we need to do), that a new international security system should be built in Europe.
In addition to NATO, he said, it is imperative to create another entity, which would include the Soviet Union and former Warsaw Pact countries, but with the participation of the United States in order to balance the system out. He went on to say that if we fail to do so, ultimately this entire system created during the Cold War would work against the Soviet Union. He said that it bothers him only because it would unbalance the entire system of international relations, and security in Europe would be jeopardised in a big way.
What we have now is what this old gentleman warned us about in his own time. The people who worked on transforming the world, some of them did not want to change anything, as they believed that they already were riding high, while others did not have the political will to act on these absolutely correct ideas of this wise and experienced German politician.
However, I hope that as the global alignment of forces in the world changes, political, diplomatic and regulatory support for these changes will follow. The world will be a more balanced and multipolar place.
Heinz Fischer: I can also add that 25 years ago was the early ’90s. And in the early ’90s, the European Union had 12 members: Sweden, Finland and Austria joined only in ’94 or ’95. It was a sort of honeymoon time between Russia and Europe, in particular Russia and Germany, and Russia and other important European countries. It was the time before the economic crisis; growth rates were bigger. It was even the time before the introduction of the Euro; the Euro is very important, but the Euro is also accompanied with some problems, if you look at Greece or at Italy, etc. So these factors also have to be taken into consideration. Thank you.
Tarja Halonen : I will also add that 25 years ago, Russia was different, and the European Union was different. Russia joined the Council of Europe after quite a long process, and I was myself also involved in that. So I think that one lesson that we could perhaps learn, also on the EU side, and from the Council of Europe side, is that this was a very good time to make an enlargement. But perhaps we should, to be fair, invest more in the enlargement process, not only before the enlargement, but also afterwards, and perhaps then the process could be easier today. But you know, sometimes things have to be hurried up, and you have not quite enough time. But we cannot take back the past, we have to try to build further on how it is now.
Gabor Stier : My question to President Putin is about Ukraine.
In the past few years we have often talked about Ukraine and the safety of Russian gas exports. Will Ukrainian flats be warm? Will Kiev pay for the gas? Are talks on gas exports to Ukraine underway? Was this discussed with Ukrainian President in Berlin?
Vladimir Putin : We are concerned about what is happening now with this very important energy component in Ukraine because in our opinion, in the opinion of our specialists – and they are no worse than Ukrainian experts because in Soviet times this was a single complex – we do realise what is going on there.
To guarantee uninterrupted supplies to Europe, it is necessary to pump the required amount of gas into underground gas storage facilities. This gas is for transit, not for domestic consumption. This is the technological gist of what was done in Soviet times.
The amount of gas in these facilities is too low. It’s not enough. It is necessary to load from 17 to 21 billion and I think now only 14 billion have been loaded. Moreover, they have already started to syphon it off. These are grounds for concern. I discussed gas shipments to Ukraine with the Ukrainian President at his initiative. He wanted to know whether Russia could resume deliveries. Of course, it can do so anytime. Nothing is required for this.
We have a contract with an annex. Only one thing is necessary and this is advance payment. We will provide timely and guaranteed energy supplies for Ukrainian consumers for the amount of this advance payment. But today the price for Ukraine – and we had agreed on this before and said so last year – will not be higher than the price for its neighbours, for instance, Poland.
I do not know the current prices but when we had this conversation Poland was buying gas from us for $185 or $184 per thousand cubic metres in accordance with the contractual commitments that are still valid. We could sell gas to Ukraine for $180. I mentioned this price – $180 per thousand cubic metres of gas. But we were told that they prefer reverse supplies, so be it. By the way, this is a violation of Gazprom’s contracts with its partners in Western Europe but we are turning a blind eye to this and showing understanding.
If they prefer reverse supplies, okay, let them get that, but as far as I know the cost of gas for end users – industrial enterprises – has already topped $300 per thousand cubic metres. We sell gas for $180 but they do not want to buy it from us yet. I have reason to believe that the middlemen in these reverse deals are close to certain executives in Ukraine’s fuel and energy complex. Good luck to them; let them do this but, most importantly, they must guarantee transit to European countries.
Question: I have a question about the INF Treaty, which is under a lot of pressure today as I am sure you are aware; there are lots of bitter mutual recriminations, and so on. In this regard, it is important to understand Russia’s general approach to this treaty. Does Russia see any value in this treaty, and if yes, then what exactly? Is it even worthwhile to be part of this treaty?
Vladimir Putin: It would be of great value to us, if other countries followed Russia and the United States. Here’s what we have: the naive former Russian leadership went ahead and eliminated intermediate-range land-based missiles. The Americans eliminated their Pershing missiles, while we scrapped the SS-20 missiles. There was a tragic event associated with this when the chief designer of these systems committed suicide believing that it was a betrayal of national interests and unilateral disarmament.
Why unilateral? Because under that treaty we eliminated our ground complex, but the treaty did not include medium-range sea- and air-based missiles. Air- and sea-based missiles were not affected by it. The Soviet Union simply did not have them, while the United States kept them in service.
What we ultimately got was a clear imbalance: the United States has kept its medium-range missiles. It does not matter whether they are based at sea, in the air, or on land; however, the Soviet Union was simply left without this type of weapons.
Almost all of our neighbours make such weapons, including the countries to the east of our borders, and Middle Eastern countries as well, whereas none of the countries sharing borders with the United States, neither Canada nor Mexico, manufacture such weapons. So, for us it is a special test, but nevertheless we believe it is necessary to honour this treaty. All the more so since, as you may be aware, we now also have medium-range sea- and air-based missiles.
Vladimir Putin : Yes, of course. I fully agree that we should at least try to break this vicious circle. But we were not the first to start drawing it. Quite to the contrary, we opened up completely in the mid-1990s.
We expected to have an equal dialogue, that our interests would be respected, that we would discuss issues and meet each other halfway. It is impossible to offer only unilateral solutions and press towards your goal at all costs.
You mentioned the bombing of former Yugoslavia and Crimea. Thank you for this example; it is wonderful that you have said this. The bombing of Belgrade is intervention carried out in violation of international law. Did the UN Security Council pass a resolution on military intervention in Yugoslavia? No. It was a unilateral decision of the United States.
Now tell me what you meant when you mentioned Crimea. What was it you did in Yugoslavia, when you split it into several republics, including Kosovo, and then separated states from Serbia? In Kosovo, parliament voted on secession after the end of hostilities, intervention and thousands of casualties. But they made their decision, and you accepted it.
There were no hostilities in Crimea, no bombing raids and no casualties. No one died there. The only thing we did was to ensure the free expression of will by the people, by the way, in strict compliance with the UN Charter. We did almost the same you did in Kosovo, only more.
In Kosovo, parliament approved a secession resolution, while people in Crimea expressed their opinion at a referendum. After that, parliament ratified the decision, and Crimea as an independent state asked to be reintegrated with Russia.
Of course, we can keep exchanging caustic remarks, but I think this vicious circle must be broken. I have said this more than once, and I am prepared to say it again. Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and NATO’s expansion – what is this? And then promises are forgotten, and we are again provoked into protecting our interests, after which “aggressive” Russia is accused of doing this or that.
Why are you provoking us into taking action to protect our interests? Let us negotiate solutions instead. But it is impossible to agree on anything. And even when we agree on something, these agreements are not implemented.
I would like to have different relations with the next US administration, a partnership based on mutual respect for each other’s interests. SF Source Paul Craig Roberts | 1 |
503 | Inquiries Cloud de Blasio’s Bid to Come Off as Strong Manager Before ’17 Race - The New York Times | J. David Goodman and William Neuman | It was not even a month ago that Mayor Bill de Blasio led a boisterous rally in Foley Square to celebrate the passage of key elements of his affordable housing plan. It was meant to be a pivotal moment in Mr. de Blasio’s tenure, a victory that would position him to better attend to New York City’s needs — something of a requisite as he approaches next year. In the past two weeks, though, the mayor’s fortunes have swung wildly in the opposite direction. His ability and style as a manager have come under excruciating scrutiny, as four separate investigative agencies pursue inquiries into possible wrongdoing on the part of his administration. Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, has been peppered with uncomfortable questions at news conferences and on national television, at a time when he hoped to be acting as a liberal for Hillary Clinton ahead of New York’s presidential primary on Tuesday. Instead, the mayor has repeatedly pleaded ignorance about the questionable actions of city agencies, all but undoing recent attempts by close aides to portray him as an adroit manager of a sprawling city bureaucracy that critics initially said he was too inexperienced or too ideological to handle effectively. Despite Mr. de Blasio’s centralized management style — marked by memos on key decisions and a desire for City Hall to weigh in on seemingly minor matters — he has repeatedly said he was left in the dark as problems percolated. And though he has tried to go even deeper into the minutiae of municipal governance, his focus on details, as described by close aides, has not extended to the subjects of the investigations. In March, the city comptroller’s office opened an inquiry into a change to a deed that allowed a nursing home on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to be converted to the type of luxury apartments the mayor has said he wants to limit. Mr. de Blasio said he first learned of the matter from news reports. Less than two weeks later, the mayor learned of a federal corruption investigation into top Police Department officials. The inquiry revolved around two of Mr. de Blasio’s political supporters and appeared to extend into his efforts more broadly. Not long after that, the mayor had to explain confusion in his administration over whether work on a crucial water tunnel that would serve Brooklyn and Queens had been delayed. In addition to the federal inquiry and the one by the comptroller, investigations are underway into the nursing home deal by the state attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, and the city’s Investigation Department. Mr. de Blasio, who spent much of his first year as mayor focused on providing universal prekindergarten and much of the second year on his affordable housing initiative, said in an interview last month that he was intent on pressing ahead with an aggressive policy agenda. “We are going up the ambition scale here,” he said of his next goals: reducing homelessness, improving mental health services and addressing the dirt and disorder that tarnish the quality of New Yorkers’ lives. The de Blasio administration wants to combine those goals with an effort to overcome the mayor’s image as a leader more interested in making grand pronouncements than filling potholes. It was a perception shaped by numerous missteps in Mr. de Blasio’s first two years in office: late arrivals to events, public comments that alienated an already skeptical police force, a feud with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, his fellow Democrat. That image, which Mr. de Blasio has worked hard to shed, lent credibility to the notion that he could be vulnerable in the 2017 election, with potential challenges from both the right and left. But before the investigations came to light, Mr. de Blasio enjoyed rising popularity in polls, with no prominent Democrat emerging as a serious rival. Now the inquiries — as well as a joke the mayor made during a skit he performed with Mrs. Clinton on Saturday — have put Mr. de Blasio back on his heels. “He appears to be the type of political leader that those type of allegations accrue to,” said Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute, which conducts political polls. “A few years into his administration, his armor has taken a few hits and his accomplishments at this point just don’t seem to have turned the tide on a growing narrative of his not being effective. ” Mr. de Blasio has said he was not immediately informed about a separate federal investigation, also by the United States attorney for the Southern District, Preet Bharara, into the New York City Housing Authority, which began turning over millions of documents last year. Likewise, the mayor said he first heard of the federal corruption investigation involving the donors, Jeremiah Reichberg and Jona S. Rechnitz, from news reports this month. The police commissioner, William J. Bratton, has said the federal authorities told him of the widening investigation in 2014. (At the time, people briefed on the matter have said, the focus was on Philip Banks III, then the uniformed officer, and Norman Seabrook, the head of the city correction officers’ union.) City officials have said Anthony E. Shorris, the first deputy mayor, knew about the circumstances surrounding the lifting of the deed restriction on the nursing home weeks before the mayor said he became aware. The property was sold to condominium developers for $116 million in February after the Department of Citywide Administrative Services agreed to lift the restriction, which would have prevented the transaction. City officials said Mr. Shorris wanted to understand the matter fully before informing Mr. de Blasio. Two former city officials familiar with City Hall’s working said the mayor’s desire to closely manage decisions — and his displeasure when subordinates failed to answer his detailed questions — could backfire at times, making agency officials wary of bringing potentially troublesome issues to him in their early stages. One former official said that on several occasions, Mr. de Blasio said he had not been informed about an issue, when there was evidence that he had been, either by email or in person. The mayor would say he had not read the emails, the official said. Both officials, who still work in New York City, requested anonymity to speak about the administration’s internal operations. “The mayor is driven and passionate and holds his people accountable,” said Phil Walzak, a chief adviser to Mr. de Blasio. “People want to take information to the mayor when there’s a problem identified and some recommendations that can be made. I don’t know that people are reluctant to talk to him. I wouldn’t agree with that assessment. ” Mr. Walzak said the investigations had not dampened progress on the mayor’s agenda. “The mission of the administration is going to continue forward,” he said. In recent months, Mr. de Blasio has also moved beyond criticizing the previous administration’s failures and has begun celebrating the city and a trajectory that he can claim as his own. How far Mr. de Blasio’s new approach will carry him, as attention remains focused on the investigations, is an open question. In the interview last month, Mr. de Blasio said that he would be personally involved in the planning and execution of what he called “new, prominent efforts,” attending meetings and making sure that subordinates retained a sense of urgency. “In any one of these efforts I set the strategic template,” he said, “and that can mean agreeing to a vision, to a set of strategies and tactics that my team develops. ” But on Monday, as Mr. de Blasio announced changes to how his administration handled homeless people, he faced repeated questions about the investigations and his practices. “I’m happy to take questions today, but I’m not going to be speaking about this after today,” he said. But two days later, he was answering more questions about the investigations — and about his skit with Mrs. Clinton — after an event held by the Rev. Al Sharpton, where she also spoke. “Glad we focused on the important issues of the day,” he said sarcastically to reporters before walking off. | 0 |
504 | US Drone Strike In Afghanistan Kills, Wounds Several Civilians | Jason Ditz | Antiwar.com | US Drone Strike In Afghanistan Kills, Wounds Several Civilians The attack targeted the home of a suspected 'Taliban commander.' | October 29, 2016 Be Sociable, Share! In this July, 2008 photo, a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper takes off from Joint Base Balad, Iraq. (Photo/U.S. Air Force by Tech. Sgt. Richard Lisum via Wikimedia Commons)
A US drone strike has killed and wounded a number of civilians in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province today, though exact numbers are as yet unclear, with officials claiming that the home at the center of the attack was owned by a suspected Taliban commander.
The putative commander does not appear to have been among the casualties, though at least four people were killed within the house, and the blast also wounded a number of people in the surrounding area. At least seven children and five women are in the hospital for treatment related to the strike.
Official Afghan statements only labeled the 12 wounded as civilians, and everyone else was not a civilian. Locals offered varying estimates, and the Taliban claimed two civilians killed and over 30 wounded in their own report on the attack.
The Nangarhar Province has been heavily targeted by US warplanes over the past several months, though generally trying to tamp down a growing ISIS faction therein. The Taliban has had a presence in Nangarhar throughout the US occupation, as indeed they have almost everywhere along the Pakistan border. | 1 |
505 | Bobby Hutcherson, Vibraphonist With Coloristic Range of Sound, Dies at 75 - The New York Times | Nate Chinen | Bobby Hutcherson, one of the most admired and accomplished vibraphonists in jazz, died on Monday at his home in Montara, Calif. He was 75. Marshall Lamm, a spokesman for Mr. Hutcherson’s family, confirmed the death, saying Mr. Hutcherson had long been treated for emphysema. Mr. Hutcherson’s career took flight in the early 1960s, as jazz was slipping free of the complex harmonic and rhythmic designs of bebop. He was fluent in that language, but he was also one of the first to adapt his instrument to a freer postbop language, often playing chords with a pair of mallets in each hand. He released more than 40 albums and appeared on many more, including some regarded as classics, like “Out to Lunch,” by the alto saxophonist, flutist and bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy, and “Mode for Joe,” by the tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson. Both of those albums were a byproduct of Mr. Hutcherson’s close affiliation with Blue Note Records, from 1963 to 1977. He was part of a wave of young artists who defined the label’s forays into experimentalism, including the pianist Andrew Hill and the alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. But he also worked with stalwarts like the tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, and he later delved into and grooves. Mr. Hutcherson had a clear, ringing sound, but his style was luminescent and coolly fluid. More than Milt Jackson or Lionel Hampton, his major predecessors on the vibraphone, he made an art out of resonating overtones and chiming decay. This coloristic range of sound, which he often used in the service of emotional expression, was one reason for the deep influence he left on stylistic inheritors like Joe Locke, Warren Wolf, Chris Dingman and Stefon Harris, who recently assessed him as “by far the most harmonically advanced person to ever play the vibraphone. ” Robert Hutcherson was born in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1941. His father, Eli, was a brick mason, and his mother, Esther, was a hairdresser. Growing up in a black community in Pasadena, Calif. Mr. Hutcherson was drawn to jazz partly by way of his older siblings: His brother, Teddy, had gone to high school with Mr. Gordon, and his sister, Peggy, was a singer who worked with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra. (She later toured and recorded with Ray Charles as a Raelette.) Mr. Hutcherson, who took piano lessons as a child, often described his transition to vibraphone as the result of an epiphany: Walking past a record store one day, he heard a recording of Milt Jackson and was hooked. A friend at school, the bassist Herbie Lewis, further encouraged his interest in the vibraphone, so Mr. Hutcherson saved up and bought one. He was promptly booked for a concert with Mr. Lewis’s band. “Well, I hit the first note,” he recalled of that performance in a 2014 interview with JazzTimes. But, he added, “from the second note on it was complete chaos. You never heard people boo and laugh like that. I was completely humiliated. But my mom was just smiling, and my father was saying, ‘See, I told you he should have been a bricklayer. ’” Mr. Hutcherson persevered, eventually working with musicians like Mr. Dolphy, whom he had first met when Mr. Dolphy was his sister’s boyfriend, and the tenor saxophonist and flutist Charles Lloyd. In 1962, he joined a band led by a pair of Count Basie sidemen, the tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell and the trombonist Al Grey, and it brought him to New York City for a debut engagement at Birdland. The group broke up not long afterward, but Mr. Hutcherson stayed in New York, driving a taxicab for a living, his vibraphone stashed in the trunk. He was living in the Bronx and married to his high school sweetheart, the former Beth Buford, with whom he had a son, Barry — the inspiration for his tune, the lilting modernist waltz “Little B’s Poem. ” Mr. Hutcherson caught a break when Mr. Lewis, his childhood friend, came to town and introduced him to the trombonist Grachan Moncur III, who in turn introduced him to Mr. McLean. “One Step Beyond,” an album by Mr. McLean released on Blue Note in 1963, featured Mr. Hutcherson’s vibraphone as the only chordal instrument. From that point on, he was busy. The first album he released as a leader was “Dialogue” (1965) featuring Mr. Hill, the trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and the saxophonist and flutist Sam Rivers. Among his notable subsequent albums was “ !” (1966) with Mr. Henderson and the pianist McCoy Tyner among his partners. He and Mr. Tyner would forge a close alliance. After being arrested for marijuana possession in Central Park in 1967, Mr. Hutcherson lost his cabaret card, required of any musician working in New York clubs. He returned to California and struck a rapport with the tenor saxophonist Harold Land. Among the recordings they made together was “Ummh,” a funk shuffle that became a crossover hit in 1970. (It was later sampled by the rapper Ice Cube.) In the early ’70s Mr. Hutcherson bought an acre of land along the coast in Montara, where he built a house. He lived there with his wife, the former Rosemary Zuniga, whom he married in 1972. She survives him, along with their son, Teddy, a marketing production manager for the organization SFJazz his son Barry, a jazz drummer and two grandchildren. After his tenure on Blue Note, Mr. Hutcherson released albums on Columbia, Landmark and other labels, working with Mr. Tyner, the tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and — onscreen, in the 1986 Bertrand Tavernier film “Round Midnight” — with Mr. Gordon and the pianist Herbie Hancock. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Hutcherson toured with the first edition of the SFJazz Collective, an ensemble devoted equally to jazz repertory and the creation of new music. He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2010. After releasing a series of albums on the European label Kind of Blue, he returned to Blue Note in 2014 to release a effort, “Enjoy the View,” with the alto saxophonist David Sanborn and other collaborators. Speaking in recent years, Mr. Hutcherson was fond of citing a bit of insight from an old friend. “Eric Dolphy said music is like the wind,” he told The San Francisco Chronicle in 2012. “You don’t know where it came from, and you don’t know where it went. You can’t control it. All you can do is get inside the sphere of it and be swept away. ” | 0 |
506 | Tourist helicopter crashes into house in Sochi. Video | null | Tourist helicopter crashes into house in Sochi. Video 02.11.2016 | Source: Source: YouTube screencap The crash of Eurocopter AS-350 tourist helicopter in the city of Sochi was caught on video. The video shows the helicopter flying towards the sea, but then changing direction and losing altitude before crashing. The helicopter crashed on a residential private house. Luckily, no people living in the house were hurt. A fire did not break out as a result of the crash. A passenger of the helicopter was killed, while five other people on board suffered injuries of various degrees. It was established that the helicopter belonged to the Novosibirsk company "Yeltsovka." The helicopter was reportedly transporting passengers when it crashed. A criminal case was filed into the accident. Pravda.Ru | 1 |
507 | Amnesty Advocates Boycott Agency Meetings When Pro-American Advocates Are Invited - Breitbart | Neil Munro | advocates have begun boycotting scheduled “stakeholder” meetings with immigration agency officials after the officials also invited reform advocates according to CNN. [“We are frustrated and angry that what [has] felt like a productive conversation and an exchange of ideas and information about how to ensure the safe and fair treatment of immigrants in their [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] custody has morphed into a meeting with organizations whose mission is to restrict immigration,” one advocate told CNN. “Immigrants’ rights organizations have since notified ICE that they have dissolved the Working Group and will no longer participate in the quarterly gatherings,” CNN said. “It is not a surprise — they can’t tolerate anyone there that doesn’t agree with them” responded Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies. “They figure they owned those meetings and the fact is now that they don’t, so they’re having a tantrum. ” Since the new administration arrived, Krikorian said he was invited to attend one ICE stakeholder meetings with the groups. “It was just kind of a general information thing about what’s going on, what’s new with regard to ICE [policies on] detention, removal and all that,” he said. Immigration advocates mostly “sat on one side of the table … we sat on the other side of the table,” he said, adding “one of them even kind of joked about it [although] it was not like there was some kind of icy atmosphere in the room. ” During the Obama administration, the groups used the stakeholder meetings to lobby and pressure agencies, and to cooperate on shared goals. In 2010, for example, ICE officials used one of the meetings to ask groups to collect complaints about ICE’s actions, according to a posting by a group titled “Stop Detaining Immigrants. ” ICE has informed members of the Working Group … ICE has asked that NGOs provide to them complaints that we are seeing around the country specifically on issues that demonstrate that IGSA facilities are not currently meeting the baseline requirements … In order to respond to ICEs request for complaints data, we would like to provide examples of violations of detention standards to present a national overview of some of the more egregious violations for the snapshot period of January 1, 2010 to March 2010. Before Donald Trump’s election, groups were invited to only a few of the events scheduled by Obama’s appointees. Obama’s officials at the Department of State ended meetings with the advocacy groups once the groups managed to bypass bureaucratic barriers to get into the national and regional meetings, said Ann Corcoran, the director of Refugee Resettlement Watch. In 2016, for example, the main meeting in D. C. was canceled, and opponents of refugee inflows were allowed only to submit recommendations that were never released, she said. “The stakeholder meetings that the refugee industry has [with agency officials] are really keep very secretive,” she said. “They love to have stakeholder meetings [about refugees] and I’ve never gotten wind of them,“ Krikorian said. The new boycott against the agencies comes alongside complaints by groups about the administration’s hiring of two immigration experts formerly employed at reform groups. According to CNN: Two opponents of illegal immigration have obtained advisory jobs at federal immigration agencies in the Department of Homeland Security. Jon Feere, a former legal policy analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, or CIS, has been hired as an adviser to Thomas D. Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan. At Customs and Border Protection, Julie Kirchner, the former executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, has been hired as an adviser to Customs and Border Protection acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, said Lapan. advocates protested the appointments, according to CNN: “These groups have spent 20 years looking for ways that they could hurt immigrants and now they’ve been given the keys to the kingdom,” said Lynn Tramonte, deputy director of America’s Voice, a advocacy group based in Washington whose goal is to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The agencies should continue to open up their meetings to all side in the debate, said Krikorian. “Obviously these kinds of information sessions with ICE officials should be open any interested party,” Krikorian said, adding “you can’t just grab people off the street, but any organization that works on the immigration issue should be able to come to these meetings. ” “It is outrageous that that wasn’t the case before, and I have to give credit to the agencies,” Krikorian said. | 0 |
508 | Project Veritas 4: Robert Creamer’s Illegal $20,000 Foreign Wire Transfer Caught On Tape | Admin | Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden
Project Veritas has just released Part IV of it’s multi-part series exposing numerous scandals surrounding the DNC and the Clinton campaign, including efforts to incite violence at Trump rallies and, at least what seems to be, illegal coordination between the DNC, Hillary For America and various Super PACs.
Part IV focuses on a $20,000 foreign donation made by an undercover Project Veritas journalist to Americans United for Change (AUFC). Ironically, shortly after the $20k donation wire was released, the contributor’s “niece” was offered an internship with Creamer’s firm, Democracy Partners.
In the new video, Creamer says: “Every morning I am on a call at 10:30 that goes over the message being driven by the campaign headquarters … I am in this campaign mainly to deal with what earned media with television, radio, with earned media and social media, not with paid media, not with advertising.” He also mentions a conference call discussing a woman potentially coming forward to accuse Trump of inappropriate behavior.
Creamer, a seasoned Chicago activist who is married to Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), whose Republican opponent, Joan McCarthy Lasonde has called for her to resign over her husband’s activities, also talks about his work with Barack Obama, whom he says he has known since the 1980s, when Obama was a community organizer in Chicago: “He’s a pro, I’ve known the President since he was a community organizer in Chicago.”
Elsewhere, Creamer adds: “I do a lot of work with the White House on their issues, helping to run issue campaigns that they have been involved in. I mean, for immigration reform for the… the health care bill, for trying to make America more like Britain when it comes to gun violence issues.” In the effort to prove the credibility of the undercover donor featured in the videos and to keep the investigation going, Project Veritas Action made the decision to donate twenty thousand dollars to Robert Creamer’s effort. Project Veritas Action had determined that the benefit of this investigation outweighed the cost. And it did.
“First thing, like I said, thank you for the proposal. And I’d like to get the $20,000 across to you. The second call I’m going to make here is to my money guy and he’s going to get in touch with you and auto wire the funds to you,” said the PVA journalist.
Creamer told the PVA journalist to send the money to Americans United for Change. Shortly after the money was released, the “donors” “niece” – another Project Veritas Action journalist – was offered an internship with Creamer.
In an effort to see how far Creamer would go with the promise of more money, another Project Veritas journalist posing as the donor’s money liaison requested a meeting with Creamer. During that meeting, Creamer spoke about connections he had with Obama and Clinton.
AUFC President, Brad Woodhouse, subsequently returned the money, after Project Veritas started to release their undercover videos, citing “concerns that it might have been an illegal foreign donation.” Oddly, Woodhouse was not terribly concerned about the “legality” of the donation when he chose to accept it a month prior. In an unexpected twist, AUFC president Brad Woodhouse, the recipient of the $20,000, heard that Project Veritas Action was releasing undercover videos exposing AUFC’s activities. He told a journalist that AUFC was going to return the twenty thousand dollars. He said it was because they were concerned that it might have been an illegal foreign donation. Project Veritas Action was pleased but wondered why that hadn’t been a problem for the month that they had the money.
While the latest video focuses on the “ $20,000 illegal foreign contribution” from an undercover Project Veritas journalist , the following comments from Robert Creamer were also rather intriguing in light of recent White House efforts to vehemently deny any connections between he and President Obama. “Oh Barack Obama’s was the best campaign in the history of American politics, I mean the second one, I mean the first was good too. I was a consultant to both, the second one, was everything hit on every level and every aspect.
He’s a pro. I’ve known the President since he was a community organizer in Chicago.
I was just at and event with him in Chicago actually, on Friday last. He is just as good as ever. I do a lot of work with the White House on their issues. Helping to run issued campaigns that they have been involved in. I mean, for immigration reform for the…the health care bill…trying to make America more like Britain when it comes to gun violence issues.”
* * *
As a reminder, video 3 directly linking Donna Brazile and Hillary Clinton to efforts to disrupt Trump events.
Video 2 provided the democrat playbook on how to commit “mass voter fraud”:
Video 1 revealed DNC efforts to incite violence at Trump rallies: | 1 |
509 | Ex-FLOTUS Michelle Obama: Trump Wants to Feed ’Crap’ to Your Kids | Warner Todd Huston | lady Michelle Obama is calling into question the “motives” of those who oppose her bland, tasteless, and universally hated school lunch rules, insisting that those who oppose her ideas don’t care about kids and don’t mind if they “eat crap. ”[Speaking at the annual Partnership for a Healthier America conference, Michelle Obama responded with venom to critics of her school lunch program. Warming to her reply, Mrs. Obama slammed anyone who stood against her policy and characterized critics as people who don’t want kids to be healthy. Michelle Obama criticizes Trump administration’s decision on school lunch rules: “Think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap. ” pic. twitter. — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 12, 2017, Saying, “This is where you have to look at motives,” Obama also hinted that she felt the only reason people opposed her nutrition rules is because people opposed her husband on a political level. “It’s not politics, it’s parenting,” she insisted. “You have to stop and think, ‘Why don’t you want our kids to have good food at school? What is wrong with you and why is that a partisan issue?” Obama said. “Why would that be political?” “Moms, think about this. I don’t care what state you live in, take me out of the equation, like me, don’t like me, but think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap,” the former first lady continued. “Because here’s the secret: If somebody is doing that, they don’t care about your kid, and we need to demand everyone to care deeply about our kids,” Obama exclaimed. “Every elected official on this planet should understand, don’t play with our children, don’t do it,” she concluded. Nowhere in the discussion did Obama note that it is the role of parents to guide their children’s eating habits, not that of the government. In another part of her appearance, Obama ran contrary to the penchant of liberals who constantly insist that children should be given the same power as adults. At one point, Michelle Obama claimed that kids should not have any say in the foods they eat at school. “How about we stop asking kids how they feel about their food? Kids, my kids included, if they could eat pizza and french fries every day with ice cream on top and a soda, they would think they were happy until they got sick,” she said during the session. “That to me is one of the most ridiculous things we talk about in this movement, that the kids aren’t happy. Well, you know what? Kids don’t like math, either. So what are we going to do, stop teaching math? We gonna cut history out because there are kids who are bored with history? We are the adults in the room, you know? They look to us. So let’s just stop with that. I’m good if kids are mad at me,” she concluded. Obama is unhappy that the Trump administration has begun the process of rolling back the unappetizing food restrictions the former first lady put into place during her husband’s tenure in the White House. Late last month, U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue began easing some of the restrictions Obama worked to enforce in school lunch programs throughout the country. Perdue put in place an interim rule for the school year that suspended Obama’s requirements for sodium reduction and whole grains. The new rules also once again permitted flavored milk in school cafeterias. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com. | 0 |
510 | South Sudan Slides Closer to War as Gunfire Rumbles in Its Capital - The New York Times | Jacey Fortin and Jeffrey Gettleman | JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudan slid rapidly closer to war on Monday as helicopter gunships pounded targets, two United Nations peacekeepers were killed, foreign governments scrambled to get their citizens out and worries grew about the fate of civilians trapped in crowded displaced persons camps. Gunfire rang out from different quarters, moving across Juba, the capital, like a thunderstorm, on and off, and witnesses said hundreds of people had been killed in the past three days. The fighting completely overshadowed the fifth anniversary this weekend of the country’s independence. In Juba, few celebrated because people were hunkered down indoors. South Sudan, the world’s youngest country and one of its poorest, cracked open into civil war in December 2013 after the nation’s two top politicians, President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, bitterly split. Mr. Machar became the leader of a rebel group, and an estimated 50, 000 people have been killed since then. Each side has been blamed for widespread atrocities against civilians. But after a peace agreement, Mr. Machar returned to Juba in April and was sworn into his old position as Mr. Kiir’s vice president, essentially returning the country to the fragile political situation it was in before the war. The latest violence seems to be fueled by the same rivalry between the two men, who are from different ethnic groups and have tens of thousands of heavily armed young men following them. But there are also worries that the top leaders are losing control over their troops. “In the last 2 hrs, we went through heavy bombardments by Pres Kiir helicopters,” Mr. Machar wrote on Twitter on Monday. “This tells that our partner is not interested in peace. ” On Monday, United Nations officials said that the large displaced persons camps in and around Juba that house thousands of people had been shelled, killing at least two civilians and wounding dozens. It was not clear if the mortar or artillery shells that had crashed into the camps were stray shots or were deliberately aimed at civilians seeking refuge. United Nations officials said they were deeply concerned and were trying to secure the camps as best as possible. Mr. Kiir’s spokesman read a statement signed by the president calling for a unilateral beginning at 6 p. m. local time, and he urged Mr. Machar to tell his fighters to stand down as well. “This is a unilateral ” said the spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny. “The president has declared, and is also urging the leader of the former rebel movement, Dr. Riek, who is still the first vice president of the republic of South Sudan, to also do the same and cease the hostilities. ” More than 10, 000 people may have been displaced by the latest fighting, the United Nations said, adding to the 30, 000 or so people who fled their homes during previous rounds of violence in Juba. On Monday, the maternity wing of a hospital run by the International Medical Corps was hit by shelling, the group said in a statement, adding that it had treated 139 people since July 8 for injuries inside what is supposed to be a protected area. Secretary General Ban called on Monday for an “immediate arms embargo” against South Sudan, saying that its rival leaders had “made a mockery” of the peace deal they signed only months ago. The ball is now in the Security Council’s court. The United States and China, the two countries with the greatest stakes in the country, have been lukewarm to the idea of an arms embargo in the past. A group of African nations on Monday nudged the Security Council to strengthen the mandate of the peacekeeping mission, in part by sending in more troops from the region and by creating what it called an “intervention brigade. ” He also called for the peacekeeping mission to be reinforced. There are 12, 000 soldiers and police officers on the ground now. Mr. Ban said government troops had effectively been blocked from leaving their bases. Contingency plans are being explored to bring in more peacekeepers from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations officials said Monday. The displaced persons camps are considered to be in danger. Thousands of people, mostly members of Mr. Machar’s ethnic group, the Nuer, are concentrated in rows of tents, easy targets for artillery. Many fled their homes in the past two years to escape ethnically targeted violence. Human rights groups say the violence between Nuer soldiers and those of the Dinka, Mr. Kiir’s group, has spawned a range of atrocities, including mass rape and the widespread killing of civilians. One senior Western official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the South Sudanese government was accusing Mr. Machar’s rebel forces of hiding in the displaced persons camps, which could be used as a pretext to storm them. The United States Embassy posted on its Facebook page: “The situation in Juba has significantly deteriorated. There is serious ongoing fighting between government and opposition forces, including near the airport, Unmiss locations, Jebel and elsewhere throughout Juba. ” (Unmiss is the acronym for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.) The United States government is preparing to evacuate personnel from its embassy in Juba. Last week, when the fighting started, an American government car was sprayed by gunfire. The car was heavily armored, and no American employees were believed to have been hurt. In several past emergencies, United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan have been outnumbered and did not stop massacres. In February, dozens of civilians were killed when soldiers overran a United Nations camp in Malakal, in the eastern part of the country. The two peacekeepers who were killed in the latest round of violence were believed to be Chinese. One was killed while sitting in an armored personnel carrier that was trying to protect a displaced persons camp. South Sudan’s recent history has been soaked in blood. Aid workers estimate that at least two million people have been killed in the past 30 years as South Sudan struggled against Sudan for independence and then factions in South Sudan turned on one another. In the beginning, Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar fought together in the war for independence, but later Mr. Machar broke off and joined the Sudanese government against Mr. Kiir and his rebels, who are not Arab. Mr. Machar eventually returned to the rebel fold and was a crucial figure in the South Sudanese government when it achieved independence five years ago. Many analysts said the mistrust between Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar might run too deep to overcome. Western and African nations have exerted enormous pressure on the two to work together, even with the threat of sanctions and international isolation. The fighting began on Thursday over something relatively small. A group of soldiers loyal to Mr. Kiir stopped a vehicle carrying a group of soldiers loyal to Mr. Machar, a senior United Nations official said. An argument erupted over whether the vehicle could pass through a checkpoint, and guns were drawn. Shooting started, leading to rolling battles across Juba that continued through Monday. By Monday evening, the shooting had subsided, but aid officials said the two sides were using the lull to reposition their forces. | 0 |
511 | Busted: Bill Recorded Telling Mistress To Deny That Clintons Helped Her Get A State Job | null | Email
Former President Bill Clinton can be heard telling his former mistress, Gennifer Flowers, to deny that he helped her get a state job in a series of recorded phone conversation from 1991.
“If they ever asked if you’d talked to me about it, you can say no,” Clinton is heard saying in the recording.
At the time, the media was making inquiries about Flowers’ alleged affair with Clinton, and she was concerned that they may question how she got a job as administrative assistant for the Arkansas Appeal Tribunal.
Clinton can also be heard telling Flowers how to handle a grievance filed by soemone else who applied for the same positioned and claimed she was more qualified than Flowers.
Flowers famously recorded a series of conversation she had with Clinton from December 1990 to December 1991, while he was still Governor of Arkansas. The audio segments about the state job were widely reported in the 1990’s, however, as other pay-for-play financial scandals have surfaced, the details may warrant revisiting.
Here is a transcript of part of the recording:
GF – But anyway, then Wednesday, there was a grievance filed in my office when I got the job by a girl who felt like she should have gotten it, a black girl named (deleted). And they called me as a witness. So I go in and uh, nothing big came of it. It’s just that they were questioning me about how I found out about the job. And I said, “Well, that personnel said it that it was a possibility there would be a position,” and then uh, “they told me that it would be advertised in the newspaper. And it was and I pursued it from there.
BC – Good for you.
GF: Yeah. We had a little bit of a scare recently because she had a spot on an X-ray. And she went and had it checked again and it wasn’t cancer. And it’s been almost, it’ll be two years in May that she’s now diagnosed cancer free. My stepfather has been through two angioplasties, but he’s doing good. And I am, I’m really, Bill what I’m afraid of is that if somebody in the press finds out that I’m working for the state.
BC – Yeah.
GF – They’re going to make a big deal of it.
BC – Yeah.
GF – Well the only thing that concerns me, where I’m, where I’m concerned at this point is the state job.
BC – Yeah. I never thought about that, but as long as you say you’ve just been looking for one, you’d uh, check on it. If they ever asked if you’d talked to me about it, you can say no. | 1 |
512 | Alabama Declares State Of Emergency Over Pipeline Explosion | null | Alabama Declares State Of Emergency Over Pipeline Explosion — Gov. Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) November 1, 2016
Governor Robert Bentley has declared a month-long state of emergency for Alabama after a pipeline explosion in Shelby County on Monday.
The explosion killed one worker and injured six others.The blast shut down the pipeline, that supplies gasoline to millions of people, for the second time in less than two months , raising concerns over possible gas shortages and price hikes.
The state of emergency came into effect on Tuesday and will last until December 1st unless the governor sees fit to end it sooner.
RT reports:
On Monday, construction crews working on the Colonial Pipeline in the area just south of Birmingham accidentally hit a transmission pipe, causing an explosion in which seven workers were injured, one of them fatally. The explosion also started a fire. The contractors were attempting to repair the pipeline segment that was damaged in September, spilling gas into the countryside.
An extended shutdown could cause fuel shortages and higher gas prices in Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee, similar to what happened after the September accident.
“An accident of this magnitude is tough for any community to deal with, and I want to personally thank the local first responders for their immediate assistance to this accident, as well as the first responders from surrounding counties. They all provided resources and support to the help Shelby County in their time of need,” Bentley said, announcing the emergency declaration.
The state of emergency will enable Alabama to obtain a waiver from the federal government for transporting gasoline through the state, and avert fuel shortages caused by the pipeline disruption.
Aerial surveillance of the explosion site shows that the fire continues to burn. The gasoline line will remain out of service at least for the rest of the week, Colonial Pipeline said. The secondary pipeline – which transports diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products, was returned to service Tuesday morning. Share This Article... | 1 |
513 | “National Mood” Focus Group Reflects Angry, Divided America | A. Griffee | “National Mood” Focus Group Reflects Angry, Divided America 0 shares by A. Griffee / November 7, 2016 / POLITICS / A focus group of 23 people put together by CBS News revealed a frightening look at what America has become – a divided nation.
Republican pollster, public opinion analyst and CBS News consultant Frank Luntz interviewed the group, and even lost it himself during the heated discussion. He came away deeply disturbed by what he saw.
Whether they were Republicans or Democrats, supporting Trump or Clinton, they were all angry. Out of the 23 people, only 3 raised their hands saying they were voting for a candidate. The others were voting just to vote against a candidate.
“When we don’t agree on the same facts, how can we possibly agree on the same solutions?” Luntz asked.
My “angry voter” focus group will be on @60Minutes tonight.
First time I’ve ever lost my composure during a group. 😳 pic.twitter.com/6vUNsSVLEb
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) November 6, 2016 How many of you are voting against a candidate? Pollster . @FrankLuntz asks a focus group, tonight on #60Minutes pic.twitter.com/v5Px4JrB9d
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 6, 2016 Voters have become “vicious,” says pollster @FrankLuntz . They have “deep-seated resentment” about their choices for president pic.twitter.com/wFcM1gC18w
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 6, 2016
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514 | ЕС намерен расширить санкции в отношении Сирии | null | 0 комментариев 0 поделились источник Pravda.Ru
Как пишет Wall Street Journal, ссылаясь на свои источники, санкционные репрессии могут быть направлены против министров и их заместителей из правительства Сирии.
По данным издания, в ЕС не будут тянут время, и, скорее всего, список будет расширен уже на следующей неделе.
Отметим, в настоящее время в санкционных сирийских списках Европейского союза находятся более 200 человек и около 70 организаций. Напомним, недавно еще пять стран, не входящие в ЕС, но поддерживающие политику Брюсселя, продлили еще на полгода санкции против России . В список этих стран вошли Украина, Черногория, Албания, а также Лихтенштейн и Норвегия, входящие в Европейское экономическое пространство.
Что заставило руководителей этих стран принять такое решение, рассказал Pravda.Ru старший научный сотрудник Института славяноведения РАН Петр Искендеров.
- Какие у этих стран причины для присоединения к санкциям?
- Позиция Черногории связана с позицией правящей элиты, которая одержала победу на днях на очередных парламентских выборах, - конкретно, премьер-министра Мило Джукановича. Он провозгласил вступление в ЕС и НАТО своим ключевым внешнеполитическим приоритетом. И понятно, что внешняя политика Черногории полностью находится в русле Брюсселя.
Если говорить об Албании, то эта страна уже является членом НАТО. Она тоже активно пытается продвинуть свою заявку на вступление в Европейский союз и четко солидаризируется по внешнеполитическим вопросам с ключевыми лидерами ЕС, такими как Франция, Германия и Италия. А поскольку все эти страны пока официально не блокируют антироссийские санкции, подобного нельзя ожидать и от Албании. Ее внешняя политика полностью солидаризируется с политикой ЕС.
Лихтенштейн - это карликовое государство, которое финансово и экономически связано с государствами Центральной Европы, прежде всего со Швейцарией, Австрией, Бельгией, Голландией, Германией. Поэтому от этого государства ожидать самостоятельности во внешней политике не приходится.
В Норвегии другая ситуация. Эта страна полностью самодостаточная и в политическом, и в энергетическом плане, она не является членом ЕС, но связана с Брюсселем торгово-экономическими соглашениями. Кроме того, Норвегия является одним из конкурентов России в том, что касается освоения Арктического шельфа, это наш конкуренты на энергетическом рынке, в плане снабжения Европейского союза газом. И в принципе, Норвегия среди скандинавских стран традиционно занимает наиболее ярко выраженную антироссийскую позицию, по сравнению даже с Финляндией и Швецией.
Поделиться: | 1 |
515 | Bankrupt Puerto Rico Voting on U.S. Statehood - Breitbart | Chriss W. Street | The 3. 4 million U. S. citizens on the Caribbean island of Puerto Ricans will vote today, for the fifth time, on a referendum to become independent or to apply to be America’s 51st state, despite already declaring bankruptcy last month. [Puerto Rico has a poverty rate of 45 percent, 12. 4 percent unemployment, and 86 percent of residents do not speak English in the home, but the island receives $22 billion in federal subsidies. The top income tax rate is 4 percent and residents are exempt from paying $2 billion in federal income taxes. That explains why 61 percent of residents voted for statehood in 2012, but nothing happened. As Breitbart News reported several weeks ago, Puerto Rico filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States on May 3. The island and its utility ran out of cash and defaulted on its $73 billion of debt. After the filing, Breitbart reported that Puerto Rico’s public pension plans only have $1. 8 billion in assets to pay $45 billion in liabilities. Christopher Columbus first arrived at Puerto Rico in 1493 and named the island San Juan Bautista. But after gold was discovered in a river, it was given the Spanish name for “rich port. ” The conquistadors Spanish combined the labor of indigenous Taíno and Carib Indian people with African slaves to operate large sugar cane, coffee and tobacco farms. After the War, Puerto Rico joined Cuba, the Philippines and Guam as war booty paid to the U. S. under the Treaty of Paris of 1898. Puerto Ricans received U. S. citizenship in 1917 and officially became a U. S. Commonwealth in 1952. The island is often referred to as the “Oldest Colony in the World. ” A U. S. District Court in New York City has jurisdiction over the congressionally mandated oversight board for Puerto Rico’s Title III bankruptcy. According to initial bankruptcy filings, the per capita debt for each man, woman and child in Puerto Rico is about $34, 000. The island’s median household income was $18, 626 in 2015, versus $56, 500 for the U. S. mainland. Much of the debt is now held by “vulture capitalist” hedge funds that bought bonds for as little as 25 percent of face value. The investors claim that Puerto Rico can regain its solvency by raising taxes and firing tens of thousands of public sector workers. Bloomberg reported just as the Puerto Rico crisis began, investors and the island have fighting “over who owns cash collected by the government’s sales tax agency, known by its Spanish acronym Cofina. ” The island claims that despite not making any bond payments, the island will miss payroll on November 1 if the sales tax is paid out to bondholders. Breitbart News has suggested that Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy filing represents a massive liability risk for independent auditors, who will likely demand that states — such as Connecticut, Illinois and California — disclose more liabilities, write down assets, and curtail debt issues. Greater accounting scrutiny of municipal and state finances will lead to credit rating downgrades and requirements for higher pension payments. That may explain why California Governor Jerry Brown warned in his May Budget Revision update that California is expected to suffer a $20 billion tax crash in the next recession. | 0 |
516 | Overwhelmed by ‘Brexit’? Here Are the Basics - The New York Times | Niraj Chokshi, Daniel Victor and Sewell Chan | Here is a guide to understanding Britain’’s vote to leave the European Union, a decision known as “Brexit” that will have global consequences for years to come. Complete news coverage is here. More than 17. 4 million Britons voted June 23 to sever ties with the European Union, whose seat of power lies in Brussels, compared with 16. 1 million who voted to remain. The stunning vote, 52 percent to 48 percent, plunged world financial markets into turmoil, the political consequences for the prime minister of Britain were swift, and people around the globe reacted with shock and confusion. It would be the first time any country has left the bloc. Fear of being overrun by immigrants was a driving concern for “Leave” voters, who appeared to dominate the conversation on social media. Globalization concerns and a desire to wrest Britain from under Brussels’ thumb were also factors. The referendum came about as a result of a promise made in 2013 by Prime Minister David Cameron to appease an increasingly vocal Union wing of his Conservative Party. ■ The prime minister said he would step down. Mr. Cameron, who led the “Remain” campaign, announced on Friday that he had no ”precise timetable” but that he believed his successor — who will manage the process of leaving the union — should be in place by October. Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who backed leaving the E. U. was considered a to succeed Mr. Cameron. But on June 30, Mr. Johnson announced he would not run for the position of party leader (and therefore prime minister). ■ Global markets plunged. The British pound plummeted to its lowest level since 1985. Investors fled to the American dollar and the yen. ■ The U. S. market was down more than 3 percent at the close on June 24, with the Dow shedding over 600 points, after overnight in Japan and Hong Kong. The financial damage was more severe on the Continent than in Britain and the United States. ■ The United Kingdom lost its last remaining AAA credit rating on June 27, when the credit rating agency Standard Poor’s downgraded the nation to AA, Reuters reported. ■ The referendum is not legally binding, though it is difficult to imagine that the British government would ignore the will of the voters. The process of leaving begins only after the British government invokes a provision of the European Union’s governing treaty known as Article 50 — an action Mr. Cameron said he would leave to his successor. Once Article 50 is invoked, though, Britain could not change its mind and stay in the union unless the 27 other members all agreed. ■ Britain would leave the world’s largest common market, with 508 million residents, including 65 million Britons. That would free them from the bloc’s commitment to the free movement of labor, capital, goods and services. But it would also bring complications, with some businesses already planning to relocate. ■ Little will change for at least two years, but the vote sets off a series of negotiations as the country separates from the union’s remaining 27 members. Britain, which has the bloc’s economy after Germany, would have to come up with new trading agreements. Almost half its exports are sold on Europe’s common market. ■ London’s role as a financial center could be imperiled, particularly if the trade in securities moves to rival cities like Paris and Frankfurt. ■ The immediate effect on travel will be limited, especially as Britain was not a member of the Schengen zone, which came under heavy pressure last year from the refugee crisis. Americans will find bargains in travel to Britain, because of more favorable exchange rates. ■ Britain’s security will be largely unaffected: It remains a nuclear power, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a leader of NATO. ■ Scotland and Northern Ireland could go their own way. Both voted overwhelmingly to stay in the E. U. But prominent political leaders in Scotland and Northern Ireland called on Friday for new moves toward separating from Britain. Scotland, which voted in 2014 to remain in the United Kingdom, may revisit that referendum. Northern Ireland has an open border with the Republic of Ireland, a member of the bloc. Border crossings could now be tightened, and pressure could increase for unification, prompting instability in both places. ■ Calls for similar action have spread throughout Europe. “We must now have the same referendum,” French National Front party leader Marine Le Pen tweeted. Politicians made similar appeals in Denmark and the Netherlands. In Italy, one politician called for a referendum on whether to keep the euro currency. ■ President Obama said in a statement: “The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision. ” He pledged that the U. K. and the E. U. would remain “indispensable partners of the United States” and that Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States would endure. ■ Hillary Clinton: “We respect the choice the people of the United Kingdom have made. Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in America. ” ■ Donald J. Trump: “I said this was going to happen, and I think that it’s a great thing. ” The British people “have declared their independence from the European Union, and have voted to reassert control over their own politics, borders and economy,” Mr. Trump said. “A Trump administration pledges to strengthen our ties with a free and independent Britain. ” ■ Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany expressed disappointment with the vote and called for European unity. “Our goal should be to create a future relationship between Great Britain and the European Union that is close and . ” ■ Moscow maintained its stance that the British referendum was of little direct concern. President Vladimir V. Putin said, “This will certainly have consequences for Britain, for Europe and for us. The consequences will be global, they are inevitable they will be both positive and negative. ” | 0 |
517 | Seattle’s Gay Mayor Accused of Sexually Molesting Teens in the 1980s - Breitbart | Warner Todd Huston | Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, famed as a staunch gay rights advocate and a champion of progressive causes, has been accused of sexually molesting several teenaged boys 30 years ago, reports have revealed. [A trio of men came forward to allege that Murray had sex with them decades ago when they were underage. At least one said he was 15 when the mayor molested him back in the 1980s, according to the Seattle Times. A man identified only as “D. H. ” now 46, filed a lawsuit against the Murray alleging that the famed mayor and activist began molesting him when he was only 15 and exacerbated problems he had during his life starting when he was a teen. He also claims that Murray was fully aware of his underage status. D. H. claims that he has been “dealing with this for over 30 years,” and filed the lawsuit as part of the “healing process. ” The accuser said he hoped the lawsuit would help him to repair his mental issues after years of “the shame, the embarrassment, the guilt, the humiliation that I put myself through and that he put me through. ” The plaintiff also alleged that he took money from Murray for the sexual encounters up to 50 times over a four or five year period. After the lawsuit had been made public, Murray issued a press release calling the accusations false: These false accusations are intended to damage a prominent elected official who has been a defender of vulnerable populations for decades. It is not a coincidence that this shakedown effort comes within weeks of the campaign filing deadline. These unsubstantiated assertions, dating back three decades, are categorically false. Mayor Murray has never engaged in an inappropriate relationship with any minor. … Mayor Murray will vigorously fight these allegations in court. Murray also pledged to continue his bid for as the city’s Mayor. The Seattle mayor has been the subject of such allegations in the past, with one case going as far back as 1984. Jeff Simpson came forward decades ago alleging that he met Murray in a Portland center for troubled children and was later molested for an extended period by the man who would become mayor. A police investigation was launched in the 80s, but no charges were ever filed. “I don’t necessarily think that he destroyed my life,” Simpson said about his experience, “But I believe a lot of the problems I have stemmed from this. ” Simpson’s story was buttressed by Lloyd Anderson, another man who claims to have been molested by Murray back in the 1980s. “Look, the guy took advantage of my situation,” Anderson said of his experience in the 1980s. “I was young, I was homeless and doing drugs and everything. ” Mayor Murray characterized some of the allegations as a “ ” attack on his career. “The two older accusations were promoted by extreme activists in the midst of the marriage equality campaign, and were thoroughly investigated and dismissed by both law enforcement authorities and the media,” he said in a statement. Murray insists that these lawsuits and allegations are politically motivated. The mayor has a long history of fighting for progressive causes. When he was in the state legislature, for instance, he led the fight for the state to recognize gay marriage. And once elected Seattle’s mayor, Murray launched a campaign to push the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Murray has also been a leading opponent of President Donald Trump favoring efforts to torpedo the president’s immigration policies. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com | 0 |
518 | Gender Fluidity on the Runways - The New York Times | Susan Chira | Watching male and female models stride down the runways in tandem as more designers combined their women’s and men’s collections this New York Fashion Week raised the questions of what is masculine and what is feminine, how much those distinctions matter, and who gets to decide. Depending on which show you viewed, it’s fine for men to sport blue feather boas or fishnet shirts with a bow (Jeremy Scott). Or for women and men to wear virtually interchangeable clothes, in restrained, minimalist androgyny (Raf Simons for Calvin Klein). Or for women to feminize the puffer by wearing it off the shoulder, cinched at the waist (Public School). Society is in a time of renewed ferment about gender. Culture wars rage over bathrooms and even the very notion that men or women have to choose one fixed gender identity. President Donald J. Trump reportedly likes his female staff “to dress like women” just what this means isn’t entirely clear. The divide looms between those who welcome the new fluidity and those who yearn for clearly defined gender roles. So designers on the runway this week engaged in a continuing dialogue about how clothing defines masculinity and femininity — and how it scrambles these notions, too. Fashion has crossed many of these lines for years, of course. Women have long appropriated men’s clothes for comfort and authority. In the 1960s, longhaired men in paisley, florals and defied conventions of what men were supposed to look like and what clothes they were supposed to wear. Jean Paul Gaultier put a man in a skirt back in 1984. And last year, Jaden Smith wore clothes designed for women in a Louis Vuitton advertisement. But showing the women’s and men’s lines together allowed for consideration of what the differences were, really. Material? Designers used the same fabrics for many of the men’s and women’s collections. Cut? In some cases, the tailoring seemed uncannily similar. Accessories? Many designers included accessories that once would have been thought exclusively feminine or masculine on both male and female models. Fashion, like society, is clearly not opting for hard and fast rules. Yet each designer brought a particular sensibility to the gender continuum. Raf Simons made his name in men’s wear before expanding to women’s clothing. His first collection for Calvin Klein was also the first time the house showed both men’s and women’s lines in the same show. Mr. Simons was known for a distinctive male model, skinny and less bulked up, and he has said he designed some of his distinctive suits for that physique. In this show, much of the men’s and women’s clothing looked all but identical there were a few times when it was hard to figure out whether the model was a man or a woman. There were glen plaid suits with blazers and black leather jackets with silver rose cutouts for men and women. The pants and varsity stripe motifs were echoed in the men’s and women’s clothes. Mr. Simons played with the idea of transparency: women in sheer tops showing nipples men in sheer tops showing theirs. But he did not overtly cross gender lines by putting men in skirts. And he showed some simply beautiful feminine clothes, such as the dresses made of feathers encased in sheer plastic. For Public School, the designers Chow and Maxwell Osborne took street motifs often associated with men — parkas, puffers, hoodies, anoraks — and toyed with how to dress women in them. The puffers for women were a surprisingly sensual look for a normally unisex coat the men in the show wore the puffers short, not big or baggy. As with the other runway shows, combining men and women allowed the designers to present one aesthetic and show how it applied to each gender. At Public School, a man walked out in a plaid shirt and slightly baggy pants with a zipper, followed by a woman wearing the same plaid shirt as a dress with a navy train. A man wore an oversize glen paid top a woman wore the same glen plaid ensemble but belted and draped more closely to her body. Generally, the men’s and women’s looks were not interchangeable rather, men were in recognizable men’s clothes, and women were more often in dresses and skirts, with bare shoulders and material gathered in artful folds. It was a brasher vision than Calvin Klein’s, further along the continuum of sexual distinction. Jeremy Scott had it both ways: gender traditional in his unabashed sexuality for women and nonconforming in his use of what were once thought of as feminine colors, styles and accessories for men. Many of his designs for women were sex kittenish, including baby doll dresses, fishnet stockings, boots, short shorts in pink knit, and clingy tops in silver lamé. Men wore styles and colors that used to be associated with femininity: clingy velour pants in fuchsia and purple or jackets with gold fringe and purple sleeves. And sometimes Mr. Scott drew inspiration from both tropes in one look: He sent out a male model in a plaid skirt worn like a tunic over ripped jeans, finished off with an oversize parka. Men and women wore his signature Jesus motif coats with leopard accents — the women’s coats tighter, the men’s looser. In the end, designers ran the gamut, from blurring the lines between men and women to embracing them, sometimes in the same collection. It may be that fashion’s refusal to decide, to render any one verdict, is as radical as some of the more overtly political statements made this week on the runways. | 0 |
519 | US NATO To Attack Putin Military Drills in Russia – World War 3 RED Alert Kopya | Pakalert | source Add To The Conversation Using Facebook Comments | 1 |
520 | New Clinton Emails Came From Underage Sex Pest Anthony Weiner | Baxter Dmitry | // 0 Comments Clinton campaign in crisis after FBI agents uncover Hillary emails among sexts to underage girls on Anthony Weiner’s phone.
The new Hillary Clinton emails uncovered by the FBI were discovered on electronic devices belonging to Huma Abedin and her husband, Anthony Weiner .
The devices were seized by the FBI as they investigate allegations Weiner sent illicit sexual messages to underage girls.
The New York Times reports that “ The F.B.I. is investigating illicit text messages that Mr. Weiner sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. The bureau told Congress on Friday that it had uncovered new emails related to the Clinton case — one federal official said they numbered in the thousands — potentially reigniting an issue that has weighed on the presidential campaign and offering a lifeline to Donald J. Trump less than two weeks before the election. “
Huma Abedin, Hillary’s closest aide, separated from her husband Weiner recently after it was revealed he conducted an online affair with an underage girl – the latest in a long line of scandals for the former congressman.
The FBI informed Congress that while analyzing Weiner’s phone agents had uncovered new Hillary Clinton emails related to the investigation into whether Clinton and her aides mishandled classified information.
The announcement has breathed new life into the Trump campaign – and proved the Republican nominee was eerily accurate with an old prediction. In a statement on his website immediately after the Abedin-Weiner split, Trump questioned Hillary’s judgement in allowing someone like Weiner into her circle of trust:
DONALD J. TRUMP STATEMENT ON HILLARY CLINTON’S BAD JUDGMENT “ Huma is making a very wise decision. I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him. I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information. Who knows what he learned and who he told? It’s just another example of Hillary Clinton’s bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this.” – Donald J. Trump
And previously, in an Aug. 3 tweet: It came out that Huma Abedin knows all about Hillary’s private illegal emails. Huma’s PR husband, Anthony Weiner, will tell the world. | 1 |
521 | In a Montana Bear Attack, Lessons on Hope, Survival and First Aid - The New York Times | Christine Hauser | A man was attacked by a bear in the wilderness of southwest Montana. Alone and injured, he walked — then drove — for miles to save himself. How did he do it? The man, Todd Orr, said he was scouting for elk in a mountainous valley on Sept. 30 when he was attacked twice by a female grizzly. Bleeding, stunned and suffering a cracked bone and deep gashes, Mr. Orr said he hiked through the woods for miles to reach his truck. In a gory video that had been viewed more than 37 million times by Thursday, Facebook posts describing the maulings and a new website that allows the public to track his recovery, Mr. Orr, 50, offers insights into the psychology of survival. While few people will encounter an angry bear in their lives, those in the business of first aid and extreme survival said his social media imprints invited general reflection: When someone finds themselves isolated, injured and bleeding, what should he or she do to survive the lonely trek in search of medical help? Dr. R. D. Marks, whose medical staff was the first to treat Mr. Orr, said the injured man came out of the woods on the morning after the attack and went to the Madison Valley Medical Center in the small city of Ennis, Mont. for help. “He just showed up at the door,” Dr. Marks said on Thursday. “I think he called ahead and said he was coming. By that time it was like his badge: ‘I got bit by a grizzly bear and I got a story to tell.’ ” Mr. Orr, who builds custom knives for a living, was recovering from multiple surgeries and unable to return telephone messages, according to a statement on his website. But in Facebook posts published last weekend, he said he had been scouting elk in Madison Valley, in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness area. That is bear country, Mr. Orr wrote. He should know he was raised in the area. Armed with a pistol and repellent spray, he made lots of noise so as not to surprise any bears, which can make them lash out. “I hollered out, ‘Hey, bear’ about every 30 seconds,” he wrote. But suddenly, on the trail ahead, he spotted a grizzly with cubs. She charged. A dose of repellent did nothing to slow her down. He hit the ground, face down, and she was on top of him, biting his arms, shoulders and backpack. “The force of each bite was like a sledgehammer with teeth,” he wrote. “She would stop for a few seconds and then bite again. Over and over. ” Then the bear ambled away. Stunned and bleeding, Mr. Orr started back down the trail toward his truck, about a trek. He took stock of his injuries: mostly puncture wounds on his arms and shoulder. He did not want to pause to dress the wounds, he wrote, so he toward what he thought was safety. But then, a sound: It was the same bear, charging toward him again. He hit the dirt, covering his neck with his arms and pressing his face to the ground to protect his eyes: the textbook position to take during a bear attack. One bite clamped onto his forearm, and he heard a crunch. He gasped from the pain, but the sound sent the animal into a frenzy, biting his shoulder and upper back even more. So, Mr. Orr said, he played dead, lying motionless and silent as the bear bit his head, even as blood gushed into his eyes and face. “I thought this was the end,” he wrote. Finally, the animal stopped. She stood on his back. Without moving, he endured moments of terrifying intimacy as the animal sniffed him. He felt her breath on his neck, her claws digging into his back, smelled her “pungent odor. ” Then she was gone. Somehow, Mr. Orr got to his feet. His pistol had been knocked out of reach. “But a quick assessment told me I could make it another 45 minutes to the truck without losing too much blood,” he wrote. He took off along the trail. At the end of the path, he took photographs and the video. Panting, and with streams of blood crisscrossing his face, Mr. Orr recorded his injuries as he spoke to the camera. “She got my head good,” he said. “I don’t know what is under my hat. My ear, my arm, pieces of stuff hanging out — I don’t know what’s going on in there,” he said, displaying his mangled arm. “And then my shoulder she ripped up I think my arm’s broke. But legs are good. Internal organs are good. Eyes are good,” he said. He got into the truck and drove, calling his girlfriend and 911, and asking a rancher along the way to telephone ahead for help. When Mr. Orr arrived at the medical center, Dr. Marks said, it was about 8 in the morning. Mr. Orr had driven six miles to reach a highway, and another 10 to get to the medical center, Dr. Marks estimated. “People are kind of amazing,” he said. “We think about how terrible these things are, and some people do freak out, but most people go into survival mode, and you get crystal clear: ‘Here is what I gotta do,’ and they do it. “You take inventory and find everything is working — I am alive,” he added. Mr. Orr said he had a gash above his ear and multiple bite marks for which he underwent several surgeries. Dr. Marks said Mr. Orr most likely stanched some of the heavy bleeding from his scalp wound by having his baseball cap pulled down over his head while on the trail. “It kind of pulled the edges together and controlled the bleeding, for the most part,” Dr. Marks said. “Kind of like putting a pressure dressing on. I don’t know if he thought about it that way. ” Tod Schimelpfenig, the curriculum director at NOLS Wilderness Medicine, a Wyoming school for wilderness medicine education, said that Mr. Orr was lucky the bear did not bite into an artery, penetrate his chest or skull, or rip off a large hunk of flesh. That would have made the bleeding unmanageable alone (though had he had help, he could have contained it with an expertly placed tourniquet). For people who might find themselves in similar situations, Mr. Schimelpfenig said puncture wounds should be treated by applying direct pressure for up to five minutes. With multiple punctures, you must “figure out the worst one. ” showed that Mr. Orr had a cracked forearm bone, but on the trail he was apparently unhindered by it. A stabilizing splint could be fashioned with a shirt tail and a safety pin, Mr. Schimelpfenig said. Replenishing fluids is key, because you could lose blood while exerting yourself — as Mr. Orr was while walking while injured. Mr. Orr’s presence of mind was notable. In the video, he demonstrated behavior common to extreme survivors. He was objective, giving a factual accounting of the parts of his body that still worked. He was accepting — admitting what he did not know, like the extent of his other wounds. In the Facebook post, Mr. Orr recalled that at one point he felt gratitude on the trail, saying he “thanked God for getting me through” the first attack. He grieved when the second attack occurred, then said he felt “double lucky” when he survived it. During the lonely trek out of the woods, in the dark, he continued to plan. He emphasized a connection with his fellow human beings, saying that after the attack, he had been concerned that other people might run into the bear. He imparted advice. “Be safe out there,” he said, his eyes darting around while he was still out in the open. “Bear spray doesn’t always work. But it’s better than nothing. ” Most important for survival, Mr. Orr described focusing on living, Mr. Schimelpfenig observed. “He came up with a plan, he saw the future, he was happy with what he had: ‘This is my reality here is what I am going to do,’ ” he said. ”He did not lie there and hope someone was going to find him. ” | 0 |
522 | ‘What Is Best About America’ - The New York Times | Lela Moore and Sona Patel | Here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms, as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment. 1. Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and the rest of the USA gymnastics team represent what is best about America: a place where talent, hard work, diversity, and mutual respect lead to the kind of achievement that all of can proudly share with each other. — Dylan111 in New Haven, reacting to an article about the gymnast Simone Biles winning the gold medal in the women’s competition Thursday. Her teammate Aly Raisman won the silver. Tuesday night, the United States team of five won gold in the team competition. This comment had more than 50 reader recommendations. 2. The anthem is a series of questions: Can you see? Does that banner yet wave? The U. S. national anthem is ideally suited to feature “unstable, questioning chords. ” And to my ears, the use of the relative minor chords doesn’t necessarily sound “sad” I think it’s also accurate to say those moments sound “noble” or “stately” or “stoic. ” I suspect that people are reacting to the instrumentation as much as the harmonization — this version has some reflective strings instead of bass drums and brass. There’s nothing wrong with this arrangement, unless you insist that the national anthem be as bombastic and aggressive as possible, every time you hear it. — Brian T. in Lexington, Ky. reacting to an article about the version of the national anthem that is played when a United States athlete wins a gold medal at the Rio Olympics, which some listeners say sounds “sad” because of the preponderance of minor chords in the arrangement. This comment received more than 110 reader recommendations. 3. [Michael] Phelps was impressive tonight but Simone’s historic victory is so much more meaningful and will go a long way in inspiring the next generation, especially those who are in swimming. — Nancy Rhee on The Times’s Facebook page, responding to an article about Simone Manuel, who tied for the gold medal in the women’s freestyle, becoming the first woman to win an individual swimming medal in the Olympics. This comment received more than 35 likes. 4. I’m glad Lilly won, but this is one rude woman. I heard her on NPR this morning, and she’s got the empathy of a birdbath. Is she not aware the doping was state sponsored? Does she have any idea what it would be like to go against Putin his lackeys? Did her opponent not suffer enough during her ban and during the introduction to the race? We’re all against doping, but forgiveness and moving on — with adequate testing — are much nobler traits than what I saw last night. — ECF1 in New York, reacting to an article about the open criticism of athletes who have served doping suspensions by their opponents at the Rio Games. Lilly King, the American who won the women’s breaststroke Monday, wagged a finger at Yulia Efimova of Russia, who served a suspension for a banned substance and contested another before competing at these Olympics. 5. It’s a huge historic day for our little island nation of Fiji. We are so very proud of our players and the coaching staff. Our Fiji rugby team made us so happy today. We will never forget. Vinaka Boys. ..Go Fiji Go! — Altaf Ali on The Times’s Facebook page, responding to an article about Fiji’s gold medal Thursday, in rugby sevens. Fiji defeated Britain, . 6. What’s so weird? A fair number of women marry their coaches. They spend all their time training and no life outside of it. Doctors marry nurses and other doctors. Lawyers marry other lawyers. We say nothing. Now, we have an opinion? Who are we to judge? — Shelley Pasternak on The Times’s Facebook page, responding to an article about the Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu, whose relationship with her has raised eyebrows in and out of the pool at the Olympics. Ms. Hosszu has won three gold medals so far at the Rio Games. This comment received more than 120 likes. 7. I’m sorry, but I just can’t take out the violins. However, I do hope, with all my heart that she remembers those “lean” years if she’s elected when she makes decisions that affect the 90 percent of Americans who are struggling. I have my doubts. Contrary to this story, my rent in NYC in 1980 was $285 a month, and I still went to sleep at night worrying how I would make it. I was waitressing and putting myself through college. Much of how I see the world and the struggles of the people around me in Myanmar and in the U. S. go back to that time. We can only hope Hillary remembers something somewhat comparable. Unfortunately, “Let them eat cake” too often comes to mind. I still miss that guy from Brooklyn, the child of immigrant parents, who truly started out with nothing and never forgot it. — Far From Home in Yangon, Myanmar, reacting to an article about Hillary Clinton’s competing desires both to serve the public in government and to make money. 8. I think, as I have thought for many years, that Hillary is an incredible woman and leader. But seeing this slice of her personality . .. serves as a nice counterbalance to the prevailing political narrative that she is cold and calculating. I understand that 30 years in public life takes a toll, but years from now I think we’ll look back and there will be a clear delineation between the expectations for men versus women in public life — and the very, very different paths that she and her husband took to get into office as well as what they did once they were there. — Laura C. in Philadelphia. 9. Were it not for his religious fanaticism, I would vote for Pence in a heartbeat. In January I will become a full Canadian citizen with the full intention of renouncing the U. S. one that, quite frankly, embarrasses me. I’m 71 and have lived in Nova Scotia since 2010. While this would be my last chance to vote in a U. S. election, I choose to pass. — Robert Coane, reacting to an opinion article by Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush. The article asks the Republican nominee, Gov. Mike Pence, to persuade Donald J. Trump to withdraw from the presidential race. 10. Trump wants to cut taxes to spark an economic recovery, and specifically drop the corporate tax rate to 15% which would make us with ALL industrialized nations and likely would put an end to corporate inversions. Leave the country isolated from the world? In point of fact, no — our corporate taxes are among the very highest in the industrialized world, make us uncompetitive and incentivize our companies to bolt our regulation is stifling expansion and and free trade policies have played their role, along with offshoring and automation, in our middle classes. And the rest of “the world” is hardly healthy — their tax and regulatory frameworks have a great deal to do with their sorry state. But I can understand the concern: whenever Trump talks sense rather than erupting over some sleight, his numbers go up. — Richard Luettgen in New Jersey, reacting to an editorial about Mr. Trump’s economic plan. This comment received over 115 reader responses. | 0 |
523 | The Pecan Steps Off the Pie Plate - The New York Times | David Tanis | Pecans, with their rich, buttery, sweet flavor, are considered by many to be the quintessential American nut. They once grew wild throughout what is now the American South and Mexico. Native peoples foraged for these highly nutritious nuts, and Spanish explorers took pecans — along with other unknown New World foods like potatoes, tomatoes, corn and chiles — back to Europe for cultivation. Today, orchards in the United States continue to produce most of the world’s supply. I have had them on the brain ever since I received a giant bag of pecans from a friend in New Mexico recently. With the holiday season (a. k. a. the baking season) nigh upon us, I began to think of what to do with them. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I will happily make an exception when homemade pecan rolls or other members of the sticky bun family are in the room. And if they happen to be rolled in cinnamon sugar, so much the better. Pecan rolls are a particularly fond childhood memory for me. Occasionally, a dozen freshly baked ones would arrive at our house, packed in a shoe box — the gift of a doting aunt on a baking spree. It was impossible not to eat at least two of them. I would eat them from the top down, unfurling the rolls’ spiral layers and saving the sugary caramelized bottom for last. Many years later, I found work as a professional baker, and making cinnamon rolls became a daily task. I baked dozens and dozens each day, even more on weekends, gaining proficiency, to say the least. (For quality control, I sampled one from each batch.) So playing with this pecan version was like riding a bike. Some home bakers are fearful of yeasted doughs. Don’t be. The key is to let the yeast do its work and allow the dough to rise sufficiently before popping your creations into the oven. These pecan rolls are baked in muffin tins to help them puff proudly. Just be sure not to rush them: The longer they rise, the lighter they’ll be. Bake them until the tops are nicely browned and well burnished. That is the way to ensure a golden glazed underside. Don’t we all love the classic filling of a good pecan pie? For these pecan bars, I wanted a similar sensation, but with a heaping dose of spice. Cardamom, allspice, nutmeg and clove add a kind of peppery warmth to these. I also craved the earthy presence and deep dark hue that a touch of molasses can contribute. Rather than rely on too much sugar or syrup, I folded chopped dates into the batter to increase the sticky factor. A thick layer of buttery shortbread is the base, baked in a square cake pan, with a generous layer of crisp pecans on top. You can cut the flat pie into bars or into pieces. The best thing about it is that you can store these bars at room temperature for days on end with no loss of quality. In fact, they seem to improve with a little age. (They also freeze well.) I’ll confess to a weakness for cheese puffs and other cheesy nibbles, and some kind of salty baked good is always welcome with drinks. For these savory cookies, grated Parmesan was my choice. Chopped pecans, fresh sage and a good spoonful of coarsely ground black pepper went into the dough. It is as easy to put together as any type of cookie dough, but not a speck of sugar goes in. The dough can be shaped into a log (keep a couple in the fridge at the ready) for savory cookies, or it may be rolled out like pie dough and cut into shapes. They’ll keep a week in an airtight tin, if it’s perched well out of reach serve the cookies with cocktails or add them to a cheese board. Surprise your friends and family with one of these pecan treats, or all three. Give them savory pecan cookies to start, pecan bars for dessert and a bag of pecan rolls to take home for breakfast. Recipes: Savory Pecan Cookies | Rolls | Spiced Pecan Date Shortbread Bars | 0 |
524 | When Barack Obama Plagiarized ’Don’t Tell Me Words Don’t Matter’ - Breitbart | Joel B. Pollak | . Barack Obama ( ) plagiarized . Deval Patrick of Massachusetts on the campaign trail in 2008 when he used Patrick’s signature line, “Don’t tell me words don’t matter. ”[Jeff Zeleny, then of the New York Times, wrote: Senator Barack Obama adapted one of his signature arguments — that his oratory amounts to more than inspiring words — from speeches given by Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts during his 2006 campaign. At a Democratic Party dinner Saturday in Wisconsin, Mr. Obama, of Illinois, responded to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who has criticized him for delivering smooth speeches but says they do not amount to solutions to the nation’s problems, by ticking through a string of historic references. “Don’t tell me words don’t matter,” Mr. Obama said, to applause. “ ‘I have a dream’ — just words? ‘We hold these truths to be that all men are created equal’ — just words? ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’ — just words? Just speeches?” Mr. Patrick employed similar language during his 2006 governor’s race when his Republican rival, Kerry Healey, criticized him as offering lofty rhetoric over specifics. Mr. Patrick has endorsed Mr. Obama, and the two men are close friends. . Hillary Clinton ( ) seized on Obama’s copying, as the USA Today reported: Hillary Rodham Clinton accused presidential rival Barack Obama of political plagiarism Thursday night, but drew boos from a Democratic debate audience when she ridiculed him as the candidate of “change you can Xerox. ” Obama dismissed the charge out of hand, then turned the jeers to applause when he countered, “What we shouldn’t be spending time doing is tearing each other down. We should be spending time lifting the country up. ” It was a clear case of plagiarism — and an ironic one, given that it centered around a phrase promoting the importance of words. In the end, Gov. Patrick excused his friend, and Democrats excused Obama, as they would for most things. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak. | 0 |
525 | Lower Back Ache? Be Active and Wait It Out, New Guidelines Say - The New York Times | Gina Kolata | Dr. James Weinstein, a back pain specialist and chief executive of Health System, has some advice for most people with lower back pain: Take two aspirin and don’t call me in the morning. On Monday, the American College of Physicians published updated guidelines that say much the same. In making the new recommendations for the treatment of most people with lower back pain, the group is bucking what many doctors do and changing its previous guidelines, which called for medication as therapy. Dr. Nitin Damle, president of the group’s board of regents and a practicing internist, said pills, even pain relievers and should not be the first choice. “We need to look at therapies that are nonpharmacological first,” he said. “That is a change. ” The recommendations come as the United States is struggling with an epidemic of opioid addiction that often begins with a simple prescription for ailments like back pain. In recent years, a number of states have enacted measures aimed at curbing prescription painkillers. The problem has also led many doctors around the country to reassess prescribing practices. The group did not address surgery. Its focus was on noninvasive treatment. The new guidelines said that doctors should avoid prescribing opioid painkillers for relief of back pain and suggested that before patients try or muscle relaxants, they should try alternative therapies like exercise, acupuncture, massage therapy or yoga. Doctors should reassure their patients that they will get better no matter what treatment they try, the group said. The guidelines also said that steroid injections were not helpful, and neither was acetaminophen, like Tylenol, although other pain relievers like aspirin, naproxen or ibuprofen could provide some relief. Dr. Weinstein, who was not an author of the guidelines, said patients have to stay active and wait it out. “Back pain has a natural course that does not require intervention,” he said. In fact, for most of the people with acute back pain — defined as present for four weeks or less that does not radiate down the leg — there is no need to see a doctor at all, said Dr. Rick Deyo, a spine researcher and professor at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. and an author of the new guidelines. “For acute back pain, the analogy is to the common cold,” Dr. Deyo said. “It is very common and very annoying when it happens. But most of the time it will not result in anything major or serious. ” Even those with chronic back pain — lasting at least 12 weeks — should start with nonpharmacological treatments, the guidelines say. If patients still want medication, they can try drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin. Scans, like an M. R. I. for diagnosis are worse than useless for back pain patients, members of the group said in telephone interviews. The results can be misleading, showing what look like abnormalities that actually are not related to the pain. Measures that help patients get back to their usual routines can help along the way, as Sommer Kleweno Walley, 43, of Seattle, can attest. Last spring, she slipped on the stairs in her house and fell down hard, on her back. “After a couple of hours I could barely walk,” she said. “I was in real pain. ” She saw a physical therapist, but the pain persisted. Eleven days later, she showed up at the office of Dr. Christopher J. Standaert, a spine specialist at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center. She expected to receive an M. R. I. at least, and maybe a drug for pain. But Dr. Standaert told her an M. R. I. would not make any difference in her diagnosis or recovery and that the main thing was to keep active. She ended up getting medication and doing physical therapy. A few months later, her back stopped hurting. It is surprising, some experts in back pain say, how often patients are helped by treatments that are not medical, even by a placebo that patients are told at the start is really a placebo. Dr. Standaert cited a study in which patients with chronic low back pain were offered a placebo, and were told it was a placebo, along with their usual treatment — often an drug like ibuprofen or naproxen. Or, the patients remained with their usual treatment alone. Those taking the placebo reported less pain and disability than those in the control group who did not take it. The placebo effect, although modest, was about the same as the effect in studies testing nonpharmacological treatments for back pain like acupuncture, massage or chiropractic manipulations. Many people with chronic back pain tend to shut down, avoiding their usual activities, afraid of making things worse, Dr. Standaert said. Helping them is not a matter of prescribing drugs but rather teaching them to set goals and work toward returning to an active life, even if they still have pain. “They have to believe their life can get better,” Dr. Standaert said. “They have to believe they can get to a better state. ” The question is: Will the new guidelines be adopted? “Patients are looking for a cure,” said Dr. Steven J. Atlas, a back pain specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who wrote an editorial accompanying the article on the new recommendations. “The guidelines are for managing pain. ” Added to the problem are the incentives that push doctors and patients toward medications, scans and injections, Dr. Deyo said. “There is marketing from professional organizations and from industry,” he said. “‘We have the cure. You can expect to be cured. You can expect to be pain free. ’” Medical insurance also contributes to the treatment problem, back experts say, because it does not pay for remedies like mindfulness training or chiropractic manipulations which, Dr. Deyo added, “are not cheap. ” Even if doctors want to recommend such treatments, there is no easy referral system, Dr. Atlas said. “It is much easier at Mass General to get a shot than to get a or cognitive behavioral therapy,” he added. Dr. Weinstein has a prescription: “What we need to do is to stop medicalizing symptoms,” he said. Pills are not going to make people better and as for other treatments, he said, “yoga and tai chi, all those things are wonderful, but why not just go back to your normal activities?” “I know your back hurts, but go run, be active, instead of taking a pill. ” | 0 |
526 | ‘If I Sleep for an Hour, 30 People Will Die’ - The New York Times | Pamela Druckerman | PARIS — It’s 1944, in occupied Paris. Four friends spend their days in a narrow room atop a Left Bank apartment building. The neighbors think they’re painters — a cover story to explain the chemical smell. In fact, the friends are members of a Jewish resistance cell. They’re operating a clandestine laboratory to make false passports for children and families about to be deported to concentration camps. The youngest member of the group, the lab’s technical director, is practically a child himself: Adolfo Kaminsky, age 18. If you’re doubting whether you’ve done enough with your life, don’t compare yourself to Mr. Kaminsky. By his 19th birthday, he had helped save the lives of thousands of people by making false documents to get them into hiding or out of the country. He went on to forge papers for people in practically every major conflict of the century. Now 91, Mr. Kaminsky is a small man with a long white beard and tweed jacket, who shuffles around his neighborhood with a cane. He lives in a modest apartment for people with low incomes, not far from his former laboratory. When I followed him around with a film crew one day, neighbors kept asking me who he was. I told them he was a hero of World War II, though his story goes on long after that. It remains painfully relevant today, when children are being bombed in Syria or boarding shabby boats to escape by sea. Like most Westerners, I usually ignore their suffering, and assume that someone else will step in to help. But Mr. Kaminsky — a poor, hunted teenager — stepped in himself, during the war and then for many different causes afterward. Why did he do it? It wasn’t for the glory. He worked in secret and only spoke about it years later. His daughter Sarah learned her father’s whole story only while writing a book about him, “Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life. ” The English translation comes out this week. It wasn’t for the money, either. Mr. Kaminsky says he never accepted payment for forgeries, so that he could keep his motives clear and work only for causes he believed in. He was perpetually broke, and scraped together a living as a commercial photographer, he said. The wartime work put such a strain on his vision that he eventually went blind in one eye. Though he was a skilled forger — creating passports from scratch and improvising a device to make them look older — there was little joy in it. “The smallest error and you send someone to prison or death,” he told me. “It’s a great responsibility. It’s heavy. It’s not at all a pleasure. ” Years later he’s still haunted by the work, explaining: “I think mostly of the people that I couldn’t save. ” Mr. Kaminsky empathized with refugees partly because he was one himself. He was born in Argentina to Russian Jews who’d first fled Russia to Paris, and then been kicked out of France. When Adolfo was 7, the family, by then with Argentine passports, was allowed to rejoin relatives in France. “It was then that I realized the significance of the word ‘papers,’ ” he explained. After dropping out of school at 13 to help support his family, he was apprenticed to a clothes dyer, a precursor to the modern dry cleaner. He spent hours figuring out how to remove stains, then read chemistry textbooks and did experiments at home. “My boss was a chemical engineer, and would answer all of my questions,” he said. On weekends he helped a chemist at a local dairy, in exchange for butter. In the summer of 1943, he and his family were arrested and sent to Drancy, the internment camp for Jews near Paris that was the last stop before the death camps. This time, their passports saved them. Argentina’s government protested the family’s detention, so they stayed at Drancy for three months, while thousands of others were swiftly sent on to die. Mr. Kaminsky remembered a math professor who had agreed to tutor him in the camp. “One day, when it was time for our classes, he wasn’t there. He hadn’t wanted to tell me beforehand that his name was on the list. ” The Kaminskys were eventually freed, but they weren’t safe in Paris, where Jews were under constant threat of arrest. Soon Argentines were being deported, too. To survive they would have to go underground. Adolfo’s father arranged to get false papers from a Jewish resistance group, and sent Adolfo to pick them up. When the agent told Adolfo that they were struggling to erase a certain blue ink from the documents, he advised using lactic acid, a trick he’d learned at the dairy. It worked, and he was invited to join the resistance. Mr. Kaminsky’s cell was one of many. His would get tips on who was about to be arrested, then warn the families, assembling new papers for them on the spot. The group focused on the most urgent cases: children who were about to be sent to Drancy. They placed the kids in rural homes or convents, or smuggled them into Switzerland or Spain. In one scene from the book, Mr. Kaminsky stays awake for two nights straight to fill an enormous rush order. “It’s a simple calculation: In one hour I can make 30 blank documents if I sleep for an hour, 30 people will die. ” Historians estimate that France’s Jewish resistance networks together saved 7, 000 to 10, 000 children. Some 11, 400 children were deported and killed. After the war, Mr. Kaminsky didn’t plan to keep working as a forger. But through his wartime networks, other movements got in touch. He continued forging papers for 30 more years, playing a small role in conflicts ranging from the Algerian war of independence to the struggle in South Africa to the Vietnam War, making documents for American draft dodgers. He estimates that in 1967 alone, he supplied forged papers to people in 15 countries. I can’t vouch for every cause. Some of the rebel groups he supported used violence. And at close range, his stubborn idealism was no doubt maddening. He had two kids soon after World War II, but couldn’t tell them or his about his underground work, so they didn’t know why he rarely visited. Girlfriends assumed he was absent because he’d been cheating. He was supposed to follow one woman to America, but never showed up, because he’d joined the Algerian resistance. “I saved lives because I can’t deal with unnecessary deaths — I just can’t,” he told me. “All humans are equal, whatever their origins, their beliefs, their skin color,” he later added. “There are no superiors, no inferiors. That is not acceptable for me. ” In 1971, convinced that too many different groups knew his identity, and that he’d soon be caught and imprisoned, Mr. Kaminsky quit forging for good, and mostly made a living teaching photography. On a visit to Algiers he met a young law student, of Tuareg ancestry, who was the daughter of a liberal Algerian imam. They’re still married, and have three children. The last time I saw Mr. Kaminsky, he showed me a photograph he took just after the liberation of Paris. It shows about 30 children who’d come out of hiding, and were hoping to be reunited with their parents. He knows there are children in similar peril today, and that having the wrong passport can still cost your life. “I did all I could when I could. Now, I can’t do anything,” he said. Surely, though, the rest of us can. | 0 |
527 | ‘Veep’ Season 5, Episode 7: Do a Little Dance ... - The New York Times | Noel Murray | Through nearly five seasons of “Veep,” we’ve seen Selina Meyer suffer embarrassments galore and absorb loss after loss, to the point that some may wonder how anyone so and ineffectual ever wound up in the Oval Office. This week’s episode answers that question: It’s because Selina can be vicious. “Veep” can rarely be called triumphant, but toward the end of this episode, when a dazzlingly attired President Meyer is demolishing her enemies with devastating words and a killer smile … well, for a few moments she actually is the most powerful person in the free world. She’s stunning, in every sense of the word. Selina’s ballroom blitz is especially satisfying given that “Congressional Ball” lines it up alongside the spectacular flameout of congressional candidate Jonah Ryan. Most of this episode cuts between the annual White House nondenominational holiday party and a typical New Hampshire campaign stop for Jonah, where his quick temper results in a possible blunder. Riding high in the polls after essentially making “Jonah Ryan: He’ll Yell at Women for You” into his slogan, the hulking lashes out at his old bully Teddy Sykes, not realizing that his opponents have angled their camera phones to make it look like he’s hollering insults at a bowling alley employee with Down syndrome. Without making too big of a deal about it, this episode delivers a cogent point about using rage as a political weapon. In Selina’s experienced hands, anger is a live grenade. The difference between her and the wannabes is that she knows when and where to throw it. Once again, kudos go to the “Veep” writers who came up with the idea to have Jonah run for Congress. Nothing in “Congressional Ball” measures up to last week’s brilliant campaign ad — with Jonah chasing a child around a playground in super creepy slow motion — but even before his alley accident, this episode spins a lot of gold from his stump speeches, each ending with an instrumental version of “I Won’t Back Down. ” (According to Richard Splett, they’ve been getting increasingly angry letters from Tom Petty. But, hey, who hasn’t?) The highlight of the Jonah half of this episode — aside from the little Howard Dean scream he gives at the end of the list of New Hampshire towns he hopes to win — comes early, in his mock debate with Richard. Dan Egan and uncle Jeff try to keep Jonah from relying too much on his trademark “zingers,” like when he answers a question about the debt ceiling by quoting “the late Lionel Richie” (who’s not actually dead). The Mr. Ryan responds by saying it’s not fair that Richard “gets to be the easier person, and I have to be me. ” So yes, it’s fun to see Jonah get knocked down hard yet again at the end of this episode, even if its at the hands of political operatives as odious as Teddy and Bill Ericsson. On the flip side, in classic “Veep” style, multiple characters get comeuppances they don’t deserve. Poor Mike McLintock drops awkward hockey metaphors into his news conferences, in hopes of schmoozing his way into a gig as a director of communications with the N. H. L. — thus escaping the toxic White House atmosphere before he and his wife start their family. Instead, he finds out at the ball that a former Meyer administration scapegoat has already landed the job. Meanwhile, when Gary’s unexpectedly included on the list of Washington’s “50 Hottest Staffers” (at No. 21!) he lords it over his colleagues, only to find out later that the publication confused him with another Gary. As viewers, is the abject humiliation of two basically decent guys mitigated by Selina’s success? That’s always the question with “Veep. ” Make no mistake: Selina is not a good person, something we again see in the way she treats her daughter, Catherine: first by asking if she’s planning to be “Ellen or Jodie Foster” in her level of openness about her new lesbian relationship, then by constantly insulting her hair at the ball. (Nothing better encapsulates Selina’s casual cruelty to Catherine than the way she criticizes her daughter’s loose hair “tentacles” in one scene, and after the strands are secured, gripes, “Except it’s still just a rat’s nest in the back. ”) The brilliance of “Veep,” though, rests in how it elicits sympathy for Selina simply by showing what she has to deal with every day. In “Congressional Ball” she spends an evening sucking up to congressmen and congresswomen, who all make dopey demands in exchange for their support in the tiebreaking presidential vote. She promises the same cabinet appointments to multiple people, and has to nod approvingly when one Montanan makes his pitch for a Sept. 11 memorial in Bozeman (to salute the local first responders who were traumatized by what happened to the first responders in New York). And while she’s this bunch, she’s always keeping one eye on Tom James, her presumptive vice president who’s also working the room, trying to get those backing Selina to abstain from the vote. His plan is to manipulate the House vote into another tie, which would throw the election to the Senate, where procedural arcana could catapult him to the presidency. That’s what sets up the episode’s thrilling bit of political jujitsu as Selina sidles up to each of her backstabbers one by one, letting them know just how badly she could hurt them if they disappoint her. She saves her most savage takedown for Tom, whom she literally dances with in front of the news media while quietly whispering in his ear all the dirt she has. Then she takes him back to her office, yells at him some more and has sex with him. The speed, fury and totality of Selina’s power move is a joy to watch, even though — if we’re being honest — Tom would probably make a better president. This series toys with our sympathies in that way, pushing us to root for the undeserving and all because when the narrative of politics gets reduced to a horse race, we can’t help but cheer a win. A lot has been written about what “Veep” has to say about the destructiveness and pettiness of American governance. But in episodes like this one, the show is just as revealing about our basest instincts as voters. | 0 |
528 | On ‘Dr. Oz,’ Trump Offers Placebo Transparency - The New York Times | James Poniewozik | On Thursday’s episode of “The Dr. Oz Show,” Donald J. Trump told Dr. Mehmet Oz that he didn’t get much exercise these days. This is not really true. Even as he said it, he was in the middle of conducting a spinning class. Mr. Trump’s appearance came in the midst of a news week focused on the presidential candidates’ health. And Mr. Trump, the former host of “The Apprentice,” it like a reveal. After days of ’ as to whether Mr. Trump would provide the findings of a recent physical examination, daytime’s favorite doctor walked the candidate through a which Mr. Trump, as is his wont when answered favorably. If you feel so confident, Dr. Oz finally asked, “Why not share your medical records?” Mr. Trump responded like a knee to the tap of a mallet, producing two sheets of paper from his jacket as if they were the results of a dramatic elimination episode. The moment set off Mr. Trump’s showman’s instinct to engage the crowd. “I have it right here,” he said. “Should I do it?” Spoiler alert: He did. The move seemed to take Dr. Oz by surprise. He read over the letter quickly and approvingly, at one point interjecting, “My goodness!” (He did later point out that Mr. Trump is overweight.) He commended Mr. Trump for participating. “In this modern era,” Dr. Oz said, “people expect to know enough about the people they’re voting for. ” What Mr. Trump provided, it turned out, was a cursory summary of test results and other basic information, from the same personal physician who supplied him a bizarre, laudatory testimonial late last year. But for the nationwide audience, he created the impression of having been checked over and given a clean bill of health by the most famous surgeon in syndication. “I view this as, in a way, going to see my doctor,” Mr. Trump said. He left the appointment with much more than a lollipop. The man whom Oprah Winfrey called “America’s doctor” had become, wittingly or not, Mr. Trump’s spin doctor. The pairing made perfect showbiz sense. Dr. Oz has come to represent popular medical authority in the same way that Mr. Trump, through such platforms as “The Apprentice,” symbolizes business acumen. Dr. Oz may have come under fire for pushing supplements and “miracle” fixes Mr. Trump may have suffered bankruptcies. But their branding speaks louder. The “Dr. Oz” visit was announced last week. But when Hillary Clinton left the campaign trail with pneumonia after abruptly departing Sunday’s Sept. 11 memorial ceremony, the appearance became doubly strategic. First, because the Clinton campaign delayed explaining her illness, it was a chance to portray Mr. Trump as the more forthcoming, even though Mrs. Clinton has released more detailed medical information. (Both have provided less than some past nominees.) Whether on taxes or medical history, Mr. Trump has been far from a transparent candidate. But he plays one on TV. Second, it underlined the campaign theme that Mr. Trump has the most, you know, “stamina. ” At a rally on Wednesday, he questioned whether Mrs. Clinton (who is on her second national campaign) could make it through the speech he was giving. In case that was too nuanced, Mr. Trump’s medical letter included a reading of his testosterone level. The message — as Mr. Trump said in a March debate regarding another physical aspect of his masculinity — was, “I guarantee you there’s no problem. ” The visit’s beneficial side effects included outreach to the largely female daytime audience, in front of a friendly questioner. Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka joined him to plug his child care policy, without questions on, say, the criticism that the plan gives more help to families. Mr. Trump defended his past sexist banter on the Howard Stern radio show — “I was having fun” — and managed to get in a couple of digs at his opponent. When Dr. Oz asked him not to discuss Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trump agreed, then added, “We want her to get well. ” (“I don’t think you can represent the country properly if you’re not a healthy person,” he said later.) But by the time the episode was broadcast, the important part of the show, for Mr. Trump’s purposes, was already over. Because he taped the appearance Wednesday, Mr. Trump gained a day’s worth of news clips showing him handing over two pages of — something — to the celebrity doctor and credulous headlines reporting his disclosure as the release of “medical records. ” Invested in the story, but without access to the information, news media grasped for snippets. “Audience Member: Dr. Oz Impressed With Trump’s Health,” read a chyron on CNN. It was the theater of transparency masquerading as actual transparency — a placebo. Now that Mr. Trump’s doctor’s letter has been released publicly, medical experts and journalists can assess what and how much it tells us — most likely, to less attention. But the episode showed that the instincts of America’s are quite healthy. In this news cycle’s journey to Oz, Mr. Trump was the man behind the curtain. | 0 |
529 | Comment on Gold Medalist Wrestler Gets Violent with Police — All 7 Cops Choose Not to Engage in Deadly Force by Buck Rogers | Buck Rogers | USA CREATED ISIS ,ALL EUROPEAN KNOW ABOUT THAT ,NOW WE’RE ALL SCARED NDMA
Let’s just remember who enslaves USA : which entity forced them to do so 😉 People like me even understand how : fewer still like some of my family members even did something about some of it 😛 There’s a reason it will all end : for the pathetic & desperate slaver fiends pretending to be friends ……… nathan sandiego
just imagine, GABE NEWELL, OWNER AND FOUNDER OF VALVE CONTROLLING AN ENTIRE MILITARY FROM HIS ARM CHAIR. NDMA
Why would I bother doing that? I have better things I can work on 😉 nathan sandiego
Herbanlegend is my steam name NDMA
Life is better if we imagine how to replace the corruption that infests our world 😉 WW3 : not about guns, just permanently destroying all that powers the entitled peasants harming our ecology 🙂 MBruceQuarles
That is awesome technology. God bless Israel! nathan sandiego
Fuck Israel, bunch of zionists destroying what it means to be a Jew, turning back on God… they will soon be punished. dufas_duck
American police have several local forces talking about arming the small drones that they are now using for survalence. In Arizona, the police think nothing of using helicopters to fire on suspected vehicles. If they kill innocent people, it doesn’t seem to matter any more than it does now….. NDMA
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/37fa3c31ef798b8d7c32d573e0cb260937becd817b7153c813ab7c104b835b96.jpg
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.659480 seriously, Israeli propaganda and the dreams of desperate pirates aren’t fooling anybody : WW3, we’re coming for the entitled chumps indeed 😉
mmmm going to be fun hunting them like Nazis : but we know who the most entitled be … those we will proudly make our victims during WW3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0AbIEH4biA already happily started slaughtering them all around the world … Aidan Rodrigo Johansson
The reason that American police love just shooting people instead of actually working and risking their safety for the safety of the people is because they are blood thirsty cowboy dirty Harry brain washed psychopaths that love killing. It is American culture at the root, deep in the psyche.
The police have been militarized. They dont do the job like in the old days. No more negotiators, Drs or counselling at the scene of the crisis, its just shoot bang bang boom yourr dead if you had a gun, knife, glow stick, sandwich, whatever. Gary Honeycutt
How old are you? The old days you mention with negotiators and counselors came into vogue nationally in the 60’s, after a period of democrat rule notable for their most outstanding “accomplishment”: a huge escalation of criminals rights over those of victims. Note the escalation of crime since then. It seems you are also on the anti-cop bandwagon. I support them being able to defend themselves. Mistakes can be made in a split second, the same amount of time it might take for a criminal to kill a cop. I’m sure you can name victims of cops, do you realize what a small percentage of interactions between cops and the public they constitute? Unfortunately, the justified shootings like the Ferguson case are unfairly included in many of our perceptions. First and foremost: don’t commit crime. That improves your odds drastically. Next, comply with orders given by the police. If you were raised to treat the police as hostile someone failed you. Guilty or innocent, comply! The police are just trying to do their job, don’t complicate it. I’ve seen many an arrest where a person taunts and struggles with the police even up to resisting being put in the car. Try walking a mile in their shoes. They are trying to keep the public safe and they have a right to be safe themselves. fluffnik
“Guilty or innocent, comply!”
Land of the free?
Most places are successfully policed by consent, and without shooting their citizens or suffering much crime. Gary Honeycutt
Yes, if an officer wants to see identification he has a reason. If he wants you to keep your hands in plain sight he has a reason. He is possibly ruling you out as a person of interest that was seen in the area. Imagine how much more efficiently that would go if each person would refrain from shouting about their rights for 40 minutes before complying. If you are the person in question the transaction could be handled in a couple of minutes and you’ll be gone without any violence or hard feelings. If you pay taxes you will have helped us get our moneys worth. Of course, if you’ve seen the news and the reality shows You may have the impression that a lot of these guys that are giving a cop a load of crap probably live off of what you are paying to the government. Mike
Wasn’t raised hostile to cops, family members are cops as a matter of fact. This is America. If I’m not committing a crime, or suspected of it, don’t ask me for papers. Don’t detain me. Don’t run DUI checkpoints. Those are infringements on all of our freedom, which I assume we love. Safety is what the left uses to excuse their behavior. Safety is a fallacy. dufas_duck
I have had 5 police officers in my extended family. It got to the point that none of them were welcome into the rest of the family’s homes. They were eventually never invited to family get to gathers. They were rude, overbearing, malicious individuals, constantly bragging how they screwed some person and taught them how the world really should be. Their treatment of family members were more along the line of petty dictators where no matter the subject, some familly member was wrong. Petty things like they didn’t like the car they bought, or their haircut, or the job they worked at…. They were not satisfied with anything or anybody…
They brought their street attitude home with them. They couldn’t keep wives or husbands or significant others for very long. They were arrogant, mean, and only thaought of themselves..anybody else was in their way….
I have seen gang members that have more ethics than these police and their freinds….. Gary Honeycutt
My great-grandfather, his son-in-law (my grandfather)and his son, my uncle were all cops, the oldest and youngest for their whole careers. All deeply religious, highly moral men. dufas_duck
That is great, if they were straight arrow, we need more like them. My cop relatives and their friends would fit right in in the Crips, the Bloods, or just about any outlaw motorcycle club. No one but other cops were ‘proud’ of them. My family sure wasn’t proud of them… Gary Honeycutt
Maybe they became hardened by what they faced daily? East side of Detroit? South side of Chicago? People are products of their environment. Maybe the cops in Branson, Mo. and such places are nice guys. What is the ratio of cops to citizens? Let’s say you’ve got a playground with 60 10 year olds. You get a dozen 10 year olds to keep order among them. If the 60 are from Sierra Leone and the dozen are American boy scouts there’d be 12 dead Americans in short order. Any dead among the 60 would’ve been killed by their own. So what do we expect of cops who grew up without a rap sheet, graduated from school and passed the academy. You think 10 years of patrolling the gnetto might change them? They surely know the realities of the job better than we do. How do the ones who aren’t in Mayberry do a 20 or 30 year career in an inner city where shooting a cop makes you a hero and not resisting arrest makes you a pussy? dufas_duck
I do know that where I grew up, the police at least tried to keep the officers from getting street hardened. They rotated officers to different districts every month. But then, they found thst the police were trading assignments. Some cops didn’t want to rotate out. They wanted to stay where they were… No explaination was given by any officer,[at least publically, no answer was given..]
Many thought the cops were up to no good and wanted to stay in their own area to protct their interst… dufas_duck
You just gave the cops an excuse to act like gang members…. Gary Honeycutt
I don’t think so, but you don’t throw choirboys in blue to the wolves in the ghetto any more than you send a S.E.A.L. team to lifeguard the kiddie pool. dufas_duck
“……. send a S.E.A.L. team to lifeguard the kiddie pool.”
You haven’t checked out what school cops have been doing as of late then…? A 5 year old in handcuffs or throwing an 8 year old to the ground doesn’t work out to be the way to increase trust among the populace…… Anthony Fredericks
I will end this stupidity of your right now GARY. I work with Police EVERY single day as a EMT. EVERY DAY! I am a qualified expert on how Police act on scene…Most of them are VERY arrogant, Rude and aggressive towards people. SHUT UP!! or BE QUIET!! is the first thing you normally hear from a cop, You ALWAYS see them put someone on the ground. Even if that person is the one who called them for help. If they don’t like you..BOOM! face down, knee on your neck, cuffs on. Approximately 25% are not like this. But the other 75% are. THIS IS REALITY GARY! And I have worked in SEVERAL cities in different areas…And it is all the same. Police are overbearing and have a chip on their shoulder against the general public…And a lot of them take it out physically on them. Gary Honeycutt
My sympathies for the flaw in your family’s DNA. dufas_duck
Luckily, the flaw was only in the extended family tree…inlaws, marriages, etc…… ;-> Gary Honeycutt
Most people who oppose DUI checkpoints have a reason. I’ve always seen a problem with bars having parking lots when it is illegal for good reason to drink and drive. I don’t mind providing my ID when a cop asks for it. When it’s done without giving him any lip it is over quickly without incident. He’s just trying to do the job we are paying for. If you want to launch into a 40 minute tirade about your rights you’ll be there 40 minutes longer, make it a bad night at work for the cop and wind you all up, maybe you like that. Some people love drama. Mike
The reason is, it’s an infringement on your rights, and unnecessarily exposes you AND the Officers to a potentially dangerous confrontation. There is no way you believe that *unwanted* contact that is forced upon Officers and the public increases their safety. I wouldn’t blame the Officers for the policies they have to enforce, however the higher ups never pay when things go wrong after the fact. The problem with being law abiding is that by doing nothing wrong, you don’t see the infringement of your rights, and tolerate them. Just because you aren’t guilty of anything, doesn’t mean your rights aren’t being taken from you. What if “for safety” we decided that all firearms need removed from private citizens? What if we decided that TSA should run mandatory random checkpoints all over the US, creating 2 hour delays? What if we decided that anyone that supports Trump may be a violent extremist and should be stopped for questioning? Do you see where this goes?
I don’t like the immigration ones inside the states of the Southwest, I don’t like the “agricultural” ones into California, and I don’t like the DUI checkpoints in the South. I’m a legal resident, don’t transport crops, and don’t drink, yet I oppose all of them. The idea behind them is well-meaning, the execution is unlawful IMO. Obviously the courts don’t think so, or they’d not exist. Gary Honeycutt
It is the officers job to initiate that confrontation despite the risk to himself. He does it to lessen the chance that a drunk will run over you daughter at a crosswalk. He stops people who fit the description of a wanted person in hopes of catching a criminal before he claims another victim, perhaps raping your daughter. What would you do in his place? Mike
You are confusing the issues here. Zero issue stopping and talking with someone who is suspected or witnessed committing a crime.
DUI checkpoints are 100% stop and question, with zero probable cause. Have you been in states where they run these? The road is barricaded, even turning around prior to the checkpoint leads to confrontation with the police as you are ASSUMED to be committing a crime for not wanting to be questioned. You are within your rights to be polite and refuse the checkpoint, but the fact that they exist trouble me. As do any checkpoints, as they are not based on probable cause. Gary Honeycutt
And you’ve seen these checkpoints at 1pm by a suburban Baptist church? No! The probable cause lies In them being near “the strip” at 1am where there is a history of alcohol-related incidents. Mike
I lived in the South, these things were not targeting a specific demographic as far as I could tell, and while not at 1PM that I can recall, they weren’t that late, and they sure could have been in front of a baptist church. I could have been naive about who was being targeted (I wasn’t just waived through once they saw my skin color), but my point is that the location doesn’t matter, nor does the target demographic, if there is one. They are unjust, and just like every other forced interaction with law enforcement, does not serve to increase the safety of LEO’s.
If police pull me over because a car that looks like mine just robbed a quickie mart, or a guy like me was just reported for beating his wife or ran off with a kid, I do not have a problem with that. They have probable cause, and the risk to their safety and mine is worth it, because they may be stopping a criminal. Stop me, detain me for a reasonable time until they can prove I am or am not who they are looking for, then let me be on my way.
However, I’ve been stopped in a rural area for making a right turn on red (perfectly legal in my state) and the officer was a complete ass. Enough that had I a short fuse, it could have quickly escalated. After that encounter, and talking with the state about why the previously posted “no turn on red sign” had been removed from that intersection for a couple of months, the fact that this officers supervisor backed him up for an unlawful stop, and threatening that they could have written me up and I would have to prove in court I didn’t break the law, just proved to me that SOME police are uninterested in doing what is right depending on the circumstances. That officer had no reason to stop me (although I suspect since it was near his house, and he is a rural county officer, he couldn’t control his road rage) and by doing so, he put himself at risk, as well as me. There are a million “what ifs” in that situation, not the least of which was the fact that even though he pulled me over in the dark, along a fairly rural road, by himself, he didn’t call in the stop, which is procedure for that department. I could have ended up shot, or he could have, and dispatch would have never known.
Increasing negative interaction with the public, is never in a LEO’s best interest for safety and reputation of the police as a whole. dufas_duck
I guess that’s why the police looking for a skinny Black man that is wearing a white sweatshirt and is 6 foot that just commited a robbery would shoot a short 5foot 5 kid wearing a dark gray sweat shirt in the back as he was walking down the sidewalk at a fast pace. Turned out that the man they shot was pizza delivery in a hurry to deliver the next order before it cooled off.
Police shooting two small white females in a light blue pickup truck while the cops were looking a huge black man in a dark gray pickup truck is perfectly A-OK.
In the town that I live in, police shot and killed a 15 year old kid while he slept… Maybe we should all congraduate the officer because he only used three bullets, he could have emptied his clip…
Maybe the cops that you love are making things more efficient by killing anyone and everyone to save the taxpayers that you are so worried about any money. A couple of bullets is cheaper than some cop’s time to find out what really is going on..
Of course, some of those evil people’s relitives will probably sue, but so what, the tax payers will take care of that..
How do you feel about cops who demand sex from some random female and when she refuses, gets arrested for your ‘non-compliance’…
You would love my uncle. He was a cop and really got off when he could beat or kill someone. After about fifteen years of bullying, beating, killing, and making false charges against people, the force finally fired him…meanwhile, he ruined hundreds of lives and they were not you welfare people that he abused, it was anybody he could screw with…
But, in your mind, police can do no wrong..maybe you are right, police are always telling us that they never do anything wrong, especialy when they investigate themselves or have a friendly agency do the investigation….. Gary Honeycutt
I don’t deny that there are a small percentage of cops that shouldn’t be or wrong split-second decisions sometimes. Think about how many police officers there have been over the span of time you draw your examples from. Think about the number of times per day that an LEO comes in contact with a citizen. That taken into account, bad contacts are extremely rare. The sensationalism of all these female teachers having sex with students is stuck in everyones mind but they don’t consider the huge number of teachers and students and note how statistically rare these incidents are. The incidents don’t sour me on the entire education system. We need law enforcement. You are good at pointing out the flaws but do you have a solution? Will any form of policing be perfect? What is? dufas_duck
How about having honest police and policing. While percentage wise, there is a small number of truley bad cops….. But, [there is always a but]… A large percentage of your ‘good’ cops will keep silent, lie, or even cover for the bad cops. That extends up through the ranks to the top of the police forces. Those honest cops that do come forward are setting themselves up to fail and eventually destroy their careers..cops don’t like whistleblowers.
The example you used, teachers having sex with students is perfect. Once it is found that a teacher has crossed the line, even a suspicion that the teacher has done something will bring immeadiate consequenses. Not so within the police. A bad policeman can get away with things multiple times, sometimes going on for years. The upper eschalon figures out ways to cover for the errant cop at almost every turn. Even if convicted, the court system will come in later on appeal and remove parts or all of any punishment.
For years, the public was kept in the dark about ‘the bad cop’. Very few were brought to justice. Only the very extreme cases of crooked cops were adjudicated. It is just lately, after public attention, that the police are starting to somewhat clean house.
There are child molesting police officers that are still working as officers. Many are just put on probation, others are allowed to retun to police work after their incarceration.
It would also be a boon to the public if we had a justice system instead of a legal system. A legal system can be whatever it’s practicinors want it to be. A justice system looks for truth no matter where it points to. Quilified and absolute immunity for police, DAs, judges does not lend itself to anything close to ‘justice’…..
Police are a necessary evil…the are some evil people in the world, it is just too bad that many of them are police officers. Gary Honeycutt
Keep silent, lie, or even cover? Turn off the TV and go out i to the world. Some will agree with you but if you’d said the same thing about black people there’d be trouble. Don’t you think just about any group might share the same likelihood of bending the rules? They also don’t like criminals in uniform and are just as likely to line up against a bad apple. Do cops get away with small indiscretions and occassionally a major crime? Probably, but more so than the general population? Interesting take on the teacher thing. I remember a fellow who got a job as a girls basketball coach at a very small rural school. He was no prize in his youth and I guess when an equally awkward underage player on his team developped a crush on him he couldn’t resist. She got pregnant. And to add to a volatile situation, her uncle was the superintendent of schools! Flash ahead maybe 10 years give or take and I’m a teacher and football coach in that same system at a slightly larger rural school. I work with a married couple, both tenured teachers, probably on full retirement now after full careers without ever being fired, downsized, transferred, or any of the other things that may befall teachers during their careers. The hubby is the boys basketball coach and unofficially the assistant principle. Guess who? Yep! dufas_duck
I’ve been out in the world for over 75 years. Been beat by cops and then have them later discover I wasn’t the perp they were looking for. I was only lucky in that the cops didn’t make up charges to cover their tails., they just lied about what went down and covered for each other. In this instance, everything happened because I was driving the same make, model, color, and year of vehicle that was used in a felony crime. On the way to jail, a radio message came in telling the cops to stand down, the perp had been caught and identified. The cops just turned around and dumped me back at my vehicle….
I think if you would re-read what I posted, It was the cops that I refered to as being giged for turning in another cop, not the teachers. In todays world, a teacher will be messed with just on a rumer. If you as a coach had rumers that you were messing with the kids, I don’t think you would have lasted in that position…unless you are stating you were messing with the kids and no on ratted on you??? Gary Honeycutt
No, I wasn’t referring to myself. I was an outsider where the good ol’ boy superintendent had a slew of relatives and even more buddies on the payroll. I think the guy in my story should’ve done time and never been allowed to work with kids again. dufas_duck
Addendum:
I get the feelig[?] that you are the type that if a policeman makes a mistake, the officer should get a pass because everybody makes mistakes. Police are supposed to be trained on how to back off those split second decisions. Even in the military, soldier makes a mistake and if it is not covered up, the soldier faces the consequenses… But, there are many that think that the killing some kid by a policeman is A-OK. Like the two policemen that were canvassing a nieghborhood, knocking on doors and a 13 year old kid opens the door while holding a PS3 game controller. Cop shouts gun and 13 shots later…an innocent kid is dead and bleeding out in his own home while the Playstation is running in the background and the cops get another pass…. That’s the kind of policing that you want??
Yet, a mechanic makes a mistake while repairing or sevicing your vehicle and it leads to a death of an innocent person…the mechanic can be held liable… Both were mistakes…why should a mechanic be held responsible and the cop not be?? Anthony Fredericks
There’s NO EXCUSE for killing a person Gary!!! We have laws against that! No “i’m Sorry” brings back people after being killed by over reacting cops. NO! GARY! accidents like that are NOT! EXCUSABLE!!! I don’t care what job you have. Soldiers in warzones who kill innocent people are brought up on charges of murder. Why would it be o.k. for a stupid beat cop to be able to do it??? Gary Honeycutt
Self-defense is a valid reason, and the police have as much right to it as anyone and more likelihood to find themselves in that situation due to the nature of their jobs. People like to argue the case of an unarmed attacker. Should only MMA champions be allowed to be cops? An unarmed attacker can kill you. If someone breaks into my house at night I will do whatever it takes to keep him from doing harm to myself or family, I will not wait to see if he’s armed or ask his intentions. I won’t refrain from using a weapon because I don’t see him with one. It is not a high school wrestling match. We won’t get up and shake hands after it is decided by score. If this same criminal finds me awake and decides to leave at once I will call a cop. It is his job to confront this person and resistance by the suspect places him in the same situation I was in when someone invaded my home. fluffnik
I live in Scotland where the police do not routinely carry guns, mostly no-one dies. Anthony Fredericks
You mean like the guy who got shot in his car for trying to give his I.D. to the cop? Or maybe you are talking about the social worker that was trying to bring back his Autistic patient and the com while he was on his back with his hands straight in the air? How about those huh GARY!?!?!? I could go on and on but a close minded sheep like you would never see the forest through the trees…. Anthony Fredericks
SO Gary if I seen you walking towards me on the street, Got scared because you LOOKED dangerous and I “accidentally” defended myself by blowing your head off, Then all I have to say is “oh, sorry my bad” and because accidents happen everything is o.k. right? Take your head out of the sand…Police kill people when they think their AUTHORITY is being challenged not their lives. They are protecting their ego’s. Mike
While I won’t disagree completely with your statement, blanket statements are never correct. SOME police may kill from challenges to authority. In most cases it is a kill or be killed split second decision that we, not being in the exact same position, should not second guess. What we SHOULD be second-guessing, are the supervisors, chiefs, and elected officials who hire bad cops, improperly train their officers, and put officers in harms way where they should not be. The higher-ups NEVER pay the price for those under them, whose actions they are responsible for. That is a very real problem. If we want change, we need to hold our elected officials responsible for the behavior of the officers that indirectly work for them.
Programs such as stop and frisk, checkpoints, etc., all require a confrontation with individuals that do not need to occur. That puts officers and the public’s lives at risk, neither is acceptable. The easy solution is to stop making the confrontations occur. But you do something stupid (Michael Brown) you deserve what you get.
I wish organizations like black lives matter would pick individuals to use as martyrs who were actually victims. There are a lot of people who would agree with some of the basic ideas espoused. But when you choose the perpetrators of crime who just happened to get theirs as your martyrs, you expose your cause as being about something other than justice. Gary Honeycutt
You can put that example back where you pulled it from…if your head isn’t in the way. BJ
That’s actually standard in every part of the world except USA. It’s normal for police to protect and serve – it is not normal for police to shoot first, ask later… Jack McCauley
Will someone hurry and inform the USA… jeeeez, it’s embarassing.. TroothFairy | 1 |
530 | One Year of Water in Orange County in Just Four Days - Breitbart | Adelle Nazarian | Orange County received a more rain than it receives in one year over the course of four days of torrential downpours this week, leaving reservoirs full again. [According to the Orange County Register, Irvine Lake rose 6 feet in one week and Barbara’s Lake was full again after being dry for the past year. Further, the Register reported that a review of reservoirs on the east side of the Santa Ana Mountain range on Thursday found Lake Skinner 85 percent full Diamond Valley Lake 72 percent full and Lake Mathews 90 percent full. Just six months ago, those same lakes were reportedly dry. Nearly one year ago, Irvine Lake was forced to close its waters to recreational fishing after being a fishing hot spot for over 70 years. It is likely fishing activities will resume there in the near future. While the federal government’s U. S. Drought Monitor reported that approximately 35 percent of the state has exited the drought, it noted that “groundwater aquifers in many parts of the state remain severely overdrafted and will take far longer to recover. ” Two weeks ago, roughly 350 billion gallons of water came pouring into the region’s biggest reservoirs, boosting storage to levels not seen in years. Following that downpour, the U. S. Drought Monitor announced that 42 percent of California had been lifted out of the drought. That figure has likely increased as a result of the succeeding rains. While Northern California was almost completely Southern California still has a a way to go. Jerry Vilander, general manager for the Serrano Water District, which oversees the Santiago Creek Reservoir (i. e. Irvine Lake) told the Register that while four days of rain was equivalent to paying for three to four months of water, “For the drought to be truly over we need a few more years’ supply in our pocket. ” Residents are still urged to use water frugally and judiciously. Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope @AdelleNaz | 0 |
531 | Doctors With Enemies: Did Afghan Forces Target the M.S.F. Hospital? - The New York Times | Matthieu Aikins | For the last hour, the American gunship had been circling high above the city, carefully observing its target with vision sensors and waiting for clearance to strike. It was 2 in the morning on Oct. 3, 2015, and Kunduz City was enveloped in total darkness. The city’s power had gone out five days before — soon after the Taliban took over the provincial capital, in a humiliating blow to the American and Afghan governments — and it stayed off through the bitter fighting that followed, as commandos from both nations counterattacked. The aircraft’s target, a distinctively shaped building set on an expansive lawn, was lit by generators, a beacon in the out city. As they prepared to fire, the gunship’s crew members radioed to the ground force commander, a United States Army Special Forces major, for more information. “Looking for confirmation on which building to strike — Confirm it is the large, shaped building . .. in the center of the compound. Affirm. ” An circles its target like a ball swung from a string, raining down gunfire along the radius. At 2:08 a. m. the gunship began its assault, starting on the eastern end of the shaped building and working methodically west. For half an hour, the fired its millimeter howitzer, the largest airborne gun in existence, and its millimeter Bofors cannon, which shoots exploding incendiary rounds and is ideal for hunting people who flee targeted buildings by foot, often referred to by pilots as “squirters. ” There were about 50 squirters at the site, the crew noted, a surprisingly high number. Through the infrared scope, the building glowed as it burned, while ghostly shapes that flitted from inside were gunned down. “We started a fire, good effects. ” At roughly the same time, 150 miles south in Kabul, Guilhem Molinie, the head of the Afghan mission for Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials, M. S. F. was woken by a phone call: His hospital in Kunduz was burning. A few minutes later, he received a chilling update: It was being bombed from the air. That could mean only an American or Afghan attack. He began frantically calling the United States military, the United Nations, anyone who might be able to make it stop. At 2:19 a. m. he spoke to an officer at the Army Special Forces headquarters at Bagram Air Base, who said he would investigate. The airstrike would continue for an additional 18 minutes. The officer later texted Molinie: “I’ll do my best, praying for you all. ” By the time the sun rose, the hospital’s main building was a smoldering ruin. It had been leveled with devastating precision the other buildings on the compound, some no more than a few dozen feet away, were left unharmed. According to M. S. F. at least 42 people were killed in the attack and dozens injured. It was among the most shocking massacres in the led war in Afghanistan, and certainly the most baffling. Why would an American warplane destroy a working hospital full of doctors and patients? On April 29, seven months after the bombing, the United States military released a heavily redacted version of its investigation into the airstrike. The report asserts that it was an accident, a result of equipment failures and bad decisions on the part of the gunship crew and the Special Forces. “The investigation concluded that the personnel involved did not know they were striking a medical facility,” Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of the military’s Central Command, said at a news conference. “They were absolutely trying to do the right thing. ” Even taken at face value, the report reveals more than a simple error. The circumstances that led to the destruction of the hospital are a direct result of how the Special Forces were made to bear the weight of the United States’ contradictory strategy in Afghanistan, which seeks to both end its involvement in the war and prop up the struggling Afghan government. Restricted to a supposedly noncombat role as advisers, the Special Forces in Kunduz ended up calling in the airstrike, which was in support of Afghan troops against a target a away, as which meant that it bypassed many safeguards intended to prevent civilian casualties. Moreover, there is evidence — both buried in the report and from interviews conducted on the front lines in Kunduz — that suggests that Afghan troops may have deliberately provided the hospital as a target. Though the Special Forces later said they were unaware that it was the hospital, the redacted investigation documents show that they passed a description that matched the M. S. F. compound to the as a target — a fact that the military elides in its summary of the bombing. This description originated from their Afghan partners. In my conversations with them in November in the aftermath of the bombing, some of the Afghan forces in Kunduz, citing false intelligence that the hospital had been taken over by insurgents, said that it had been justifiably targeted. Both the American military and the Afghan government declined to comment on whether Afghan forces had intended to target the hospital. But a question hangs over the Kunduz bombing, even as the military has moved to declare the matter settled: Did Afghan forces, out of longstanding mistrust of M. S. F. draw the United States into a terrible tragedy? When Maj. Michael Hutchinson, known to his friends as Hutch, redeployed last year to Afghanistan, he was sure — as he later told military investigators — that getting outside the wire to engage in combat was mostly a thing of the past. The Americans were there to train, advise and assist the Afghans. It was their war now. The American combat mission in Afghanistan had ended in 2014, as announced by President Obama in a Rose Garden speech that year. The remaining American forces were supposed to be restricted to two narrow roles: A noncombat NATO training mission, called Resolute Support, was there to advise Afghan forces, while the American counterterrorism force under Freedom’s Sentinel was charged with targeting Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. “The U. S. military will not be engaged in specific operations targeting members of the Taliban just because they’re members of the Taliban,” Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, told reporters in 2014. But as the Afghan government has begun to lose ground against the Taliban, United States forces have found themselves pulled back into combat. Since the new missions began in 2015, at least 87 American military personnel have been killed or wounded in action. Much of that fighting has fallen to Special Operations units like Hutchinson’s company, which was assigned responsibility for northern Afghanistan under a task force led by the First Battalion, Third Special Forces Group. (Hutchinson’s name is redacted in the military’s report, but he is referred to throughout as “the G. F. C. ,” for ground force commander. His identity was confirmed by Joe Kasper, Representative Duncan Hunter’s chief of staff, who has been in contact with Special Forces who were in Kunduz. The military declined to comment on Hutchinson’s role or make him available for an interview.) From the start, Hutchinson had been wary of Kunduz and its messy politics. “Ironically, I probably jinxed myself on this,” he later told military investigators. “I said I did not believe that we should get involved in Kunduz any further than [training and advising] unless the provincial capital falls, because structurally it is such a political and ethnic problem. It’s not something that we can effectively weigh in on. ” Kunduz, a fertile wedge of rice and wheat fields tucked between the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains and the Amu Darya river basin, is one of the provinces where the Taliban have made their biggest inroads in recent years. Yet in the months leading up to the fall of the city, neither the Americans nor the Afghans seemed particularly worried about its stability. On Aug. 13, Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, the United States military’s spokesman in Afghanistan, was asked about the situation there during a news conference. “I think there’s been a lot of generalization when it comes to reports on the north,” he said. “Kunduz is — is not now and has not been in danger of being overrun by the Taliban. ” Roughly six weeks later, around 3 in the morning on Sept. 28, Taliban fighters attacked the city’s outskirts on three fronts. “The mujahedeen were united under one command,” said a Taliban commander who took part in the offensive and goes by the name Shahid. He spoke by phone from outside the city in the weeks after the attack. “We broke our enemy. ” Though Kunduz City was home to thousands of Afghan army, police and intelligence personnel, its defenses quickly collapsed, the officers fleeing in disarray to the airport on a plateau overlooking the city. Within hours of their initial assault, the Taliban were freely roaming the streets, looting the abandoned bases of weapons, secret documents, Ford pickup trucks, Humvees and even two old made tanks. Thousands of residents jammed the highways as they fled to neighboring cities meanwhile, hordes of Taliban fighters, some from surrounding provinces, streamed into the city, attracted by the prospect of a major victory. It was the first time since 2001 that the Taliban had captured a provincial capital. As panic spread across northern Afghanistan, the Special Forces were tapped to help save Afghanistan’s largest city. There was already one group called an Operational Detachment Alpha — an “A team” of 12 Green Berets, plus some support troops, including joint terminal attack controllers, who direct airstrikes — based at the Kunduz airport. An additional Operational Detachment Alpha, plus four operators from a third one, were sent up from Bagram, the main American military base north of Kabul. They arrived around 6 in the morning on Sept. 29, a little more than 12 hours after the city fell. Hutchinson was put in command of the entire force. Afghan reinforcements were also flown in, including a contingent of police special forces and about 200 soldiers from the Afghan Army’s most elite unit, the Special Operations Force, which was also known by its Pashto initials, K. K. A. and was formerly attached to the United States military’s secretive Joint Special Operations Command. These coalition troops confronted a scene of total chaos: thousands of security forces and civilian officials clamoring for space on the few evacuation flights available, some casting aside their uniforms and weapons on the road. When the Taliban attacked the airport plateau that evening, the defenders began fleeing the perimeter, but the Special Forces called in airstrikes, which hammered the insurgent forces, breaking their offensive and leaving dozens of dead fighters scattered through the arid hills. “If the Americans hadn’t intervened,” said Col. Abdullah Gard, then the head of the Kunduz police’s reaction force, “the airport would have fallen. ” Earlier that same day, a Toyota Corolla pulled up to the main entrance of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz. “There was a big fat guy driving,” said an M. S. F. employee who was on duty at the time. “Someone told me he’s the big boss of the Taliban. ” It was Janat Gul, one of the most powerful Taliban leaders in northern Afghanistan. With him was Abdul Salam, the “shadow governor” responsible for Kunduz. Salam and Gul got out and went inside, the employee recalled — unarmed as per the hospital’s strict weapons policy — to meet with expatriate staff members. (Doctors Without Borders confirmed Salam’s visit that day but said he didn’t enter the hospital.) According to Molinie, who was monitoring events from Kabul, the Taliban leadership pledged full cooperation and protection and asked that the hospital stay operational during whatever fighting was to come. “The message was that we could continue our activities, that we would be safe and protected and that the patients of the hospital would be safe and protected,” said Molinie, “as well as the patients from government forces. ” The hospital staff activated the casualty plan and readied for the flood of patients that would soon arrive. For M. S. F. dealing with the Taliban was a routine part of the neutral role it seeks to maintain in Afghanistan. One of the world’s largest medical charities, M. S. F. sees itself as an impartial humanitarian organization in the mold of the International Committee of the Red Cross, one that could cross front lines to provide treatment to anyone who needed it, including wounded combatants. That role has been getting harder to play. M. S. F. has been active in Afghanistan since 1980 and had worked with both the mujahedeen and Taliban governments. But after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, its ethos of political neutrality contrasted sharply with that of the Global War on Terror, where you were either with the United States and its allies or with the terrorists. Afghan forces have been especially resentful of the fact that as patients, insurgents in M. S. F. facilities are entitled to the protection of international law. In 2004, five M. S. F. staff members were shot in an unsolved murder. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, accusing the organization of serving American interests. But according to M. S. F. Afghan officials presented them with credible evidence that local forces were actually responsible. No action was taken against them by the government, and the organization pulled out of the country. When M. S. F. returned to Afghanistan in 2009, it followed the example of the Red Cross and negotiated its access in the field with the Taliban leadership. Eager for the help of humanitarian groups in responding to the worsening conflict, the United States and Afghan governments acquiesced. “The initial deal with the Afghan government, with NATO and the U. S.,” Molinie said, “was that we would reopen a mission on the condition that all parties would accept that we talk to everybody. ” But balancing the demands of belligerents in a ruthless war was fraught with risk. In its zeal to help Afghans trapped behind the Taliban’s lines, M. S. F. risked souring its relationship with the Afghan government. One of its more ambitious plans called for opening a hospital in the held northern part of Helmand Province, along with an airstrip to fly in international staff members and medical supplies behind insurgent lines. “Personally, I thought the idea was completely insane,” said a Western official who was briefed on the proposal last year. “The Afghan government would have reacted strongly against M. S. F. ” In 2011, M. S. F. opened the hospital in Kunduz, a location it chose because it believed, presciently, that the province’s bloody past presaged a violent future. But some members of the Afghan government and security forces there had little respect for M. S. F. ’s neutrality and resented its treatment of wounded Taliban. When I visited Kunduz in November, their anger was still surprisingly raw, despite the recent destruction of the hospital. “They give them medicine they transport and treat their injured,” Gard, the commander of the reaction force, told me. “Their existence is a big problem for us. ” And though the hospital treated many more wounded for the government, there were rumors that M. S. F. had carried out unnecessary amputations on them, according to Fawzia Yaftali, a member of the provincial council. “The general perception was that M. S. F. supported the Taliban,” she said. On July 1, an episode occurred that should have been, in retrospect, a warning sign for all involved. A team of Afghan police commandos from elite units mentored by United States and NATO special forces — the 222 and 333 Battalions, which were later part of the Afghan forces sent to Kunduz with the Green Berets — had arrived in Kunduz Province to track a value target, a militant commander named Abu Huzaifa. After targeting Huzaifa in an airstrike, the commandos believed that he had been wounded and taken to the M. S. F. hospital in Kunduz City. They drove there and forced their way inside, where they physically assaulted the staff members and fired their weapons into the air, according to M. S. F. Huzaifa was nowhere to be found. “It was a kind of wild intrusion,” Molinie said. After M. S. F. phoned the governor and the police chief, the commandos were called off. Furious that the sanctity of the hospital had been violated, M. S. F. closed it to new admissions for five days, until officials received guarantees from Kabul that it would be respected. Huzaifa would be killed seven weeks later — by an American drone, according to a senior Afghan special forces commander — but bitterness about the hospital raid lingered among the Kunduz security forces. “They hid him,” Gard told me, without offering any evidence. His men had accompanied the police commandos to the hospital. “The people who work there are traitors, all of them. ” On Wednesday, Sept. 30, the day after the Taliban’s assault on the airport was beaten back, Hutchinson started planning an operation to retake the city. The political pressure to do so was made apparent when, before his departure, Hutchinson, along with an Afghan general, spoke by videoconference with Gen. John Campbell, then the commander of American forces in Afghanistan. Campbell, who was in Kabul, was not happy with the Afghans. “General Campbell was understandably upset,” Hutchinson told investigators. “Not only was it a shock and travesty that they had” — what follows is redacted in the military’s report but seems to refer to how Afghan forces abandoned Kunduz City without a fight. The fall of Kunduz had called into question the viability of Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan, and storm clouds were gathering in Washington, where Campbell had previously been scheduled to testify before Congress. “He was very much in a hurry to get back to D. C.,” Hutchinson says in the report. “He had a lot on his plate. ” (Campbell, who is now retired, declined to comment for this article.) After the video conference, Hutchinson briefed his men on what the general told him. This was a strategically vital mission, and the whole world was watching. “It had to happen as soon as possible. Failure was not an option on this operation. ” The operation fit awkwardly under Resolute Support, the noncombat training mission, and Freedom’s Sentinel, which was supposed to engage only ISIS and Al Qaeda, not the Taliban. Indeed, while Hutchinson had submitted his operation plan to his headquarters at Bagram under Resolute Support, it came back approved under Freedom’s Sentinel. Later, Hutchinson told investigators that he thought he was operating under Resolute Support’s rules of engagement. The distinction between the two — which were both led by Campbell — would become almost meaningless in Kunduz. The same unit could be carrying out a training mission one minute and a counterterrorism one the next. According to the military, in the first four days of fighting in Kunduz, 13 airstrikes were conducted under Resolute Support and nine under Freedom’s Sentinel. Before conducting strikes, aircrews would sometimes radio to ask under which mission they were about to shoot. The plan Hutchinson submitted, called Kunduz Clearing Patrol, was a risky mission to strike deep into the city, where his men and the Afghan commandos would take over the police and governor’s compound and set up a forward stronghold. Hutchinson later admitted that he had underestimated the number of Taliban in the city as “a small group of dedicated individuals. ” The Green Berets planned to stay for only 24 hours, long enough for the local Afghan forces at the airport to rally and return to the city. “I really thought that the Afghans would see that it wasn’t that big of a deal and they would all come back in,” he said in the report. “We all agreed it had to happen fast, and the only people who were willing to go in, unfortunately, were people who did not know the city of Kunduz. ” That same Wednesday night, around 10:30, according to the report, the Green Berets, accompanied by the Afghan police and army commandos, as well as Gard’s reaction force, rolled out of the airfield in a convoy of armored vehicles and fought their way into the city. First they cleared Gard’s compound, which the insurgents had captured the day before. They were hit by repeated Taliban ambushes and called in airstrikes from a circling gunship, killing dozens of insurgents. While entering the police compound, they set off a tripwire bomb, but no one was hurt. The Afghan and American commandos posted guards on the walls and set up a base inside. A Humvee with a single scale map of Kunduz spread over its hood served as the Special Forces’ command post. The city around them was still swarming with insurgents. When the sun rose, the attacks began. Hoping to overrun the police compound’s defenders, the Taliban launched relentless assaults from the surrounding buildings, sometimes getting close enough for the Green Berets to use grenades. As the insurgents rained rockets and gun fire on the compound’s barriers, the Special Forces called in six “danger close” gun runs from the strikes near enough to risk friendly fire. Still, the insurgents kept coming. “I was in a lot of effective firefights,” one of the Green Berets later wrote, “but this was on a completely different level than even any of the experienced special operators on any of the detachments had seen — particularly over such a sustained period of time. How no one was killed, or even wounded, is an absolute miracle. ” An Afghan force of 500 was supposed to show up the next day from the airport to relieve them it never did. When a few Afghan police and army personnel did arrive, they said they would abandon their positions if the Americans left. It soon became apparent to Hutchinson and his men that their mission was going to last longer. By sending the Special Forces to hold an isolated position deep inside a city held by the Taliban, the American military allowed the Afghan government to claim a badly needed propaganda victory. On Oct. 1, as the Green Berets and the Afghan commandos fought for their lives at the police compound, President Ashraf Ghani held a news conference in Kabul to declare that all of Kunduz City had been retaken. “Thank God we had no fatalities,” he said. (In fact, the battle to recapture the city would rage for two more weeks, and at least 38 Afghan police officers and soldiers would be killed.) The fact that the Special Forces were surrounded by Taliban also meant that the liberal use of American air power in Kunduz could be justified as defense. The military went further by applying what it called Persons With Designated Special Status to the Afghan commandos in Kunduz, a designation that allows American forces to consider temporarily defending certain partnered Afghan troops as part of their own defense — essentially, defense of someone else. Later, investigators would conclude that Hutchinson had improperly used these defense rules in order to launch offensive “ assault fires. ” It was his response, perhaps, to the conundrum he faced by engaging in combat during a supposedly noncombat mission: Was he supposed to wait for the commandos to get pinned down or take casualties before striking the insurgents they had been sent into the city to fight? “I can’t expect them to assault that,” he told investigators, referring to the K. K. A. ’s subsequent attack on the held intelligence headquarters. “They can’t sit out there and die on the road. ” Armed with this authorization and ordered to take back the city of Kunduz, the Special Forces called in air support for the Afghan commandos, who, taking advantage of their superior vision capabilities, would set out from the police compound to raid Taliban positions around the city at night. “Where there was heavy pressure on us,” said Yaftali, the K. K. A. commander, “wherever there was heavy fighting, we told the Americans to strike there. ” In a city where all other institutions had been abandoned by their staff, the M. S. F. hospital was a lifeline for the people of Kunduz. Dr. Esmatullah Esmat had been a surgeon for eight years in Afghanistan, but he had never witnessed anything like this. “When I saw my patients after surgery and they would say, ‘Dr. Esmat, you saved me,’ I felt energy,” he said. “We never felt tired. ” A shouldered, stocky man with a shy smile, Esmat and his fellow surgeons worked in alternating shifts. Over five days, the hospital would receive 376 patients in its emergency room, more than a quarter of them women and children. Esmat had to amputate the leg of a girl. “I have a daughter the same age,” he said. It was a bloody and chaotic scene. In the red room, the most critical cases were prepped — head and torso wounds, or traumatic amputations, typically — and then sent immediately into one of the hospital’s three operating theaters. There, stripped naked under the surgeon’s lamp, Taliban fighters, civilians and government soldiers alike became patients whose lives needed to be saved. Esmat and his colleagues performed 138 operations during those days, almost a third of them emergency laparotomies — the abdomen was cut open and internal organs were piled on the chest, so that the surgical team could go through them, painstaking inch by inch, looking for lacerations to suture. As the wards overflowed, the staff laid down mattresses between the beds and in the hallways and stretched the hospital to fit 130. There were gruesome and strange sights, like the Taliban fighter from a commando unit, in a distinctive pattern robe, weeping uncontrollably while stroking the head of his bagged friend. “It was a bit hopeless,” said Faizullah Alokozai, the hospital’s archivist. “I saw a lot of dead children. ” Though the M. S. F. hospital was crowded with fighters, whether patients or caretakers (each patient was allowed one) staff members and civilians who were present said the insurgents respected the rules. They left their weapons outside or handed them over at the gun lockers at the entrance. One employee recalled seeing a fighter give up his weapon but forget his ammunition vest when the employee nervously approached the fighter about it, the man apologized profusely and handed it over. “We had respect for the hospital, as they were serving the people,” said Shahid, the Taliban commander. “I myself went there once when one of our men was wounded, and before entering we submitted our weapons outside. ” M. S. F. did allow caretakers and patients to keep their cellphones, however, and I was told by several staff members and civilians present that some Taliban caretakers also brought in radios. (Molinie said that while there was no specific rule against radios, he didn’t believe that they were allowed in.) According to M. S. F. some of the Taliban patients were ranking leaders. Taliban vehicles were also allowed inside the hospital grounds to drop off critically injured patients. Unknown to M. S. F. Afghan forces in Kunduz were coming to the false conclusion that the hospital was being used as a Taliban stronghold and headquarters, which would have meant the loss of its protected status. “All their most important leaders were inside the hospital, especially Tajiks, Uzbeks and ranking Pakistanis,” Gard said. He claimed his information came from local informants who had been inside the hospital and witnessed the Taliban operating there. “They had raised their flag and established their headquarters there. ” These unconfirmed reports were lent additional weight by signals intelligence. Yaftali, the K. K. A. commander, told me that his unit’s Wolfhound radio direction finders, which allowed them to determine the range and bearing of enemy radios, picked up Taliban transmissions from inside the hospital. “We located about 10 to 15 radios from there,” he said. “The Taliban were inside and outside the hospital. ” The Afghan forces I spoke to said they relayed these reports to the American military, and it’s clear that, before the strike, some Americans were aware of the concerns that the M. S. F. hospital had been taken over by the Taliban. On Oct. 1, Carter Malkasian, a civilian adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, emailed M. S. F. in New York to ask about the safety of its staff and whether Taliban fighters were “holed up” inside the hospital. Maj. Gen. Mark Quantock, Campbell’s intelli gence deputy, told investigators: “Although we assessed that there were Taliban using the hospital, you cannot shoot up a building under the current authorities. Period. ” Molinie, M. S. F. ’s head of mission in Kabul, said he was then unaware of the American military’s suspicions, which he criticized as baseless. On Sept. 29, he provided Resolute Support with GPS coordinates for four of M. S. F. ’s facilities in Kunduz, including the hospital, as a precaution. And the day before the bombing, he coordinated the delivery of three truckloads of medical supplies to Kunduz with an officer at the Special Forces’ headquarters at Bagram. “He informed me of the number of beds, number of international aid workers in the hospital, and that the Taliban were ‘protecting’ the hospital and were treating the government casualties well,” the officer later wrote. It’s unclear from the report what, if anything, the Special Forces on the ground in Kunduz knew about the M. S. F. hospital. Several staff members at their headquarters at Bagram told investigators that they had passed M. S. F. ’s grid coordinates on two separate occasions to the Green Berets at the police compound. “I know I read the four grids and got a for accuracy,” one person wrote. “I think I used the term ‘Doctors Without Borders,’ not ‘M. S. F. ’’u2009” Hutchinson and other members of his team, however, said they never received the coordinates from Bagram and were unaware of the hospital’s location before the strike, a contention the investigators accepted in their final report. But whether they heard the Afghans’ false reports before or after the strike, some of the Green Berets in Kunduz appeared to believe them. “There were enemy in there,” one later wrote, according to an email excerpt provided by Representative Hunter’s office. “They were using it as a [command and control] node. They had already removed and ransomed the foreign doctors, and they had fired on partnered personnel from there. ” For the civilians who remained in Kunduz during the fighting — the United Nations estimates that 13, 000 families were displaced by the fighting and that 848 civilians were killed or injured — life was a daily struggle to survive. There was no electricity, and the price of basics like bread and cooking oil had shot up, for those who could find them at all. Heading out in search of supplies meant risking your life in the crossfire on the streets. But for people like Ismail Zahir, a haired, spoken who worked in construction, there was no other choice. With his father deaf and disabled, his family relied on their eldest son as their breadwinner. When there were lulls in the fighting, Ismail would head out into the street, dodging sniper fire. “I was afraid,” he said, “but not as afraid as I was for my family. ” Once Afghan and American forces counterattacked and airstrikes began hitting the city, he grew especially worried for his sisters Morsal and Madina. Morsal, 15, was quiet and fastidious like him, while Madina, at 5 the youngest in the family, was impish and cheeked. At night, they screamed in fear when bombs struck nearby. They begged the family to leave Kunduz. Finally, on Oct. 2, the fourth day after the fall of Kunduz, Ismail and a friend set off across the city to find a car to hire, riding tandem on a borrowed bicycle through the deserted streets. Taliban fighters stopped them at a checkpoint but let them pass — civilians were free to flee if they wished. On the outskirts of the city, they found a taxi driver. He wanted the equivalent of $200 to take them to Kabul, five times as much as the normal rate, and they had no choice but to accept. Returning home with the driver, he and his friend packed their families into the Toyota station wagon, 14 people in total, most of them women and children. The driver set off south, toward Kabul. As they came around a corner, they spotted an Afghan Army armored vehicle. Perhaps thinking they were insurgents, it opened fire. As the driver wheeled around, bullets tore through the back of the car. Four of the boys were shot in the arms and legs, but the two girls, Morsal and Madina, were the most grievously wounded. Somehow, the car made it to the M. S. F. hospital. When Esmat arrived in the red room, he found Morsal laid out, pale and beautiful. She was dead from a head wound. Madina’s abdomen was torn open, and her intestines protruded, but she was still conscious and cried out, “Mother, mother. ” As Esmat looked around and saw Amin Bajawri, the room doctor, and the rest of the staff members weeping, he felt his own eyes sting and well. All the suffering he had witnessed over the previous days was overflowing inside of him. “My God, what is the sin of these people?” he cried. Madina’s liver and kidney had been badly lacerated. To survive, she needed an immediate laparotomy. Esmat composed himself and began preparing for the operation. That night, according to the report, the K. K. A. commandos at the police compound planned a raid on the abandoned headquarters of the National Directorate of Security, the Afghan intelligence service, which had been occupied by the Taliban. After dark, the insurgents’ daily assault on the police compound had petered out, and the commandos planned to take three of their wounded comrades back to the airport, resupply and then drive back into the city toward the N. D. S. compound, on a northbound path that would take them past the M. S. F. hospital. The commandos asked Hutchinson to provide them with air support, and he replied that he would take care of them. The had already been on station above Kunduz for three hours when, around 1 in the morning, Hutchinson informed the gunship that the Afghan commandos were planning to raid the N. D. S. headquarters and requested that the gunship perform a “defensive scan” of the area. Hutchinson passed on the correct grid coordinates for the N. D. S. compound, which had been given to him by the Afghans but because the gunship was flying higher than normal to avoid air missiles, its navigation system pointed the sensor — a powerful vision telescope, essentially — at an empty field, located between the N. D. S. headquarters and the M. S. F. hospital. Confused, the sensor operator scanned around and noticed a large facility nearby with people walking around at night. He started observing it to determine if this was the target. In fact, it was the hospital. The gunship hadn’t been given the building’s coordinates before the mission, and although the hospital had a flag with the M. S. F. logo on its roof, it wasn’t marked with a red cross or a crescent. The next step was crucial. Hutchinson, who had been conferring via an interpreter with the K. K. A. ground force and couldn’t see the target himself, then gave the an “updated description of the compound of interest. ” He later told investigators that the Afghans described “a long shaped building with a small offshoot. ” He continued: “I can’t remember the word I would have used for it. It’s a in compound with multiple outbuildings, and there was a gate facing to the north with an arch. ” That description didn’t resemble the N. D. S. headquarters. It matched the hospital. At 2 in the morning, the hospital was quiet. Most of the roughly 300 staff members, patients and caretakers were asleep. In the operating theater, the night shift of surgeons was taking advantage of a quiet day to carry out up operations. Esmat, who spent two hours operating on Madina, had finished his shift at midnight and collapsed, exhausted, on a cot in the outpatient department. He had been worried that she might die on the operating table, but she pulled through. Down the hall, Faizullah Alokozai, the archivist, was sound asleep next to the hospital’s deputy medical director, Dr. Abdul Satar Zaheer. Shortly after 2 in the morning, both men were woken by loud blasts and flashes of light. Realizing they were under attack, the two jumped up and ran east toward the entrance to the basement, into the ceilinged hallway outside the operating theater. They didn’t know it, but they were running toward danger. The gunship had started by hitting the care unit on the east end of the hospital and was working its barrage west. Esmat, who stepped into the hallway behind them, saw the passage suddenly fill with smoke, and he jumped out a window onto the lawn, where he crawled and hid safely in a deep window well for the duration of the attack. As Faizullah and Satar reached the far side of the hallway, a shell punched through the roof and exploded on the floor in front of them. They fell to the ground. Satar’s right arm had been blown off at the shoulder. Faizullah could feel his own hot blood gushing down his back. The power went out, and the darkness was rent with flashes of lights. Faizullah crawled up to Satar and held him. “I lost my right arm, please help me,” his colleague cried. “I know,” Faizullah replied. “I’ll get you out, if we’re alive. I’m not going to leave you. ” As they cowered, reciting the Islamic profession of faith, more shrapnel struck them. Three times, Faizullah tried to stand them up, struggling with the bulky Satar, whose legs seemed to be paralyzed, before another explosion would send them sprawling. The sound of the blasts was the hardest thing to bear. By the time the gunship’s fire moved on to another part of the hospital, the air had filled with acrid smoke, and Faizullah could hear the sound of flames licking the building. He got to his feet and pulled at Satar’s arm. He was limp and silent. He’s dead, Faizullah thought, and I’ll die if I stay here. In the darkness, he heard a voice. “Please forgive me for whatever happened, because I’m going to die. Take care of my children. ” Making his way forward, Faizullah saw that it was the young room doctor, Amin, sitting in a doorway, talking on his cellphone. His right leg was missing at the knee, and blood was spurting and pooling underneath him. “It’s going to catch fire!” Amin shouted, seeing Faizullah. “We have to get out. ” Amin heaved himself onto his remaining leg and hopped through the filled emergency room, and Faizullah followed him out, through the entrance into the covered driveway, where Amin clutched the row of pillars that lined it. “I can’t move,” he gasped, and so Faizullah slung him over his back and staggered out onto the front lawn of the hospital, where they collapsed in the grass. As they looked back at the hospital, another round of shells struck the driveway where they had just been standing, partly collapsing its roof. The hospital was on fire now, its flames leaping up and setting tall pine trees alight. The lawn was lit with its dancing orange flame. From inside, Faizullah could hear the screams of people burning alive. Sixteen service members have been disciplined for their role in the airstrike, but the military has declined to pursue criminal charges. The military has argued that while both the Special Forces and the crew made serious errors, and in doing so violated the Geneva Conventions, they were not guilty of crimes because they had not known they were targeting a hospital. “The label ‘war crimes’ is typically reserved for intentional acts — intentional targeting of civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations,” Gen. Joseph Votel said. Hutchinson was relieved of command and reprimanded, but he was recently assigned as his battalion’s executive officer, according to Representative Hunter’s office. It is true, as the report states, that there was a pileup of mistakes and technical problems, without any one of which the strike might have been averted. An antenna that would have allowed the gunship to send video of its target to the Special Forces, and to receive an email sent by its headquarters with the M. S. F. hospital’s coordinates, stopped working shortly after takeoff. Later, the Special Forces headquarters at Bagram sent a Predator drone to observe the wrong N. D. S. location on the other side of the city, and as a result wasn’t watching the strike when it started. Most important, because the strike was carried out under the special others designation given to the Afghan commandos, it didn’t have to be approved by anyone besides Hutchinson and the aircraft commander. Hutchinson, who was inside the police compound, claimed that he thought he saw the K. K. A. convoy nearby and then heard them come under gun fire. In fact, the report states, the convoy was still five and a half miles away from the target and had not yet been attacked. The investigators concluded that Hutchinson violated the rules of engagement and stated that his “version of events surrounding his decision to authorize the strike is internally inconsistent, implausible and contradicted by other available sources of credible information. ” But Hutchinson was arguably only doing what he was asked to do by his ups: fight with Afghan forces to retake the city of Kunduz as quickly as possible. “If someone must be held accountable, let it not be the man who was ordered to without being given a parachute,” a Green Beret officer in Kunduz — his name is redacted — said, complaining of “moral cowardice” and an “abject failure of leadership. ” As a result of the defense justification, an airstrike against a building — which would normally have gone all the way to General Campbell for approval — could be approved on the spot. These safeguards around airstrikes (which succeeded in reducing civilian casualties from airstrikes, to 204 in 2012 from 353 in 2011, according to United Nations figures) were intended not only to prevent simple errors or collateral damage but also to avoid acting on bad intelligence provided by Afghan sources, who had in the past been careless in passing on unverified rumor as fact, or even seeking to maliciously use American air power to target their rivals. This, in turn, raises the question of what targeting information was provided by the Afghan forces. The military has focused on the N. D. S. headquarters’ coordinates, which the gunship’s targeting system mistakenly indicated as an open field. But those grids were passed to the Special Forces at 6 p. m. when the Afghans informed them of their plan of attack for that night. When Hutchinson asked them, seven hours later, after the confusion with the gunship’s targeting system, about the compound to strike, they gave a description of a “long shaped building” with a facing gate, which he in turn passed to the gunship. Maj. Gen. William Hickman, who led the military’s investigation, described this as “an ambiguous physical description” that “appeared to match the M. S. F. trauma center. ” But it’s actually a rather specific description that corresponds to M. S. F. ’s distinctive layout. It does not at all resemble the N. D. S. headquarters, which is a trapezoidal compound with a facing gate and two main rectangular buildings facing each other across a cramped courtyard. Indeed, according to the report, when the returned to a normal altitude, the sensor operator, worried that the navigation system had failed earlier, tried punching in the original grid coordinates, and this time it aimed his sensor at the N. D. S. headquarters. The crew members then did a “ comparison” of the N. D. S. and M. S. F. sites using both of their sensors, but based on Hutchinson’s description, they decided that they were 100 percent confident that the shaped building was their target. Hutchinson and the other Special Forces on the ground later told investigators that the Afghans had a second target that night, in addition to the N. D. S. headquarters. They all claimed not to know or recall what exactly it was. “There was actually two targets they said they were going to hit, but they didn’t even have a location for the other one, so we didn’t concern ourselves much with it,” Hutchinson said. Another Green Beret said the Afghans had provided two sets of coordinates, one for the N. D. S. headquarters and the second for what was described as an insurgent control location, but he didn’t know precisely what the other grid referred to. “I don’t recall and don’t want to speculate,” said a third, who claimed to have passed both grids to the aircraft. A member of the gunship crew also said they received “multiple grids” that night. Could the second target have been the hospital? Did Afghan forces, influenced by their longstanding animosity for M. S. F. believe that it had become a Taliban headquarters and needed to be taken out? Unless their findings have been redacted, the military’s investigators seemed not to have probed these questions. When I interviewed them in November, none of the Afghan forces would claim responsibility for passing on the description to the Special Forces. Yaftali, the K. K. A. commander, said that the decision to strike the hospital was made by the United States and that it was unfortunate but justified. “They were firing R. P. G.s at us from the direction of the hospital,” he said. “The Americans were aware that they were firing from there,” said Captain Munib, an Afghan commando who was partnered with American forces in Kunduz. The K. K. A. “had reported to them that the Taliban were there, and then they hit it. ” (Independent investigations have revealed no evidence to suggest that armed Taliban fighters were inside the hospital or firing from nearby.) In fairness, much like their American partners, the Afghan special forces sent up from Kabul were reliant on information from local sources, who had longstanding views about M. S. F. ’s role in Kunduz. “That hospital is in the service of the Taliban,” Gard said when I visited him in Kunduz. “I swear to God, if they make it a hundred times, we’ll destroy it a hundred times. ” Is there still a place in today’s wars for a hospital to treat all sides? On May 3, denouncing a pattern of attacks against medical facilities in conflict zones, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2286, which called for an end to impunity for those responsible. Oddly, some of the individuals seated around the Security Council’s shaped table represented countries involved in these strikes. In Yemen, for example, the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and supported with American and British intelligence and weaponry has repeatedly struck medical facilities it bombed an M. S. F. clinic on Oct. 26, despite having been provided with its coordinates. In Syria, M. S. F. does not provide coordinates of the medical facilities it supports to the Assad regime or the Russian forces backing it, out of fear that the information will be used to target them. Aid and human rights groups have accused both governments of deliberately attacking medical facilities, including an M. S. F. supported hospital in northern Syria on Feb. 15, an accusation they have denied. “Can we provide treatment to whoever you consider to be your enemy?” said Jonathan Whittall, M. S. F. ’s head of humanitarian analysis. “When you look at the track record of the last few months, when four out of the five permanent members of the Security Council have been involved in bombing M. S. F. facilities, it’s a question that we urgently need to have answered. ” In Afghanistan, health facilities remain under threat, both by the Taliban — who frequently commit war crimes like indiscriminately attacking civilians — and by the Afghan government. According to the United Nations, on Feb. 18, Afghan police commandos stormed into a clinic run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan and executed two patients and a teenage caretaker who were suspected of being insurgents. Jorgen Holmstrom, the S. C. A. ’s country director, told me that the commandos belonged to the 333 Battalion — the same unit that raided the M. S. F. hospital last July and participated in the battle for Kunduz — and were accompanied by British troops. (A spokesman for Resolute Support stated that its investigation found “absolutely no evidence to support that allegation” of executions and declined to comment on which units were present.) In Kunduz, the hospital remains in ruins, and its staff has struggled to make sense of what happened. Faizullah, the archivist, survived, but his young friend Amin did not. “Whenever I went to sleep for two minutes, I was just seeing the bombing and the killing and the dead bodies,” Faizullah said. Once the airstrike ended, Esmat tried to suture Amin’s severed femoral artery on a makeshift operating table, but to no avail. Madina, the little girl, lived through Esmat’s operation but not the bombing. Her family found her two days afterward and buried her with her big sister. “We tried to save her, but she died,” Esmat said, picking his way through the rubble. “She died, and she burned. ” The walls around us still stood, but the roof was open to the gray winter sky. Editor’s note: The United States military initially declined to comment and referred questions to the Afghan government, which also declined to comment. After this article went to press, Peter Cook, the Pentagon’s spokesman, said in a statement: “The comprehensive investigation that followed the Kunduz tragedy determined that all members of both the ground force and the aircrew were unaware that the aircraft was firing on a medical facility throughout the engagement. The investigation ultimately concluded that this tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures. ” | 0 |
532 | 2,700-year-old Hebrew mention of Jerusalem found | -NO AUTHOR- | 2,700-year-old Hebrew mention of Jerusalem found Rare papyrus from 7th century B.C. refers to consignment of wineskins Published: 26 mins ago
(Times of Israel) A rare, ancient papyrus dating to the First Temple Period — 2,700 years ago — has been found to bear the oldest known mention of Jerusalem in Hebrew.
The fragile text, believed plundered from a cave in the Judean Desert cave, was apparently acquired by the Israel Antiquities Authority during a sting in 2012 when thieves attempted to sell it to a dealer. Radiocarbon dating has determined it is from the 7th century BCE, making it one of just three extant Hebrew papyri from that period, and predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by centuries.
The IAA’s Eitan Klein said the dating of the papyrus had been confirmed by comparing the text’s orthography with other texts from the period. | 1 |
533 | Spirit Cooking: The Most Disturbing Podesta Email Yet? (Warning: Graphic Content) | Cassandra Fairbanks | We Are Change
In perhaps the most disturbing Wikileaks release to date, Tony Podesta (John Podesta’s brother) is invited to a “Spirit Cooking” dinner with performance artist Marina Abramovi?.
Dinner with a famous artist might sound deeply mundane, but there is far more to this story.
Abramovi?, 69, is a fairly famous Serbian performance artist, who now lives in New York.
In an email dated June 28, 2015, Abramovi? wrote:
“Dear Tony,
I am so looking forward to the Spirit Cooking dinner at my place. Do you think you will be able to let me know if your brother is joining?
All my love, Marina”
Tony then forwarded the email to his brother, John, asking:
“Are you in NYC Thursday July 9
Marina wants you to come to dinner
Mary?”
While this seems like a completely normal and uninspiring email, a look at what “spirit cooking” is, changes things immediately.
In the video, Abramovi? is seen painting the recipe for these “spirit dinners,” using what appears to be thickly congealed blood. The recipe read, at one point, “mix fresh breast milk with fresh sperm, drink on earthquake nights.”
So, we have to ask, did John Podesta’s brother invite him to go drink semen mixed with breast milk? Yikes.
Abramovi? is known for her often-gory art that confronts pain and ritual. Her first performance involved repeatedly, stabbing herself in her hands. The next performance featured her throwing her nails, toenails, and hair into a flaming five-point star — which she eventually jumped inside of, causing her to lose consciousness.
During the next, she ingested a medication to treat people who are catatonic, which caused violent muscle spasms.
Perhaps most famously, in 1974, Abramovi? placed 72 objects on a table, including a rose, a feather, honey, a whip, olive oil, scissors, a scalpel — and a gun and a single bullet. Alongside the items was a sign informing the audience that the items could be used on her in any way that they chose.
For six hours, she remained at the mercy of the audience, allowing them to do as they pleased. During that time, she was stripped, cut, and one audience member even held the gun to her head.
“What I learned was that … if you leave it up to the audience, they can kill you. … I felt really violated: they cut up my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one person aimed the gun at my head, and another took it away. It created an aggressive atmosphere. After exactly 6 hours, as planned, I stood up and started walking toward the audience. Everyone ran away, to escape an actual confrontation,” she later said of the performance.
We really just want to know what Podesta had for dinner.
The post Spirit Cooking: The Most Disturbing Podesta Email Yet? (Warning: Graphic Content) appeared first on We Are Change .
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534 | Donald Trump’s Missteps Risk Putting a Ceiling Over His Support in Swing States - The New York Times | Patrick Healy | DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Donald J. Trump has been waiting for months for a poll in which he cracks 50 percent of the vote against Hillary Clinton in any of his top battleground states: Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio or Pennsylvania. “It’ll happen after the conventions,” he said in a July 6 interview. “Believe me. ” But in the last two weeks, instead of attracting a surge of new admirers, Mr. Trump has been hemorrhaging support among loyal Republicans, independents, Democrats and others, according to polls and 30 interviews with a of voters. His dispute with the parents of a Muslim Army captain who was killed in action in Iraq, and his suggestion that “Second Amendment people” could somehow stop Mrs. Clinton, have intensified doubts about Mr. Trump even among Americans who were initially attracted to his frank and freewheeling style. For a candidate who once seemed like an electoral phenomenon, with an unshakable following and a celebrity appeal that crossed party lines, Mr. Trump now faces the possibility that his missteps have erected a ceiling over his support among some demographic groups and in several swing states. He has been stuck under 45 percent of the vote in Ohio and Pennsylvania for weeks, polls show, while Mrs. Clinton has gained support. Several Republican voters say they grow leery every time Mr. Trump speaks these days, for fear he will embarrass them, and feel increasingly repelled just when they hoped he might adjust his message to try to draw more people in. “I liked that he was politically incorrect. But now I feel, enough already,” Trish Grove, a banker, said as she finished lunch at a diner here in Doylestown, a bellwether suburb north of Philadelphia. “He’s not going to win a majority of voters by sounding offensive and ridiculous. ” After the conventions in late July, Mrs. Clinton’s support among young people rose 12 percent, and she gained ground among liberals and moderates, according to an analysis of a New York News poll before the conventions and a CBS News poll after them. Mr. Trump improved only with voters who held bachelor’s degrees but did not attend graduate school. “Undecided voters still have a long way to go before they vote for Trump,” said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist who holds focus groups with voters. “He has high unfavorable ratings with so many voters that he would need to win most of the rest of the electorate, and his problems aren’t helping him grow. ” Mr. Trump’s troubles are perhaps most pronounced in Pennsylvania, which he has targeted for victory in November even though the state has gone Democratic in the last six presidential elections. He is running strong in the traditionally conservative western part of the state, and his advisers argue that his populist views on trade, immigration and foreign policy could resonate with independents and Democrats. “We have to win Pennsylvania,” Mr. Trump said on Friday during a campaign rally in Erie. “We win Pennsylvania, we’re going to win it,” apparently a reference to the presidency. But to carry the state, pollsters say, Mr. Trump would need to beat Mrs. Clinton here in the Philadelphia suburbs, where President Obama defeated Mitt Romney in 2012 by about nine percentage points. (Mr. Obama carried the state by about five points.) Yet Mrs. Clinton holds a wide lead in those suburbs, 52 percent to 26 percent, according to an NBC Street College poll published Wednesday. “There is absolutely no way Trump wins Pennsylvania unless he can broaden his appeal significantly and overcome his huge deficit in the suburbs,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin Marshall College poll and a longtime analyst of Pennsylvania politics. “He does well with white voters, but there simply aren’t enough of them in Pennsylvania to win. And he can’t stick with his political message for more than five minutes. ” Mr. Trump’s advisers expressed confidence in their strategy and questioned whether public polls fully reflect his support. While some did express concern that there could be a ceiling on his support among women and members of minority groups, they also said he had room to grow among voters, white men and independents — who, they said, will not pay attention to the race until the presidential debates begin in late September. Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman, said the debates would be critical to winning over voters, but he also pointed to increased spending by the Clinton campaign on television ads in Pennsylvania and Ohio as proof of the threat Mr. Trump poses there. “We expect to do very well in the suburbs, which will help us to carry Pennsylvania,” Mr. Manafort said. “The demographics are very positive for Donald Trump and the issue agenda favors Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. ” A Clinton campaign spokesman did not respond to a request for comment, but several of Mrs. Clinton’s advisers and allies said they were highly optimistic that she would carry Pennsylvania and most other Rust Belt states. There are few greater threats to candidates than a ceiling on their support, which is why many take more moderate positions during the general election in hopes of appealing to the broadest possible constituency. Republicans and Democrats have a history of nominating presidential candidates genial and ideologically flexible enough to expand their support beyond party loyalists. Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton have historically high unfavorability ratings and extremely low favorability ratings among undecided voters. Yet since the conventions, Mrs. Clinton has focused her message and campaign schedule on undecided voters in swing states. Mr. Trump has shown little interest in changing his unorthodox approach: In an interview on CNBC on Thursday he said he would “just keep doing the same thing I’m doing right now,” even if he ended up losing. Many voters here in Bucks County said in interviews that Mr. Trump seemed almost to be willfully trying to alienate them: He says the right things about repealing the Affordable Care Act and cutting taxes, but then appears to revel in insulting women and Mexicans and singling out Muslims for harsh treatment. Several voters also cited Mr. Trump’s mocking of a disabled reporter, and others said that he seemed too hotheaded in confrontational situations, such as when he came under criticism from Khizr Khan, the father of the United States Army officer killed in Iraq, during his speech at the Democratic convention. “America’s role in the world matters to me, and I don’t want a president who yells at other people,” said Adam Woldow, a dermatologist in Richboro, Pa. who said he voted for Mr. Romney in 2012 and John McCain in 2008. As he waited for his station wagon to emerge from a carwash, Dr. Woldow paused to consider why Mr. Trump bothered him so much. “He just has so much baggage at this point, all the things he keeps saying,” he said. “I feel he’s even a bit racist. ” Dr. Woldow said he was leaning toward Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate. Penny an independent from Morrisville, Pa. who also voted for Mr. Romney, said she was dismayed when Mr. Trump insinuated that Mr. Khan’s wife, Ghazala, had not been “allowed” to speak when she appeared alongside him at the convention. “Who is Trump to make these judgments? Trump speaks all the time with his own wife by his side, silent,” Ms. said while perusing the lunch menu at a diner in Doylestown. “He should be talking about issues if he wants to actually win people over. ” But Mariann Davies, a lawyer in Doylestown who supports Mr. Trump, predicted that his popularity would grow among voters who do not want Mrs. Clinton to continue the Obama administration’s policies. “He’s talking about the issues everyone is pussyfooting around,” Ms. Davies said of Mr. Trump. “I think he could attract more voters if he would just focus on trade policy and jobs because people around here care a lot about those things. ” For most politicians, a approach has limits: Candidates who offend too many voters, or look overly impulsive or intemperate, generally lose. But Mr. Trump believes that voters who have seen hard times in their communities will embrace him as a truth teller. In the cities of northeast Pennsylvania, a traditionally Democratic area where Mr. Trump would need to overperform, several voters said they were skeptical of his leadership skills even though they shared his concerns about immigration and national security. Ody Draklellis, a Republican who owns the Queen City Diner in Allentown, said people in the area were open to Mr. Trump because they mistrusted Mrs. Clinton and were tired of Mr. Obama’s policies. But Mr. Trump’s main problem, Mr. Draklellis added, “is Mr. Trump himself. ” “Could Trump be a good president? Probably. But he might get us into a war, so the risk is too high,” said Mr. Draklellis, who has not chosen a candidate. “You would think he’d be totally focused on all of Hillary’s vulnerabilities. He could grow in the polls that way. Instead he just shoots his mouth off. ” | 0 |
535 | null | beemasters | $4 Billion even after they are known to be keeping all supposedly deleted messages in their server??? Well, I guess they need to somehow profit....probably selling content to rich blackmailers? | 1 |
536 | Green Party’s Margaret Flowers Challenges US Senate Debate in Maryland as Undemocratic | Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo | 2016 elections by BAR editor and columnist, Dr. Marsha Adebayo
The “revolving, rigged system” that purports to be American democracy was revealed in all its corporate vulgarity on a Baltimore university stage, last week. Two U.S. Senate candidates of the duopoly parties pretended to support the Green Party’s candidate’s right to join the debate, but failed to protest when cops hauled her away. “This was their ‘Rosa Parks’ moment when they could have stood for integrity and democracy” -- but failed the test. Green Party’s Margaret Flowers Challenges US Senate Debate in Maryland as Undemocratic by BAR editor and columnist, Dr. Marsha Adebayo
“ The corporate media and the political duopoly collaborated to ensure that the Green Party message would not be heard.”
US corruption during this campaign season is on full display for the entire world to ponder. No one paying even scant attention can deny the thin veneer that is used to hide state sponsored police murder of Africans, structural poverty and the cozy relationship between the 1% rulers in the Democratic and Republican parties. Green Party candidates, such as Jill Stein, Ajamu Baraka and Margaret Flowers have forced sunlight’s disinfectant power to expose a rigged, racist and revolting political system that politically and economically devours communities of color, condones police murders of Black youth, intentionally exposes communities, like Flint, Michigan, to poisoned water, promotes drone warfare and the pilfering of the natural resources of Africa and South America.
The system, however is finding it more difficult to block out the voices of dissent. Such was the situation this week at the University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs where Dr. Margaret Flowers, the Green Party candidate for the Maryland US Senate seat, was refused the opportunity to participate in the only televised debate alongside Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen and Republican state Del. Kathy Szeliga. The corporate media and the political duopoly collaborated to ensure that the Green Party message would not be heard. The sham excuse used to exclude Flowers was that her poll numbers had not reached 15%. But, of course it is difficult to reach the magic number of 15% in the polls when one is systematically excluded from debates and public events. This is the revolving rigged system that Black people know so well.
“When the police came to escort her off the stage neither candidate provided a meaningful protest of the anti-democratic process unfolding.”
When the rigged debate started, audience members called for Dr. Flowers to join Van Hollen and Szeliga. Shouts of “let her speak” could be heard from the audience. Responding to the audience, Dr. Flowers took her place on the stage shaking hands with both candidates. Standing on the stage, she turned her attention to the audience and said:
“I think it’s important for voters to understand the differences between myself and Congressman Van Hollen and Delegate Szeliga.” With the police moving on stage to remove her, she said, …”I mean, you say you’re a public university and you want to educate the public, but without having a full public discussion, that doesn't actually happen.”
While Van Hollen and Szeliga seemed to agree with Dr. Flowers participating in the debate, when the police came to escort her off the stage neither candidate provided a meaningful protest of the anti-democratic process unfolding. Delegate Szeliga noted that a third podium was available but both politicians remained silent while Dr. Flowers was forced to leave the stage. This was their “Rosa Parks” moment when they could have stood for integrity and democracy but Van Hollen and Szeliga, failed to show the smallest amount of courage, leadership and commitment to anything greater than their individual ambitions and desire for power.
Margaret was escorted by police to a sidewalk outside the debate hall and that symbolically represents the state of US democracy.
After church on Sunday, a sister said to me, “I know a lot of Black folks are going to vote for Hilary Clinton but I can’t vote for the lesser of two evils. I’ve decided to vote for Jill Stein. I’m going to vote my conscience!” My only response after agreeing with her analysis was to add, “Don’t forget to also vote for Margaret Flowers.“
Dr. Margaret Flowers of Green Party Interrupts Maryland Senate Televised Debate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix98YXLWUJg
Margaret Flowers Campaign Information: http://www.flowersforsenate.org Dr. Marsha Adebayo is the author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated: No FEAR: A Whistleblowers Triumph over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA . She worked at the EPA for 18 years and blew the whistle on a US multinational corporation that endangered South African vanadium mine workers. Marsha's successful lawsuit led to the introduction and passage of the first civil rights and whistleblower law of the 21st century: the Notification of Federal Employees Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act). She is Director of Transparency and Accountability for the Green Shadow Cabinet and serves on the Advisory Board of ExposeFacts.com. | 1 |
537 | Officer Rescues Drowning Deer From Pool With Quick-Thinking | Amanda Froelich | Considering the violence that’s taking place near the Standing Rock protest camp(s) in North Dakota, it’s heartening to hear of an officer who is doing his best to help others. Recently, Officer... | 1 |
538 | Police: Suspects Punch Army Veteran, Steal His Service Dog Outside Home in the Bronx - Breitbart | Katherine Rodriguez | Two men punched an Army veteran and stole his service dog outside his home in the Bronx before they fled the scene, police said.[ Police say a man punched Robert Lebron, 40, from behind and then chased after him while a second man grabbed Lebron’s service dog, Mala, from his porch at Valentine Ave. and E. 194th St. May 14, the New York Daily News reported. WABC reported that Lebron suffered minor injuries, but did not seek medical attention. Police say they identified one of the suspects as Brian Cohen, whom they say is the of the victim’s wife, CBS New York reported. The Army veteran said he has the dog to help with his PTSD, NBC New York reported. Lebron says he has a special bond with his service dog. “What she gives me I can’t get from someone else: not a therapist or a family member or my friend,” he said. “It’s unconditional love. ” Police have not identified the second suspect, but they say he was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants and shoes. The suspects are still at large, and police are asking anyone with information about the suspects to call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at . | 0 |
539 | Insurance Prices for Many Obamacare Customers Will Rise By Double Digits in 2017 | null | Insurance Prices for Many Obamacare Customers Will Rise By Double Digits in 2017
The cost of private health insurance arranged under President Obama’s health care law will rise by double-digit percentages and many Americans will have only one insurer to choose from, the White House confirmed.
The Associated Press reports :
Before taxpayer-provided subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Some states will see much bigger jumps, others less.
Moreover, about 1 in 5 consumers will only have plans from a single insurer to pick from, after major national carriers such as UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna scaled back their roles.
“Consumers will be faced this year with not only big premium increases but also with a declining number of insurers participating, and that will lead to a tumultuous open enrollment period,” said Larry Levitt, who tracks the health care law for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. …
In some states, the premium increases are striking. In Arizona, unsubsidized premiums for a hypothetical 27-year-old buying a benchmark “second-lowest cost silver plan” will jump by 116 percent, from $196 to $422, according to the administration report.
But HHS said if that hypothetical consumer has a fairly modest income, making $25,000 a year, the subsidies would cover $280 of the new premium, and the consumer would pay $142. Caveat: if the consumer is making $30,000 or $40,000 his or her subsidy would be significantly lower.
The total number of insurers will drop from 232 this year to 167 in 2017, a loss of 28 percent. Switching will be a burden for patients with chronic conditions or other complications.
While many carriers are offering a choice of plan designs, most use a single prescription formulary and physician network across all their products, explained Pearson. “So, enrollees may need to change doctors or drugs when they switch insurers,” she said.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has proposed “an array of fixes, including sweetening the law’s subsidies and allowing more people to qualify for financial assistance,” AP reports. Americans will deliver profits to insurance companies either way, as subsidy money comes from taxpayers and represents a loss of public services Americans could otherwise provide themselves. | 1 |
540 | YIKES! Megyn Kelly Receives RUDE AWAKENING- Reminded She’s REPLACEABLE! | shelby andrews | 0 comments
Megyn Kelly seems to think that she can get away with anything she says or does. Rupert Murdoch gave her a rude awakening when he told her that there are tons of other qualified people that would kill to take her spot.
Rupert Murdoch is making Fox News’ salary negotiations with Megyn Kelly very public by granting an interview to one of the newspapers his company News Corp. owns, The Wall Street Journal. In the interview, Murdoch said that keeping Kelly is a priority, but that he has other hosts who could take over the program should she try and go to a rival network.‘[W]e have a deep bench of talent, many of whom would give their right arm for that spot,’ said Murdoch. Kelly, who is said to be making $15million this year, is reportedly looking to make more than $20million when she renegotiates her contract next July. She declined a request to comment on the story.
Kelly’s star has continued to rise over the past year, and next month she will be releasing her first book, Settle For More. It has also been revealed that Kelly will be appearing Live With Kelly! the day after the election, marking the first time she is set to appear on Ripa’s morning show as a co-host.
Her popularity is one of the main reasons Murdoch says he wants to get her contract signer ‘very soon.’
He added however that whether or not Kelly stays at the network is ‘up to her.’ It is unclear where Kelly might land if she does not stay with Fox News, but CNN seems like a very likely possibility for the popular host. Kelly also has a huge fan in CNN head honcho Jeff Zucker, who called her a ‘tremendous anchor’ earlier this year. And former CNN president Jon Klein applauded Kelly for not backing down to Donald Trump in the first Republican debate when she questioned him about his treatment of women, this despite the fact that her then boss Roger Ailes was a supporter of the Republican nominee.‘To be able to stand up and ask tough questions to your boss’s choice of president shows a certain steeliness,’ said Klein. The article also points out that Kelly also separated herself from other Fox News anchors during the internal investigation into Ailes’ alleged sexual harrassment by speaking with the lawyers hired to look into the claims being made by former host Gretchen Carlson. That revelation about Kelly’s speaking with investigators was confirmed by people who were familiar with the matter. Some have said that Kelly is set to be the center of Fox News after the exit of Ailes, but Murdoch shot down those claims saying: ‘We’re not changing direction … that would be business suicide.’ Murdoch also said that he wants to make sure Bill O’Reilly also resigns with the network when his contract is up next month. One rival news executive told Vanity Fair in August that the rivalry between Kelly and O’Reilly has devolved to the point that one of them will likely leave when their contracts expire. O’Reilly shot down reports of a feud between himself and Kelly in June however, telling The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Oh, that’s all fabricated. She’s in a totally different part of the building. The last time I saw Megyn Kelly was in Detroit in March [at the Fox News GOP debate].’ Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Fox News said: ‘[Fox News President] Bill Shine and [Executive Vice President, Programming & Development] Suzanne Scott have maintained a close relationship with Bill and Megyn for years and have helped both of them in many instances, all while co-existing under the same roof.’ Kelly has previously hinted that she would be willing to leave the network where she has worked for the last 12 years
‘There’s a lot of brain damage that comes from the job. There was probably less brain damage when I worked in the afternoon. I was less well known. I had far less conflict in my life,’ Kelly said in an interview with Variety earlier this year.‘I also have three kids who are soon going to be school from 8am to 3pm I come to work at 3:30. I like to see my children.’ Kelly says she’s thought about hosting her own talk show but isn’t sure ‘what the market looks like for that in 2016’ and just doesn’t think ‘that’s the perfect thing for me’. As for co-hosting a morning show like Today, Kelly said she’s tried that before and she’s not much of a morning person.‘You have to wake up so early. The alarm goes off at 3:30am,’ said Kelly.‘When I did America’s Newsroom, which started at 9am, I remember saying to the makeup artist at the time, “If you could only know the afternoon me, you’d like me so much better.'” She then added: ‘Listen, this is a fickle business. What if they called me and fired me tomorrow? I have to keep my options open.’
Everybody is replaceable, even you Megyn!! Related Items | 1 |
541 | null | Redlist Renegade | When the people fear their government there’s Tyranny , when the government fears the people there’s Liberty !!! | 1 |
542 | Iran Sending Elite IRGC Warfighters Into Europe And United States In Preparation For Battle | Geoffrey Grider | NTEB Ads Privacy Policy Iran Sending Elite IRGC Warfighters Into Europe And United States In Preparation For Battle Iranian military and government officials have continued to advocate violence against the U.S. and its allies, despite the nuclear deal and several secret side agreements that gave Iran $1.7 billion in cash. by Geoffrey Grider November 2, 2016 The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the country’s elite military force, is sending assets to infiltrate the United States and Europe at the direction of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to recent Farsi-language comments from an Iranian military leader.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is just a small bit of what our next president will have to deal with. Do you want a president who needs to take naps all the time , or do you want a Commander in Chief who is awake, alert and highly energized to get the job done? It’s a no-brainer, people, go out and vote to #MakeAmericaSafeAgain.
The IRGC “will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon,” according to the Iranian military commander, who said that these forces would operate with the goal of bolstering Iran’s hardline regime and thwarting potential plots against the Islamic Republic.
“The whole world should know that the IRGC will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon,” Salar Abnoush, deputy coordinator of Iran’s Khatam-al-Anbia Garrison, an IRGC command front, was quoted as saying in an Iranian state-controlled publication closely tied to the IRGC. Iran’s secret army, the IRGC:
The military leader’s comments come as Iran is spending great amounts of money to upgrade its military hardware and bolster its presence throughout the Middle East and beyond. Iran intends to spend billions to purchase U.S.-made planes that are likely to be converted for use in its air force.
Congressional leaders and others suspect that Iran has used a large portion of the cash windfall it received as a result of last summer’s nuclear agreement to upgrade its fighting capabilities war machine.
“The IRGC is [the] strong guardian of the Islamic Republic,” Abnoush was quoted as saying. “The Fedayeen of Velayat [fighting force] are under the order of Iran’s Supreme leader. Defending and protecting the Velayat [the Supreme Leader] has no border and limit.” Iranian military and government officials have continued to advocate violence against the U.S. and its allies, despite the nuclear deal and several secret side agreements that gave Iran $1.7 billion in cash.
Iran accuses the U.S. of violating its end of the agreement by not helping the Islamic Republic gain further access to international banks and other markets. Iran’s frustration over this has led to further accusations about a U.S. plot to foster unrest in the country. Iran IRGC UAV & UCAV operation units in Persian Gulf:
“Our enemies have several projects to destroy our Islamic revolution, and have waged three wars against us to execute their plans against our Islamic Republic,” Abnoush said. “The IRGC has defeated enemies in several fronts. The enemy surrendered and accepted to negotiate with us.”
“And now all of our problems are being solved and our country is becoming stronger in all fronts. Some believe the holy defense ended,” the military leader added. “They are wrong; the holy defense continues, and today, it is more complicated than before.”
Congressional sources and experts involved in tracking Iran’s increased aggression in the region and elsewhere told the Washington Free Beacon that these most recent comments are troubling given Iran’s very public efforts to assassinate political enemies and others across the globe.
“If we look at Iran’s previous terror attacks and assassination campaign around the world, such a statement is alarming,” Saeed Ghasseminejad, an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Free Beacon . “The Islamic Republic has killed hundreds of Iranians and non-Iranians around the world in a coordinated campaign of terror. Iran may decide to restart the project now that many western companies are going to Iran and Iran feels its action in Europe may not be punished strongly.”
Another source who advises congressional leaders on Iran sanctions issues told the Free Beacon that the Obama administration is blocking Congress from taking action to stop this type of infiltration by Iranian forces.
“Iran is ideologically, politically, and militarily committed to exporting the Islamic revolution through terrorism, which is why even the Obama administration says they’re the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism,” the source said. “Congress wants to act, but Obama officials keep saying that new laws are unnecessary because the U.S. has enough tools to block Iranian terror expansion. Instead of using those tools, though, they’re sending Iran billions of dollars in cash while Iran plants terror cells in Europe and here at home.” source SHARE THIS ARTICLE Geoffrey Grider NTEB is run by end times author and editor-in-chief Geoffrey Grider. Geoffrey runs a successful web design company, and is a full-time minister of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to running NOW THE END BEGINS, he has a dynamic street preaching outreach and tract ministry team in Saint Augustine, FL. NTEB #TRENDING | 1 |
543 | Hillary Endorsed Donald Trump for President According to Wikileaks | Dave Hodges | Hillary Endorsed Donald Trump for President According to Wikileaks “I endorse Donald Trump”- I am Hillary Clinton and I Approve this messageary
Here’s Gary Franchi as he reports that that before running against billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump for the presidency, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience at a private, paid speech she wanted to see more successful businessmen and women run for office because they can’t be bought.
AMAZINGLY, SHE SAID DONALD TRUMP WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT PRESIDENT!!! | 1 |
544 | Woodward: Trump Dossier Is a ’Garbage Document’ - Intelligence Chiefs Should ’Apologize’ to Trump - Breitbart | Pam Key | On this weekend’s broadcast of “Fox New Sunday,” veteran journalist Bob Woodward said the unverified dossier about Donald Trump and Russia is a “garbage document. ” Woodward said, “I think what is under reported here is Trump’s point of view on it. You laid it out when those former CIA people said these things about Trump, that he was a recruited agent of the Russians, and a useful fool, they started this in Trump’s mind, He knows the old adage, once a CIA man, always a CIA man. No one came out and said those people shouldn’t be saying those things, So act two is the briefing when this dossier is put out. ” “I’ve lived in this world for 45 years where you get things and people make allegations, that is a garbage document,” he continued. “It never should have been presented as part of an intelligence briefing. As you suggested, other channels have the White House counsel give it to Trump’s incoming White House counsel. So Trump’s right to be upset about that. I think if you look at the real chronology and the nature of the battle here, those intelligence chiefs who were the best we had, who are terrific and have done great work. I think they made a mistake here. And when people mistakes, they should apologize. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 0 |
545 | Emmy Nominations 2016: Tracy Morgan on His Emotional Return to ‘Saturday Night Live’ - The New York Times | Dave Itzkoff | Two years ago, it seemed almost impossible that Tracy Morgan would ever perform comedy again: On June 7, 2014, he was critically injured in a car crash when a struck the back of a luxury van he was traveling in. A fellow passenger, James McNair (known as Jimmy Mack) was killed three other passengers were injured and Mr. Morgan was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital. A monthslong recovery process followed. Incredibly, just over a year later, Mr. Morgan was back at “Saturday Night Live,” the NBC sketch comedy series where he broke through as a cast member in the late 1990s, hosting its broadcast of Oct. 17, 2015. He revisited popular “S. N. L. ” characters he had performed in the past and reunited with his “30 Rock” Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer and Tina Fey, the “30 Rock” creator and “S. N. L. ” alumna. On Thursday, Mr. Morgan received an Emmy Award nomination as an outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for the “Saturday Night Live” episode he hosted. In a phone interview, he spoke candidly and emotionally about his road to this moment. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation. How are you feeling today? Kind of emotional. Very thankful. Just overwhelmed. I’ve been crying all morning. Because when I got the word, my whole last two years — my whole life, really — just flashed right before me. It just brought to mind what my family went through, what the doctors went through, what my fans went through. What Jimmy Mack’s family went through. What everybody went through. It’s been difficult. It’s still overwhelming to me. I’m trying to fight it right now. Win or lose, this one is for Jimmy Mack. This one is for my boy. What was it like to be asked to come back to host “Saturday Night Live”? It wasn’t even like that. For many years, Lorne Michaels is like a dad to me. That’s just the way our relationship is. The minute it happened, Lorne called my wife a million times to see what was going on. He’s always been there for me. I remember being in my car one day, talking to Lorne Michaels on the phone, and I just broke down and I said, “Lorne, I want to come home. ” And he said to me, “The door’s always open. ” And a week later, I got the call: You’re hosting on Oct. 17. I love Lorne Michaels like I love my daddy. He’s always taken care of me. Were you anxious on the night of your show? It felt like the first day I was ever there. I was nervous. When you’re doing the dress rehearsal, there’s a wardrobe person — her name is Donna — she pulls you from set to set, because you have to change. So I started to get in my own head, and thinking that the audience was looking at me like I was crippled or something was wrong with me. In between dress and air, I spoke to Lorne. I said: “Lorne, I don’t know if I can do this. It seems like the audience is feeling sorry for me. ” He said, “Tracy, they don’t care about the funny — they’re just happy you’re here. ” [chokes up] In that moment, I shed my tears, and I said, I’m going to let go. This young cast is giving me 100 percent, and I’m going to give them 150. And we had fun. You’ve continued to perform comedy in clubs and theaters. How has that been going? I just want to spread my love. God gave me a tool to do it — it’s called a sense of humor. You go down to earth, and you spread your love with your comedy. Now I’m going hard, giving them everything I got, every show. The world that we live in today, we need it. We stop being angry and hateful and just laugh together. Is there rehabilitation work that you continue to do? Every day. I just got out of the gym with my therapist just now, five minutes ago. Working on my legs. But more than that, it’s my emotions. I realized, and I told my wife, “Baby, that wreck made me an emotional wreck. ” I had to deal with that. People don’t deal with things, and then they explode later. It manifests itself in other ways, like alcohol and drugs. No! I want to deal with it! My sense of humor is my way of dealing with things, so I had to get back onstage. People sometimes say it’s an honor just to be nominated — I imagine you know what that feels like now? You know, people don’t come back from an accident like that and host “Saturday Night Live” 14 months later. Most people that suffer the injuries we suffered are in vegetative states. I’m very happy to be alive to see my daughter and my sons grow up. I’m just happy to here. And for all the comedy gods that came before me, starting with Richard Pryor, Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball, Lenny Bruce, Flip Wilson, Bernie Mac, Robin Williams, Robin Harris, Joan Rivers. All of them. [begins to cry] I love you. Please guide us and protect us. As long as I do comedy in the spirit of them, I know I’m protected. For me it is glorious. [crying] Thank you. | 0 |
546 | Trump Picks Mick Mulvaney, South Carolina Congressman, as Budget Director - The New York Times | Michael D. Shear | WASHINGTON — Donald J. Trump has selected Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, a conservative Republican member of the House and a fierce advocate of deep spending cuts, to be his budget director. “He’s a tremendous talent, especially when it comes to numbers and budgets,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. Mr. Mulvaney, 49, helped found the House Freedom Caucus, the group of conservative lawmakers who pushed for Speaker John A. Boehner to resign. As budget director, Mr. Mulvaney would help guide the ’s promise of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a tax overhaul and a huge investment in the nation’s infrastructure. An early backer of Mr. Trump’s during the campaign, Mr. Mulvaney has taken a hard line on spending during President Obama’s term, vowing not to raise the nation’s debt limit and embracing the term “Shutdown Caucus” because of his willingness to shut the government down instead. Mr. Mulvaney was elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, when he defeated John Spratt, a veteran Democratic congressman who had been chairman of the House Budget Committee. He won by branding his opponent a liberal, unconcerned about fiscal prudence. Once on Capitol Hill, Mr. Mulvaney joined a conservative bloc that pressed for slashing federal spending more deeply than House Republican leaders preferred, and became a prominent face of the movement on Capitol Hill. He was one of several dozen House Republicans who refused to back the deal to raise the statutory debt limit. Mr. Mulvaney has repeatedly opposed some of his own party’s budget proposals, and quickly established himself as one of the most outspoken members of that 2010 class of Republicans. By 2013, at the outset of his second term, he declined to support Mr. Boehner’s as speaker, abstaining from the vote in protest. Strongly Mr. Mulvaney, who has a degree in international economics from Georgetown and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, chafed as much at the Republican leadership in the House as he did at Mr. Obama’s direction from the White House. If confirmed by the Senate to run the Office of Management and Budget, Mr. Mulvaney will be responsible for helping to shepherd the president’s spending requests through a Congress. | 0 |
547 | Donald Trump, el primer presidente naranja de los Estados Unidos | Tomás Fuentes | Donald Trump, el primer presidente naranja de los Estados Unidos EL MAGNATE ASEGURA QUE SEGUIRÁ LUCHANDO POR LA IGUALDAD DE LA COMUNIDAD NARANJOAMERICANA racismo
Donald Trump hizo historia el martes al convertirse en el primer presidente naranja de Estados Unidos, con una rotunda victoria sobre Hillary Clinton impulsada por un mensaje de renovación política y social.
El candidato republicano, de 70 años, hijo de una mujer blanca de Kansas y de un padre naranja del Condado de Orange (California), prometió una nueva era de cambio y esperanza. Muchos de sus partidarios, como el reverendo naranja Jack Jessenson, dejaron caer lágrimas de color zanahoria por sus mejillas melocotonadas.
Trump cruzó una puerta abierta hace 153 años, cuando Abraham Lincoln concedió la libertad a los esclavos naranjas en medio de una sangrienta guerra civil. El magnate asumirá la presidencia el 20 de enero, 51 años después de que se sancionara una ley que impedía votar a la población naranjoamericana en muchos estados sureños.
El 45º presidente estadounidense ha afirmado que luchará por los derechos de los ciudadanos naranjas. “Racismo, no nos hemos curado de ello”, dijo en un programa de radio. “Aún es común escuchar en la calle expresiones ‘orangger’ (‘naranjucho’, en español) con total impunidad”, constató. Trump admite que ha habido cierto progreso en temas raciales, si comparamos la situación a la vivida por la comunidad naranja en la década de los 50 y los 60.
En su libro “Dreams of my orange father”, el magnate ya trató el tema del antinaranjismo. “Me crié en un barrio eminentemente naranjoamericano. Un barrio calabaza, que le dicen los políticamente correctos. Los blancos no solían venir, y cuando lo hacían era para insultarnos diciendo ‘aquí huele a caqui’”, escribía en el prólogo, donde también aprovechó para desmentir el rumor de su pertenencia al grupo violento Orange Panthers.
La fecha de investidura de Trump, programada para el 20 de enero, no es casual. Ese mismo día se conmemoran 50 años exactos desde que la policía cargara contra unos manifestantes naranjas con gran virulencia, episodio que pasó a la historia como el Carrot Sunday (Domingo zanahorio). | 1 |
548 | Re: Why Did Attorney General Loretta Lynch Plead The Fifth? | reasoning with facts | Why Did Attorney General Loretta Lynch Plead The Fifth? Barracuda Brigade 2016-10-28 Print The administration is blocking congressional probe into cash payments to Iran. Of course she needs to plead the 5th. She either can’t recall, refuses to answer, or just plain deflects the question. Straight up corruption at its finest!
100percentfedUp.com ; Talk about covering your ass! Loretta Lynch did just that when she plead the Fifth to avoid incriminating herself over payments to Iran…Corrupt to the core! Attorney General Loretta Lynch is declining to comply with an investigation by leading members of Congress about the Obama administration’s secret efforts to send Iran $1.7 billion in cash earlier this year, prompting accusations that Lynch has “pleaded the Fifth” Amendment to avoid incriminating herself over these payments, according to lawmakers and communications exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.) initially presented Lynch in October with a series of questions about how the cash payment to Iran was approved and delivered.
In an Oct. 24 response, Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik responded on Lynch’s behalf, refusing to answer the questions and informing the lawmakers that they are barred from publicly disclosing any details about the cash payment, which was bound up in a ransom deal aimed at freeing several American hostages from Iran.
The response from the attorney general’s office is “unacceptable” and provides evidence that Lynch has chosen to “essentially plead the fifth and refuse to respond to inquiries regarding [her]role in providing cash to the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism,” Rubio and Pompeo wrote on Friday in a follow-up letter to Lynch. More Related | 1 |
549 | Russia: U.S. Missile Defense ’Poses Deep Risk’ to Security of Asia | John Hayward | “The U. S. global ballistic missile defense poses a deep risk to the security of the region,” declared Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday after meeting with Japanese officials in Tokyo. [The Associated Press describes Lavrov’s visit as the first “ ” meetings of foreign and defense ministers between Japan and Tokyo since Russia annexed Crimea. Japan has participated in sanctions against Russia for that action. Lavrov specifically denounced the THAAD missile system America is installing in South Korea as a “response completely out of proportion” to the North Korean threat. He said the United States was “pumping arms into the region. ” Tokyo has been thinking about asking the United States to pump a THAAD missile system into Japan, especially since the recent launch of four ballistic missiles towards the Japanese coast stoked fears that Pyongyang may be capable of “swarm attacks” or “saturation launches” that would overwhelm Japan’s missile defenses. One of the arguments against THAAD missile shield deployment is that North Korea might be able to fire a dozen or more missiles at once and overwhelm even the Terminal Area Defense System. That would make THAAD acquisition disruptive to Japanese relations with Russia and China, both of which believe the system is ultimately intended to limit their military options, without gaining any real security against North Korean aggression. Lavrov is well aware that political turmoil in South Korea gives Russia an opening to pressure Seoul into canceling THAAD deployment. Odds are that the replacement for impeached South Korean President Park will be less enthusiastic about the system than she was. “At the end of the day, if the reality unfolds in a way that South Korea’s national security and the economy were damaged because of the THAAD, not because of the North Korea issue, then it’s not really a rational situation, is it?” Choi an adviser to presidential candidate Moon said over the weekend. The economic damage Choi referred to is coming mostly from an enraged China. Sergey Lavrov’s comments in Tokyo are a warning of national security damage that will be heard clearly in Seoul. The Associated Press notes that Russia and Japan had one other lingering bit of business to discuss at the “ ” meeting: World War II isn’t over yet. It still isn’t over because no major breakthrough on the fate of the disputed Kuril island chain was announced after Lavrov’s trip to Tokyo. The disposition of these islands has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a peace treaty and formally concluding the Second World War. On the bright side, Russian media reported on Monday that Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed a willingness to make travel to the islands easier for Russian citizens, and Russia has floated similar proposals with respect to the Japanese. However, Kishida also voiced concerns about Russian military activity in the south Kuril Islands, and official conveyed those concerns to Lavrov at the meeting. Specifically, Japan is worried about Russia’s deployment of coastal missile systems. | 0 |
550 | What Does Washington ‘Plan B’ in Syria Really Mean? | South Front | Syrian War Report – October 28, 2016: Militants Make Do-Or-Die Attempt to Break Aleppo Siege ‹ › South Front Analysis & Intelligence is a public analytical project maintained by an independent team of experts from the four corners of the Earth focusing on international relations issues and crises. They focus on analysis and intelligence of the ongoing crises and the biggest stories from around the world: Ukraine, the war in Middle East, Central Asia issues, protest movements in the Balkans, migration crises, and others. In addition, they provide military operations analysis, the military posture of major world powers, and other important data influencing the growth of tensions between countries and nations. We try to dig out the truth on issues which are barely covered by governments and mainstream media. What Does Washington ‘Plan B’ in Syria Really Mean? By South Front on October 29, 2016 …from SouthFront
In October a series of reports appeared in The Washington Post and other US media about expected supplies of various modern weapon systems to the so-called ‘moderate opposition’ in Syria. The reports argued that Washington was considering the new plan for Syria that included massive supplies of weapons that had to allow the oppositioneers to defend themselves from the Russian and Syrian air power and artillery. This fact was described as an indication of Washnigton’s skepticism about the prospects of so-called ‘peaceful solution’ in the country. Nonetheless, it was neither approved nor denied, according to the media.
The secret CIA program of training and arming ‘moderate terrorists’ has been the core of American strategy, aiming to overthrow Assad and set a puppet government in Syria, since the start of the war. Nonetheless, the Obama administration is likely set to postponed the resumption and expansion of this program and to pass the need to make a decision to next president. The US leadership is not ready to make the decision now because the recent military developments have shown that despite all money spending, supplies and CIA efforts, Washington still cannot rely on the moderate terrorists as a clearly pro-US force on the ground. Every US attempt to separate secular militant groups from jihadi factions, at least for PR needs, have failed. And the recently created New Syrian Army (NSyA) has shown an impotence in clashes with ISIS. The US propaganda campaign to discredit Russian-Syrian-Iranian operations to liberate Aleppo faced a significant problem – massive civilian casualties during the Mosul offensive, supported by the US-led coalition.
In this case, open and massive supplies of arms and munitions to the terrorist groups in Syria could lead to significant loses for Washington in political and PR terms and will hardly lead to strengthening of the US influence on the Syrian conflict. If the US administration avoids to do this, Moscow, Damascus and Tehran will fully take the initiative in the war that would also lead to negative effects to the US influence in the Middle East.
So, most likely, Washington will make a compromise decision to allow its regional allies – Saudi Arabia or Qatar – to supply limited numbers of man-portable air-defense systems to the so-called ‘opposition’, even if this opposition is al-Nusra Front. At the same time, the US-controlled media and diplomats will continue to put pressure on Syria, Russia and Iran over alleged civilian casualties in Aleppo city and ignore the humanitarian situation in Iraq. It will not allow the terrorists to re-take the initiative in the war but will buy time until the new US president comes into the office and start to impellent own strategy in the region. Related Posts: No Related Posts The views expressed herein are the views of the author exclusively and not necessarily the views of VT, VT authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians, or the Veterans Today Network and its assigns. LEGAL NOTICE - COMMENT POLICY Posted by South Front on October 29, 2016, With 248 Reads Filed under World . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 . You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. FaceBook Comments
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551 | Upset by Brexit, Some British Jews Look to Germany - The New York Times | Kimiko De Freytas-Tamura | LONDON — Until Britain voted to leave the European Union, Philip Levine never thought deeply about his Jewish heritage. But looking for a way to ensure that he could still work and live in Europe once Britain leaves the bloc, Mr. Levine, 35, who was born in Britain and lives in London, decided to do what some Jews, including his relatives, might consider unthinkable: apply for German citizenship. He did so by employing a provision of German law that has been on the books since 1949 but that has been little used in recent years. With some exceptions, it allows anyone whom the Nazis stripped of their German citizenship “on political, racial or religious grounds” from Jan. 30, 1933, to May 8, 1945, and their descendants, to have their citizenship restored. (For those born before April 1, 1953, German citizenship can be derived through the father only.) Most of those who lost their citizenship during that period were Jews, though they also included other minorities and political opponents. He is not alone in turning to the German law after Britain’s decision to end its membership in the European Union, also known as Brexit. Since the vote in June, the German Embassy in London said it had received at least 400 requests from Britons for information about German citizenship under a legal provision known as Article 116. At least 100 are formal applications by individuals or families, said Knud Noelle, an embassy official. “We expect more in coming weeks,” he said, adding that the embassy normally receives roughly 20 such applications every year. The interest among British Jews is far greater than ever before, said Michael Newman, the chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, who said that he, too, was considering applying for German citizenship. The association is based in London. “I don’t remember hearing of requests before” for German citizenship in the association’s history, he said. “It’s taken Brexit to do this. It was a . ” The development is among the most surprising techniques being used by British and European citizens as they seek a second passport that would allow them to retain their ability to travel, work and live anywhere in the bloc even after Britain’s departure is complete sometime in the next several years. People from the Continent living in Britain, Britons living in Europe and Britons living at home but eager to retain the benefits of European citizenship are investigating their heritage, considering marriage, studying residency requirements and otherwise searching for legal paths to get around the effects of the British vote. “I didn’t realize how simple it is,” Mr. Levine said of the application process for German citizenship, adding that he had done it initially for practical reasons and because his brother brought it up. “It’s literally a back door” into Europe. Britain allows dual citizenship, and Jews interviewed for this article said they planned to keep their British nationality. They said they had no immediate plans to move to Germany, either. Rather, German citizenship would allow them to keep traveling inside the European Union and maintain other benefits of belonging to Europe. Many British Jews, especially the younger generations, are comfortable with Germany, which they say has done enough to confront its past. Richard Ferrer, the editor of Jewish News, which is based in London, said he did not plan to apply for German citizenship, but only because he was a “born and bred Brit. ” Germany has done everything in its power to right its past wrongs, he said. “I’m very and I’m very happy with Germany,” he said. But if the process of applying for citizenship is straightforward, it is wrapped in complex questions of identity and statehood that tore Europe apart in the last century, one more unintended consequence of Britain’s decision to go its own way after more than 20 years in the union. In Mr. Levine’s case, his grandparents fled Germany in 1939, at the start of World War II. They kept their documents, including old passports and entry visas into Britain, which are necessary for the application process. About 70, 000 Jews from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia arrived in Britain before 1939, Mr. Newman said. But those from Germany and Austria, enemy states, were regarded with suspicion by the British authorities. Many were held in internment camps in places like the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man, often together with Germans who had also decided to resettle in Britain. After the Nazi Party was declared the only legal party in Germany, the government passed a law to strip individual Jews of their German citizenship, with their names listed in the Reich Law Gazette. Jews living abroad lost their citizenship in November 1941. As deportations began and the first extermination camps were being built, Jews were stripped of their assets, leaving many stranded in Germany because their passports had been nullified. For some of the British Jews now applying for German citizenship, the process has led them to confront, for the first time, a painful family history. Some American Jews are going through the same process, albeit without the additional incentive provided by Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. Mr. Levine is an artist and uses his shaved head as a canvas for what he calls headism, artwork intended to raise awareness of mental health issues. He grew up feeling very British, but has also traveled extensively across Europe and has many German friends. His grandparents avoided talking about Nazi Germany — and he did not ask. Not long ago, for the first time, Mr. Levine held in his hands a passport belonging to his grandfather, a large red “J” stamped on the cover to signify “Jude,” German for Jew. His aunt, who kept the document, also showed him a Nazi government letter notifying his grandfather that one of his names had been changed to sound more Jewish. In the space of a couple of weeks, as Mr. Levine asked questions and dug around his family archives, what was originally a practical decision took on a more personal meaning. “My reaction became — I want to spite the Nazis,” said Mr. Levine, who asked some of his German friends to translate the letter because he does not speak German. They, too, expressed outrage over its contents. It was only then that he fully realized his part in history, he said, and felt that “now I can do something about it. ” Thomas Harding is another Jewish Briton applying for German citizenship. “I feel much more comfortable about Germany and Germans,” he said. When Britain announced it was leaving Europe, “I felt really distressed,” he said. “I felt like I was losing something. ” The of Alfred Alexander, a prominent doctor in Berlin whose patients included Albert Einstein and Marlene Dietrich, Mr. Harding, 48, said that his desire for citizenship stemmed from a project to restore his ’s home, which was seized by the Nazis and only recently returned to the family. The summer house, on Berlin’s westernmost border in Gross Glienicke, Germany, and near what used to be a Nazi airfield, was awarded a landmark status in 2014 and turned into a memorial for truth and reconciliation. The project was the focus of his recently published book, “The House by the Lake. ” Villagers of Gross Glienicke had initially reached out to him for a separate project researching the village’s Jewish families, including his. In the beginning, “I still had a lot of antagonism toward Germany and the Germans,” Mr. Harding said. “I was very distrustful. ” But as his relationship with the villagers deepened, work on the house progressed and a tentative friendship blossomed, “it gave me the confidence of walking through the door,” he said. “And they welcomed me through. ” His attitude toward Germany brightened further when it began accepting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. “I was very grateful to the Germans, because I think it was incredibly brave, very difficult, very controversial, but the right decision,” he said. His sister, who lives in Germany and is married to a Syrian Kurd, brought over their Syrian relatives earlier this year. Mr. Harding said he felt a sense of wonder at how history is an endless repetition. “This is not about Germans or Jews or Syrians,” he said. “This is a human condition. This is going to happen all the time. ” That all came to a head at 9 a. m. on June 23, he said, barely two hours after Britain finished tallying the vote to leave the European Union. “I thought, ‘O. K. I actually do not want to be apart from Europe,’” Mr. Harding recalled telling himself. “I love the fact that I’m not applying for citizenship — I’m having my citizenship restored,” he said. “It’s in the initial basic law when Germany was created. I just think that is so powerful. ” | 0 |
552 | Girl Asks Her 20 Boyfriends To Each Give Her an iPhone, Uses The Money To Buy a House | Arnold Monteverde ([email protected]) | We have heard the stories about Apple fanatics selling body parts and changing their passport in order to get the latest products from the company, but this latest story coming from China gives a different perspective on how you can use Apple devices as a tool.
As a rather strange tool, in fact: an entrepreneurial Chinese woman is said to have convinced 20 men that she has been dating to buy her iPhones, which she would then sell and use the money as a downpayment for a house.
The purchase of a house is probably the single biggest one-time spending in the lifetime of a person, and it could take long years of hard work, so it is indeed remarkable that the woman found the quick way to get there (however, not the most ethical one, arguably).
Let’s make it clear: the story seems to have started on local Tian Ya Yi Du forum, where someone by the nickname Proud Qiaoba told the story of how her co-worker Xiaoli (not her real name) asked each of her 20 current boyfriends to buy her the new iPhone 7. How in the world is it possible to simulatenously date 20 people remains a mystery that gives this whole story a bit of a fairy tale aura, but knowing that China suffers from a terrible male-to-female ratio let’s assume that is somehow possible.
Xiaoli, whose life remains veiled in secrecy, then sold all of the phones to a suspiciously particular place: mobile phone recycling site Hui Shou Bao, all for a total of 120,000 Chinese yuan, the equivalent of around $17,500. The woman then used the cash for a downpayment towards a countryhouse home.
Xiaoli broke the news when she invited her co-workers for a house warming party. “Everyone in the office is talking about this now. Who knows what her boyfriendsthink now this news has become public.”
From Qiaoba we also learn that Xiaoli “is not from a wealthy family. Her mum is a housewife and her dad is a migrant worker, and she is the oldest daughter. Her parents are getting old and she might be under a lot pressure hoping to buy them a house… But it’s still unbelievable that she could use this method!”
It does indeed sound quite fantastical and made-up, and some have theorized that it’s all just a theory to popularize the local Hui Shou Bao phone re-seller (the company has confirmed that it had indeed sold 20 iPhones from a single person recently).
Meanwhile, the whole story quickly started becoming popular in China: a ’20 mobiles for a house’ hashtag went trending on local microblog Weibo and has been used more than 13 million times.
Reaction sway from admiration for Xiaoli’s boyfriend-getting and management skills to sheer awe and condemnation of her actions. Whatever it is, Xiaoli – if she even exists – is now said to shy away from the public eye and to refuse interviews from media. That’s actually not surprising… those 20 boyfriends surely would not be happy about her actions.
Phone Arena
SOURCE | 1 |
553 | В МВД опровергли, что разыскивают 13-летнюю дочь Сердюкова | null | 0 комментариев 3 поделились Фото: Fotodom.ru/Коммерсантъ
Ранее в СМИ появилась информация о том, что в Москве без вести пропала 13-летняя дочь Анатолия Сердюкова. Якобы 26 октября Наталья сбежала из дома вместе с 16-летней подругой, и к поиску подростков подключились сотрудники ФСБ РФ.
По данным "МК", школьницы запланировали побег еще несколько дней назад. 16-летняя девочка вела себя странно. По словам родных, в выходные школьница купила походную палатку. А 26 октября, придя домой из школы, надела теплые вещи, немного перекусила и убежала из дома на глазах удивленной бабушки. Позже родственники нашли записку, вложенную в планшет со словами: "Я ушла познавать мир".
Родители девочки сразу позвонили в полицию. Тогда выяснилось, что школьница ушла из дома с 13-летней подружкой, дочерью от второго брака бывшего министра обороны Анатолия Сердюкова. Подростки познакомилась по интернету, а за день до побега ходили вместе в театр.
Как сообщают СМИ, Наталья проживает в отцовской квартире на Рочдельской улице, рядом с Белым домом. Перед побегом девочка отправила маме смс-сообщение: "Я ухожу из дома". Телефон беглянка не отключила, поэтому аппарат успели запеленговать.
Не так давно еще один представитель "золотой молодежи" попал на страницы СМИ. Сына вице-президента "Лукойла" Руслана Шамсуарова приговорили к 300 часам обязательных работ по делу о гонке на Gelandewagen. Как сообщает РИА Новости, такое же наказание Гагаринский суд Москвы назначил Виктору Ускову.
Обвинения в угрозе применения насилия в отношении сотрудников ДПС с них сняты, однако, оба признаны виновными в оскорблении полицейских. Сидевший за рулем во время погони, Абдувахоб Маджидов, оправдан по всем эпизодам. Суд также постановил изъять элитный внедорожник в пользу государства.
Напомним, в мае 2016 года на Ленинском проспекте столицы Руслан Шамсуаров с друзьями устроили гонки. Видеоролик, на котором молодые люди на Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG нарушали правила дорожного движения, а затем пытались скрыться от полиции, вызвал большой общественный резонанс. Участники гонки получили по 15 суток административного ареста.
Позже против молодых людей были возбуждены уголовные дела по факту "угрозы применения насилия в отношении представителя власти" и "оскорбление представителя власти". Фразы, сказанные нарушителями в адрес сотрудников ДПС, "имели негативный окрас" и "порочили честь и репутацию полицейских". Лингвисты выяснили, что подсудимые пытались "показать свое превосходство".
Прокуратура просила для Шамсуарова и Маджидова наказания в виде двух лет и одного месяца колонии общего режима, а для Ускова, ранее уже судимого, два года и семь месяцев.
Читайте последние новости Pravda.Ru на сегодня "Золотая молодежь" на "Гелендвагене": гонки с полицией Поделиться: | 1 |
554 | Amnesty International Slams Obama Gov for Killing 300 Civilians in Syria | The European Union Times |
Around 300 civilians were killed in eleven airstrikes conducted by the US-led coalition in Syria, which Amnesty International investigated for its latest report. Amnesty says the US must come clean about the civilian toll of its fight against Islamic State.
Amnesty suspects that US Central Command (CENTCOM), which directs coalition airstrikes in Syria, “may have‌ carried out unlawful attacks†in Syria , failing to take necessary measures to prevent civilian killings.
“We fear the US-led coalition is significantly underestimating the harm caused to civilians in its operations in Syria,†said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office.
“It’s high time the US authorities came clean about the full extent of the civilian damage caused by coalition attacks in Syria. Independent and impartial investigations must be carried out into any potential violations of international humanitarian law and the findings should be made public.â€
Amnesty investigated evidence, including eyewitness accounts, reports by human rights organizations and the media, photographs and video footage as well as satellite imagery, related to 11 suspected coalition attacks in Syria. The group estimates that the attacks have claimed as many as 300 civilian lives. So far none of these deaths has been acknowledged by CENTCOM.
The report published on Wednesday added that the total civilian death toll from coalition action “could be as high as 600 or more than 1,000†since the operation against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) started in Syria in 2014.
One of the strikes investigated by Amnesty took place in the early hours of December 7, 2015. The attacks hit two houses in the village of Ayn al-Khan, near al-Hawl in al-Hasakah governorate in northern Syria, killing 40 civilians, including 19 children, and injuring at least 30 others, the report said.
According to an eyewitness account, an initial night strike was followed by a second attack from a helicopter gunship, which hit first responders trying to dig out survivors.
“At this point I had a two-month-old baby boy in my arms whom I had rescued. The hit caused me to fall and drop him‌ I fell into the hole made by the air strike. That was what saved me‌ My mother, aunt, wife and children – a daughter who was four years old and a son who was two and a half were all killed. The woman and her son who I’d rescued were killed. Everyone but me was killed,†the survivor said.
The strike is believed to have targeted IS fighters. But local Kurdish militia reportedly warned the coalition that there were civilians in the area.
Amnesty said CENTCOM’s failure to acknowledge civilian deaths in Syria, as well as the poor record of investigating such incidents in Afghanistan and Iraq, poses grave concerns over the toll which the civilian population of Mosul, Iraq is likely to face from the ongoing operation to take the city from IS. The US-led coalition is providing air support for the offensive.
“Given the likely increase in air strikes by the US-led Coalition as part of the Iraqi offensive to recapture Mosul, it is even more pressing that CENTCOM be fully transparent about the impact of their military actions on civilians. And it is crucial that they adhere scrupulously to international humanitarian law, including by taking all feasible precautions to spare civilians and to minimize harm to civilian homes and infrastructure,†said Maalouf.
A similar operation to capture Manbij, Syria, which is far smaller than Mosul, killed more than 200 civilians, Amnesty estimated.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the US “takes seriously all credible allegations of civilian casualties.â€
“Pentagon has a fairly comprehensive system for analyzing themselves what these allegations are and then, when they feel that they want further investigation, they do it. And unlike any other military in the world, they actually release the results of these investigations. And unlike any other military in the world, if the hold people accountable for their actions they [bring them to justice] too,†Kirby said during the press briefing on Wednesday.
At the same time, he said that the Department of State is not aware of the Amnesty’s report about the US Central Command (CENTCOM) strikes in Syria and suggested contacting the Pentagon for that matter. He also welcomed the Amnesty’s “input†and stressed that “no military tries harder than the US military to limit, to prevent casualties to civilians or damage to civilian infrastructure.â€
“We are not at all afraid to receive criticism about our efforts,†Kirby added.
The 300 fatalities are those that Amnesty considers credible, but the number is likely around 900, the report’s author, Neil Sammonds, told RT. He said that while there were some indications that the Pentagon would try to improve the targeting of its strikes in Syria, so far this hasn’t happened.
“Until now the big picture in Syria is that they are not investigating thoroughly enough, they are not aware as they should be of the amount of civilians they have killed, and it means that it is quite possible that they will be killing more civilians in their campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State.â€
He added that Amnesty was focusing on other parties in the Syrian conflict, including the Syrian government, Russia, terrorist groups and armed rebels, who, he said, are responsible for more civilian deaths than the US-led coalition, which explains why the report didn’t come sooner.
Last week, Amnesty International blasted Russia for civilian deaths in Aleppo. The Syrian city is divided between government forces and various armed groups, including the Al-Qaeda offshoot Al-Nusra Front. Russia says that the militants use civilians as human shields and would not allow them to leave the city, derailing several attempts by Russia to open humanitarian corridors out of the city.
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555 | null | Don Anthony Dillon | These SCUMBAGS want to try and CLAIM the e-mails are “ILLEGITIMATE” because they were "stolen," but if you listen closely, you will see they are always very careful to NEVER DENY what is IN the e-mails! Typical politicianspeak! They ALL need to be HANGED for TREASON!!!! | 1 |
556 | Finding His Flock: A Rural Writer’s Book Club - The New York Times | Ben Rawlence | It is an idea universally indulged that escaping to a spot, preferably surrounded by landscapes of stunning natural beauty, will spark bouts of unnatural creativity. Four years ago, I tested that proposition when my wife and I left London for a tiny cottage in a remote valley in the Black Mountains of South Wales. It felt like another world. The view from the window was of sheep rather than the top deck of red London buses. Our nearest neighbor was a farm a walk across three fields. We couldn’t hear them watching television or smell what they cooked for supper. I found that, true enough, with no job, no friends and no television, a lot of writing is possible. I never stopped to consider the cost. Social interaction was so rare that after weeks alone in my writing shed, my ability to regulate conversation atrophied: A friendly question in the post office would elicit a response. I began to fear the prospect of friends visiting as a threat to my “space. ” Then, after a year or more, just as the arrival of our first child transformed our isolation from a creative asset into a psychological liability, Rachel, our midwife, came with news. “Oh, there’s another author round here whose baby I just delivered. ” Loneliness and prideful smugness did battle: An unspoken obligation loomed. The author in question turned out to be Owen Sheers. In due course, we admitted to each other the drawbacks of our rural situation. Yes, with nothing but my wife and sheep for company, I had written a second book much faster than the first. But I did like talking about books as well as writing them. In the now popular saying, cities are where ideas go to have sex. So much of contemporary cultural production and consumption takes place in urban settings, and, globally, the pace of urbanization is accelerating. Owen and I shared a latent fear: What were we missing out on? Owen knew several other writers in the area, the nonfiction writer Oliver Balch and the novelist Tom Bullough. I suggested a writers’ book club to discuss a different book every month from the perspective of craft, technique, style. “Yes, a few of us tried that before,” said Tom, wearily. “But someone said something unforgivable about Gogol, and that was the end of it. ” Before the first meeting, we went to a reading and met two more. They, in turn, spread the word further and the net wider. In these hills, writers, it seemed, were more common than vermin. And their enthusiasm for the book club was palpable. To taciturn writers for whom small talk is a kind of torture, it was, I think, a convenient alibi for company. British sociability can often be a perilous obstacle course of implicit obligation where the goal of social occasions is to emerge unscathed without being caught in a web of suffocating reciprocity. We were explicitly gathered not to talk about ourselves, but about books. Now each month we assemble like a clandestine congregation of nonconformists in the basement of a charming local pub: the Bridge End Inn, Talgarth. After several months, we quickly overwhelmed our allotted table and colonized the whole room. Our membership is now pushing 18. Ideas, it seems, are desperate for their monthly hookup. So what of the product? Do the magic ingredients of peace, quiet and stimulating company make any difference to creative output? It’s hard to say. The main factor, we’d all agree, is the cost of time. Money vaporizes in London before you’ve even put your hand in your pocket. But will we write different books outside the city? Maybe not immediately, but the constellation of serious writers in a rural setting is an interesting phenomenon that, I think, reflects wider changes in the global economy and climate. Artists are getting priced out of global cities, and climate change has politicized the rural in new ways. The first book we read was “10:04,” by Ben Lerner. Although the group on the whole reacted badly to the narrow New York focus of the book, the example of the author’s supreme of place (it is taken as that Brooklyn is where anyone would want to live) has struck a chord in many discussions since. Away from the city, climate change as a totalizing political and cultural concern is hard to avoid. “How can anyone, now, justify writing a book that is not, in some way, about our relationship to this planet,” our dear late member Rebecca Loncraine said. It would be difficult, here, to write one of those nature books, with which Britain is currently awash, idealizing the natural world as a zone of innocence untouched by human influence. Lately, we have spent time talking, as all writers do, about the inadequacy of language of the need for a new vocabulary to describe things that humans have denatured, violated. The sea is no longer the same sea that the word initially signified. The air is no longer the air it once was, and so on. Pretentious perhaps, but urgent too. Strangely, I have met more writers in these hills than I ever knew in all the global cities in which I have lived: New York, Chicago, Nairobi, London. Not only has moving away from the city increased my productivity, but I am blessed with that rare thing: a fresh view. My citybound friends still refer to where I live as “the middle of nowhere,” but to me, it increasingly feels at the heart of things. | 0 |
557 | Venezuela crisis enters dangerous phase as Maduro foes go militant | Kaitlyn Stegall | October 28, 2016 Venezuela crisis enters dangerous phase as Maduro foes go militant In a curious convergence of events on the same day last week, four Venezuelan provincial courts issued identical rulings, state governors quickly hit Twitter to celebrate, then the election board emailed a short but bombshell statement. Opposition hopes for a referendum to recall President Nicolas Maduro were dashed, on grounds of fraud in an initial signature drive. The vote was off. For many in the opposition, that settled a years-old debate about the nature of Venezuela’s socialist government, uniting them in conviction they are now fighting a dictatorship. Their new militancy heightens the risk of unrest as the South American OPEC member of 30 million people grapples with a dangerous economic and political crisis. “Can anyone in the world now really doubt that Venezuela is living in tyranny?” said housewife Mabel Pinate, 62, dressed in white among thousands of protesters who took to the streets against Maduro on Wednesday. “We are sick of this. It’s time to toughen up and do what we must to save Venezuela,” added Pinate, whose husband was fired from state oil company PDVSA by Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez and whose two children have gone abroad. | 1 |
558 | Emigre Super Blocs Part VIII:The Quasi-Legal Coup-Hillary Clinton Information Operations In Election 2016 | Rowan Wolf | 8. Emigre Super Blocs Part VIII:The Quasi-Legal Coup-Hillary Clinton Information Operations In Election 2016 . “The purpose of “ Inform and Influence Operations ” is not to provide a perspective, opinion, or lay out a policy. It is defined as the ability to make audiences “think and act” in a manner favorable to the mission objectives. This is done through applying perception management techniques which target the audiences emotions, motives, and reasoning.
These techniques are not geared for debate. It is to overwhelm and change the target psyche.
Using these techniques information sources can be manipulated and those that write, speak, or think counter to the objective are relegated as propaganda, ill-informed, or irrelevant. ~ Global Research, US Psychological Warfare in Ukraine .”
W hat if the strife, rumor, and clamor that the world has seen in the presidential campaign were part and parcel of an Inform and Influence Operation against Americans to determine the election outcome? Bear with me for a moment as I lay out the proofs. The quote above is from an early 2015 article with the author showing what it could look like in the civilian world.
” What would we do? Disrupt, deny, degrade, deceive, corrupt, usurp or destroy the information. The information, please don’t forget, is the ultimate objective of cyber. That will directly impact the decision-making process of the adversary’s leader who is the ultimate target.” – Joel Harding
IO or IIO (Inform and Influence Operations) as defined by the US Army includes the fields of psychological operations and military deception. All of this is used in the civilian world the same way by private contractors.
In this election, private contractors were hired to focus their capacity to influence the American population. This is proven and you deserve a step by step look at it if you are voting.
What Project Veritas shows is damning evidence of what I have been documenting in the emigre series articles since spring 2016.
By using mainstream media, they started an integrated approach which includes influencing their political opponent’s decision making. Media is given messages that follow the same themes and fill the entire information space by using an across the board effort. The effort drowns out any other message.
According to the Observer, this has been happening throughout the election cycle to benefit Hillary Clinton. “ Rather than informing voters to enrich democracy , the mainstream media has developed a feedback loop between support for particular candidates and the political agenda they intend to support. The freedom of the press is necessary for a democracy to function.” The article further points out that it was the media that helped rig the primaries against Bernie Sanders.
Wikileaks has clearly shown the interplay between mainstream media and the Clinton campaign. And they have shown clearly that most of the mainstream media are working to influence the election . This goes beyond partisan electioneering. All of this follows the exact pattern, a well planned Information Operation against the American public .
As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was also the Ex-Officio Board Member of the BBG . The BBG (Broadcasting Board of Governors) run RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty). Most of the 8-member board, appointed by the President of the United States, are the who’s who of powerful media moguls in film, news, print, and radio. Appointment to the BBG is like being awarded an ambassador position for the media industry. It’s also why big media carries the same line or themes.
The 7th member of the board of directors which runs RFE/RL is Mathew Armstrong . He is a longtime friend and mentor to retired Brigadier general Joel Harding. He provides Harding a lot of access and influence in media. Armstrong’s background is public relations. He is an expert in IO and IIO operations. His bio: Author, lecturer, and strategist on public diplomacy and international media . He has worked on traditional and emerging security issues with both civilian and military government agencies, news organizations, think tanks, and academia across several continents.
In what appears to be a conflict of interest, at least two BBG board members are working actively for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.
Karen Kornbluh is helping refine and to get Hillary Clinton’s message out. ” All of them are names to watch if Clinton wins — and key jobs at the FCC and other federal agencies are up for grabs.”
According to her bio : Karen founded the New America Foundation’s Work and Family Program and is a senior fellow for Digital Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. Karen has written extensively about technology policy, women, and family policy for The Atlantic , The New York Times and The Washington Post . New York Times columnist David Brooks cited her Democracy article “Families Valued,” focused on “juggler families” as one of the best magazine articles of 2006. Michael Kempner is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of MWW Group, a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, and may get a greater role if she is elected . Kempner is a member of the Public Relations Hall of Fame. Michael Kempner hired Anthony Weiner after the sexting scandal broke in 2011.
Jeff Shell, chairman of the BBG and Universal Filmed Entertainment is supporting a secondary role by being an honor roll donor to the Atlantic Council . While the BBG is supposed to be neutral it has continuously helped increase tensions in Eastern Europe. While giving to the Atlantic Council may not be illegal while in his position, currently, the Atlantic Council’s main effort is to ignite a war with Russia. This may set up a major conflict of interest.
According to journalist Robert Parry “The people that will be taking senior positions and especially in foreign policy believe “This consensus is driven by a broad-based backlash against a president who has repeatedly stressed the dangers of overreach and the need for restraint, especially in the Middle East.”
Parry goes on to say that at the forefront of this is the Atlantic Council, a think tank associated with NATO. Their main goal is a major confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia.
The Atlantic Council is the think tank for the CEEC (Central and Eastern European Coalition) which is associated with NATO. The CEEC has only one goal. The question it poses to candidates that mattered is “Are you willing to go to war with Russia?” Hillary Clinton has received their unqualified support throughout the campaign.
The Central and Eastern European Coalition represent the various Central and Eastern European countries to the US government. What makes them special in an election is that they control a 20 million person strong bloc vote in key states across the country and sway elections by themselves. The price of a Clinton win is war with Russia.
While the rest of the BBG board support Clinton’s proposed policy of closing Syrian airspace, the CEEC wants it because it will mean direct conflict with Russia. Hillary Clinton’s first foray into Islamic politics led to genocide and made the way for ISIS setting up training camps in Kosovo. Hillary Clinton has been friendly with jihadists for as long as she has had a national political career. According to US Special Forces on the ground in Syria training the moderates, there are NO moderates to train .
Green Berets are forced to train jihadis that they know will eventually attack us. Support our troops? Give them good, honorable missions. They deserve better, don’t they?
As you go through the above links, the information is staggering. Shown are large groups of people strategically located in swing states that will do anything to get her elected. The question is why?
Politically, we have a two party system. If you say you are Republican, people have at least a general idea of what you mean. For Democrats, it’s no different. There are different kinds of politics that fit easily under each umbrella. But the point is they are recognizable and we know where they stand on issues.
Tell me, what are OUNb beliefs? OUNb is a political party and set of beliefs just like Republican or Democrat. The reason I am asking is that you can’t tell me. The odds are you haven’t heard about it before. When the Atlantic Council or The Project for the New American Century takes all the senior positions in the Clinton White House, it will be filled with OUNb and similar political partisans for the first time without dissenting voices.
“Unity to act when required has been the diaspora’s mantra – this cannot be disputed .
As time moves on, we see that things take a natural course. We see that two wings of the OUN – (OUNb)Banderivtsi and (OUNm)Melnykivtsi – are working actively on the international level, working in partnership and currently are in strong negotiations about becoming a single entity again.”
The OUNb political party started under Stepan Bandera and their political beliefs are quite literally Nazi. In the 1930’s they swore undying loyalty to Adolf Hitler and the Diaspora was directing Waffen SS battalions from America secretly even as other Ukrainian emigres were fighting them. The UCCA is the head of OUNb thought in America and now they want America to celebrate their totalitarian beliefs with them. If you disagree with totalitarian politics, you are the enemy. After a brief description of what kind of beliefs the people have from the Atlantic Council that are taking up cabinet positions, the proof it is happening now follows.
The OUNb were the SS that manned the concentration camps during the Holocaust. They successfully murdered 3 million war prisoners by starving them to death. The OUNb killed over 250,000 Jews, 500,000 Ukrainians, and committed the first Holocaust at Babi Yar. Today the UCCA is funding and running the volunteer battalions raping and killing in Donbass the same way.
They and the other emigre group leaders are also behind buying the media headlines and reach, damage control, and the Information Operation against Americans today. If you want to know what American politics will look like within a few years, look at Ukraine.
There are people who live abroad, who do not feel fully accepted as a minority, and here there is a phenomenon which I call long-distance nationalism. . .The members of the diaspora create for themselves an image of the home land, which is a stronger emotional investment than the country in which they live…One negative consequence of the diaspora experience is the emergence of what Ander-son calls non-responsible politics: diaspora participation in the politics in the country with which they identify can often be toxic, and their impact can be felt through the funding of particular political figures, nationalist propaganda, and even weapons…- Multiculturalism, memory, and ritualization: Ukrainian nationalist monuments in Edmonton, Alberta – Pers Anders Rudling
With the field day the Emigres and paid media had with Donald Trump over David Duke, they forgot to tell you that Ukrainian emigres supporting Hillary Clinton hired Duke in Ukraine as a professor of history and sent their American kids to learn there. Almost all Ukrainian politicians have been through this fascist education system known as MAUP . The Ukrainian American and other likeminded ethnics are the people that will fill the senior foreign and domestic cabinet positions.
“ OUNb leader Ivan Kobasa also took responsibility of making sure the Ukrainian-Americans received the proper secondary education at Ukrainian nationalist schools(MAUP) in Ukraine. From the mid-2000’s enrollment in this educational system has skyrocketed into the hundreds of thousands. Today almost all members of the current Ukrainian government are graduates of this ideological system that was taught to them by moderates like David Duke who is also a graduate of the MAUP system.”
“I do care about social and economic issues affecting every American, but given the war in Ukraine, there is only one issue that we as Ukrainian Americans must focus on: Ukraine .
The Ukrainian issue “trumps” all other personal issues!
A vote for Trump is a vote against Ukraine!
When it comes to U.S. elections, Ukrainian Americans are a statistically minor, divided, unorganized voting group. The Central and East European Coalition is a coalition of U.S.-based organizations that represent their countries of heritage, a voting group of over 20 million people. The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian National Association are member organizations of the CEEC. Americans of East and Central European heritage can make a significant difference and influence the election result if their attention is focused.” Ukraine Weekly The Presidential Election: Can We Make A Difference
Hillary Clinton’s response is she will defend Ukraine’s borders! Even though it has no eastern or northern border to defend. She has guaranteed to start a war with Russia if she is elected.
Not only is Clinton buying the media through these second parties, but they are hiring professional, former military psyops professionals to deny pertinent information from voters and disrupt her political opponents message. At the same time, they are paying an across the board mainstream media to simultaneously publish articles and video that lift her campaign up, disrupt, destroy, and drown out alternate messages.
Wikileaks noted this when it exposed the Clinton campaign’s program to incite violence and obfuscate the point. The Huffington Post example of this is” Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar , rampant xenophobe , racist , misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S”.
“ We understand the Clinton camp has hired beaucoup and Zwanzig (a lot) of trolls, we also understand the Kremlin has done the same. We just do not know if Trump has followed suit. From a counterintelligence perspective, this is confusing as heck.
One of the really neat things about this election is seeing all my information operations and information warfare friends on social media, contributing and commenting, looking darned intelligent! Theirs is normally the voice of reason, maturity, and intelligence.” Joel Harding
By systematically and continually attacking the voter’s psyche, Americans are being treated in the same way our government treats countries they overthrow . The right to make an informed vote has been denied to support any particular candidate.
What does an Inform and Influence Operation entail against the American public? Read the following carefully. The term “anti-western” refers to anyone that disagrees with whom he is working for. In this case, he works for the Ukrainian Emigres. This also covers Syria. Every media outlet or journalist writing about these subjects that aren’t carrying the line he lays out is the enemy. These are the tactics being used today during the election.
“I am building a database of planners , operators, logisticians, hackers, and anyone wanting to be involved with special activities I will call ‘inform and influence activities’. I have received a few different suggestions to help organize operations – of all sorts – against anti-Western elements. No government approval, assistance or funding. This skirts legalities. This is not explicitly illegal and it may not even be legal, at this point. That grey area extends a long way. I am only trying to assess the availability of people willing to participate in such efforts. Technology, equipment and facility offers are also appreciated. If you would like to be included in my database, please send a tailored resume to joel_harding@”
If you don’t think this is possible , this has been going on around you for a long time. look at the credentials of retired Brigadier General Joel Harding and decide for yourself. But first look at what he promises he can do for you when you hire him.
“ Information operations and warfare, also known as influence operations, includes the collection of tactical, operational and strategic information about a competitor as well as the dissemination of information and propaganda in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an competitor or adversary in the corporate, government or military realm.
It is our job to maximize your advantages over your competitor while minimizing your competitor. We work on the national level down to the individual level. We seek to give you every advantage possible in order to advance your position, increase your reputation, and maximize your standing in your field.”
“ Bio- Joel Harding spent 26 years in the Army ; his first nine years were spent as an enlisted soldier, mostly in Special Forces, as an SF qualified communicator and medic, on an A-Team. After completing his degree, Joel then received his commission as an Infantry Officer and after four years transitioned to the Military Intelligence Corps.
In the mid 1990s, Joel was working in the Joint Staff J2 in support of special operations, where he began working in the new field called Information Operations. Eligible Receiver 1997 was his trial by fire, after that he became the Joint Staff J2 liaison for IO to the CIA, DIA, NSA, DISA and other assorted agencies in the Washington DC area, working as the intelligence lead on the Joint Staff IO Response Cell for Solar Sunrise and Moonlight Maze . Joel followed this by a tour at SOCCENT and then INSCOM, working in both IO and intelligence.
Specializing in Russian Information Warfare for the past 30+ months. Consultant, advisor and subject matter expert on Information Operations, Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy with more than 19 years practical, policy in IO, SC and PD. 35 years experience in broader defense and national security matters. I have lectured all over the world about Information Warfare and Cyberwar and have spoken at numerous conferences. I am currently focusing on the Ukraine/Russia information war with a simultaneous heavy emphasis on the accompanying hybrid war. I currently teach classes about Russian Information Warfare and a second class on Propaganda/Agitprop. Specialties: Information Operations/Information Warfare, Public Diplomacy, Strategic Communication, Counter-Disinformation, Electronic Warfare, Deception, Operational Security, Cyberwar, Intelligence, Special Forces and Special Operations. Primary author Ukraine National Strategy for Information Policy, submitted in 2015 and again in 2016.”
With his resume, no guess work is needed to understand how effective his friends are. Before going further, ask yourself if this is what elections are supposed to be?
As a litmus test take Hillary’s name out and put down what is known just through Wikileaks in a list. Put McCain’s name, Kucinich, Paul, Bush, and ask yourself would this be an acceptable candidate? Add what’s been shown here. Is there an acceptable candidate?
If any of them would be acceptable, sorry like many others you drank the kool-aid already.
“ I’ve seen how our heroes, activists , journalists, and celebrities have completely sold their souls to support something no person with an iota of morality would do. I’ve seen them say and do things to derail candidates who would have been a million times better for those less fortunate around us. It’s unfortunate most pretend to fight the establishment, to act like they love the people more than they love the struggle and the relevance that it brings them. I am not one of those and I won’t continue to be until the good Lord takes me.” Cesar Vargas
Hillary Clinton is not a Nazi. But every position of relevance will be filled with people that really are political Nazis. They are technically integral nationalists. They look down on democracy in any form. At least now you know what kind of government you are voting for.
Regardless of who wins, there are 2000 tanks, artillery, and rockets pointed my way, waiting for this election to be over. I am an American that lives in Donbass, and wrote many of the early breaking stories and much of the background about the conflict in Ukraine.
If you cannot objectively look and see a more sophisticated version of what happened here through 2014 is going on, I can’t help you. Soon the OUNb will order the volunteer battalions to start killing civilians on a large scale again. I will go back to reporting on the war.
If all these things weren’t being done, I would keep it simply about policy. Russia is not an enemy of the United States. Instead, I believe I am witnessing a quiet coup that demands legality in America.
If this Information Operation is allowed to win the 2016 presidency, then elections are fruitless. Every other election will be based on the same strategy. They will have to be for any candidate to win.
Your voice, your views, your informed choice will no longer matter. The IIO practitioner kills dissent. That’s their job. They’re only doing their job. GH Eliason Mr. Eliason l ives in Ukraine. He writes content and optimizes web based businesses across the globe for organic search results, technical issues, and design strategies. He is also a large project construction specialist. When Fukushima happened it became known that he was a locked high rad specialist with a penchant for climbing. He was paid to climb a reactor at a sister plant to Fukushima 3 because of a “million dollar mistake”. His now works in project safety. | 1 |
559 | How Could You? 19 Questions to Ask Loved Ones Who Voted the Other Way - The New York Times | Michael Barbaro | Here’s what we learned after the ugliest presidential campaign in modern times. The voters you blame, whose ballots — for Clinton or Trump — so mystify and offend you, are not a distant, unfamiliar America. They are sitting across the dinner table, or the office cubicle, or the bed. They are your parents, your siblings, your friends. Who wants to have that tough conversation, about why they voted as they did and about how it makes you feel? Just about nobody. So we avoid it. But like it or not, these people are in your life. The holidays are upon us. And deep down, you may actually want to have this talk. You may need to have this talk. So we put together a guide for how to do it. We consulted with a professional: Liz Joyner, the executive director of The Village Square, an organization that facilitates these kinds of intimate, difficult conversations. The ground rules: Do it over a meal or drink. (Dine by Skype if the distance requires it.) Don’t jump right into politics — just catch up first. Offer the benefit of the doubt. Assume the other person has generally good intentions. Almost everyone does. Don’t let imperfect word choices tank the conversation. Forget policy debates for now. Just listen to the answers to your questions. Your turn is next. Talk again soon. Promise. The questions: We brought together pairs of family and friends — one Trump voter, one Clinton voter per pair — and had them use this guide to facilitate conversation. You can listen to the first conversation below, and subscribe to The on iTunes or Google Play Music to follow along as we release new episodes next week. | 0 |
560 | The BBC Asks – What Really Happened With the Clintons in Haiti? | Michael Krieger | at 11:54 am 4 Comments
When it comes to the Clintons, where there’s smoke, there’s usually a structure fire. I doubt Haiti is any different.
With that in mind, I wanted to flag an article published earlier today at the BBC , What really happened with the Clintons in Haiti?
Here are some excerpts: Donald Trump has said the work of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Haiti was a “disgrace”. What really happened?
“The Clinton family, they are crooks, they are thieves, they are liars,” says Haitian activist Dahoud Andre.
He has been leading protests outside the Clinton Foundation headquarters in Manhattan and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign base in Brooklyn for the last two years.
He said protesters from his small activist group, the Committee to Mobilize Against Dictatorship in Haiti, will continue to level their allegations – so far all unproven – if the Democratic candidate wins the White House.
Mrs Clinton retorted that she was proud of the foundation’s work, and pointed out her rival’s namesake charity had spent money on a lifesize portrait of himself.
The Clintons’ history with the world’s first black republic dates back to their 1975 honeymoon, when they met a voodoo priest and visited a hotel where Ernest Hemingway once stayed.
Mr Andre is not alone among his compatriots in blaming the once-and-perhaps-future first couple for a litany of ills in Haiti.
Kim Ives, editor of Haiti Liberte newspaper, told the BBC: “A lot of Haitians are not big fans of the Clintons, that’s for sure.”
“The fact the Clintons kind of took over things after the earthquake and did a pretty poor job of it translates to why the Haitians have a pretty dim view of them,” he added.
So what happened?
Mrs Clinton was Secretary of State and Mr Clinton was UN Special Envoy to Haiti when the January 2010 earthquake struck, killing an estimated 220,000 people.
Some $13.3bn (£10.9bn) was pledged by international donors for Haiti’s recovery.
Mr Clinton was appointed co-chairman of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), along with Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.
But the IHRC found itself under fire as frustrations mounted at the slow pace of recovery.
Its mandate was not renewed by the Haitian parliament in 2011.
How about this graphic…
A US Government Accountability Office report discovered no hint of wrongdoing, but concluded the IHRC’s decisions were “not necessarily aligned with Haitian priorities”.
The GAO must have a peculiar definition of “wrongdoing.”
Mr Clinton’s own office at the UN found 9% of the foreign aid cash went to the Haitian government and 0.6% to local organizations.
The bulk of it went to UN agencies, international aid groups, private contractors and donor countries’ own civilian and military agencies.
For example, the Pentagon billed the State Department hundreds of millions of dollars for sending US troops to hand out bottled water and keep order on the streets of Haiti’s ravaged capital, Port-au-Prince.
Jake Johnston, an analyst with the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a nonpartisan group that has studied the quake reconstruction, told the BBC “it’s hard to say it’s been anything other than a failure”.
But he believes the State Department and IHRC simply replicated the mistakes of the whole foreign aid industry by chasing short-term gains instead of building longer-term capacity on the ground.
“They relied too much on outside actors,” Mr Johnston says, “and supplanted the role of the Haitian government and domestic producers.”
After the earthquake, disaster capitalists flocked to the nation of 10 million people, which is about the size of the US state of Massachusetts.
Private contractors were eager to sell services, in what one US envoy described in a Wikileaks-disclosed diplomatic cable as a “gold rush”.
In email exchanges with top Clinton Foundation officials, a senior aide to Mrs Clinton, who was then-secretary of state, kept an eye out for those identified by the abbreviations “FOB” (friends of Bill Clinton) or “WJC VIPs” (William Jefferson Clinton VIPs).
“Need you to flag when people are friends of WJC,” wrote Caitlin Klevorick, a senior State Department official who was vetting incoming offers of assistance coming through the Clinton Foundation.
The emails, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the Republican National Committee, have fuelled claims the Clintons were running a pay-to-play operation, though no hard evidence of this has emerged.
House Republicans are already laying the groundwork for a volley of congressional hearings into the Clinton Foundation in the event the Democratic candidate wins the White House in a week’s time.
Possibly the most enduring criticism of the Clinton Foundation’s work in Haiti stems from its signature project, a garment factory known as the Caracol Industrial Park.
The foundation, working with the Clinton State Department, helped arrange a US-subsidised deal with the Haitian government to build the $300m factory complex in 2012.
Several hundred farmers were evicted from their land to make way for the 600-acre manufacturing site, which produces clothes for retailers such as Old Navy, Walmart and Target.
South Korean textile giant Sae-A Trading Co, which is the main employer at the facility, subsequently donated between $50,000 to $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
Mr Clinton declared 100,000 jobs would be created “in short order”.
But the Caracol Industrial Park has created only 8,000 jobs.
In the Little Haiti neighbourhood of Miami that was visited by Mr Trump this September, the head of a local women’s advocacy group has questions for Mrs Clinton.
Marleine Bastien, executive director of Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, believes that Clinton-backed projects have helped global investors more than they have benefited poverty-stricken Haitians.
She told the BBC: “The more Secretary Clinton refrains from responding to the concerns and questions from the people of Haiti, this perception that she’s trying to evade responding will continue.
“Instead of allowing these questions to linger and fester, why not come clean? The questions will not go away, they will continue.”
Come clean? This is the Clintons we’re talking about.
For more on the Clinton Foundation, see: | 1 |
561 | Trump Picks Thomas Bossert as Top Counterterrorism Adviser - The New York Times | Michael D. Shear | WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald J. Trump has named Thomas P. Bossert, a top national security aide under President George W. Bush, to be his homeland security adviser, the Trump transition team announced Tuesday morning. Mr. Bossert will become assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, a position the transition team said would be equal in status to that of Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, whom Mr. Trump has chosen to be his national security adviser. The same position under President Obama has been a deputy national security adviser. The change in rank “reflects the unwavering commitment Trump has to the safety and security of the nation, its people and territory,” the transition team said in a statement. “Mr. Bossert will focus on domestic and transnational security priorities as General Michael Flynn remains steadfastly focused on international security challenges,” it said. Officials on Mr. Obama’s national security team challenged the assertion that Mr. Bossert had been elevated to a higher position than his counterpart in the current administration, Lisa Monaco, who also has the title assistant to the president. A senior national security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters relating to the incoming administration, noted that Ms. Monaco was the chairwoman of the Principals Committee of the Homeland Security Council, had a seat on the National Security Council and participated alongside the national security adviser during daily national security briefings for Mr. Obama. The new designation for Mr. Bossert may suggest a desire by the new administration to reconfigure the national security apparatus at the White House. Before Mr. Obama, the homeland security adviser oversaw a staff that was separate from the one run by the national security adviser. Mr. Obama combined those into a single, unified staff when he came into office. Mr. Trump may be thinking about splitting them again. In the statement, Mr. Trump called Mr. Bossert “an invaluable asset” and praised the breadth of experience he would bring to the new administration. “He has a handle on the complexity of homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity challenges,” Mr. Trump said. Mr. Bossert served as deputy homeland security adviser for Mr. Bush, and he runs a risk management consulting firm in Washington. He is also a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, working on the research institution’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative. Helping to protect the country from cybercrimes is likely to be a major focus for Mr. Bossert in light of the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other incidents in recent years. Mr. Bossert will face the challenge of balancing cybersecurity needs against the privacy concerns of internet companies. “We must work toward cyber doctrine that reflects the wisdom of free markets, private competition and the important but limited role of government in establishing and enforcing the rule of law, honoring the rights of personal property, the benefits of free and fair trade, and the fundamental principles of liberty,” Mr. Bossert said in the statement announcing his appointment. News of Mr. Bossert’s selection drew praise from some members of Congress and former colleagues in the Bush administration, who described him as capable and knowledgeable about threats to the country. Representative Jim Langevin, Democrat of Rhode Island, also praised the choice. Mr. Langevin, a founder of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, said Mr. Bossert had approached the issues of cyberthreats in a “centrist, bipartisan” manner. “I also hope that he will impress upon the the vital national security concerns tied to Russian information warfare activities, and I encourage him to work closely with Congress in attempting to build our resilience and our defenses to forestall such operations in the future,” Mr. Langevin said in a statement. Frances F. Townsend, who was Mr. Bush’s homeland security adviser, said she was confident that Mr. Bossert would “continue to demonstrate the capacity and insight needed to take on the tough challenges facing the country. ” She focused in particular on Mr. Bossert’s expertise in another key part of the job: responding to natural disasters and other crises that require coordination among the White House, governors and other state officials. In a brief text message, Ms. Townsend called Mr. Bossert a “great pick” and recalled that he had helped lead the “ review” after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, helping to create more than 100 recommendations about how to better respond to such crises. “Tom knows the importance of partnerships and most importantly how best to establish and strengthen them,” she said. Also on Tuesday, the transition team formally announced that Jason D. Greenblatt, the chief legal officer of the Trump Organization and a longtime adviser to Mr. Trump, would serve as his special representative for international negotiations. Mr. Greenblatt has been the ’s business attorney for years, and in a statement, Mr. Trump called him “one of my closest and most trusted advisers. ” “He has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf, as well as the expertise to bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics,” Mr. Trump said. As the president’s special representative, Mr. Greenblatt is likely to focus on peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, renegotiating trade agreements and the relationship between the United States and Cuba, among other international issues. | 0 |
562 | null | Anonymous | Field is correct about the 8a companies and Trump is correct about China . http://planet.infowars.com/politics/whats-the-truth-about-american-vote-fraud-anything-to-suspect As Curtis testifies they were downloading a lot of secret stuff from Nasa as well . Chinese controlling the vote in USA you couldnt make that up , no wonder they have all your industry . No one can deny this didnt happen they are all there at the testimony on video . | 1 |
563 | Coming Unglued | John Kaminski | By John Kaminski on October 30, 2016 John Kaminski — The Rebel.org Oct 24, 2016 Dark secrets remain unrevealed as society’s fabric disintegrates Why is every major politician surrounded by Jewish ‘advisers’?
Too many things don’t make sense.
What makes us act against our own best interests?
Why are we Americans encircling Russia with tanks and missiles? Why do we create our own terrorists and bomb our own allies? Why do we blow up our own buildings and claim that the crime was done by terrorists who simply cannot be found? What do the misanthropes who operate the gears of power want by causing constant conflict?
Sometimes Washington reminds me of the Old Testament, ruled by a wrathful God who orders us to kill those whose property we wish to steal. Why would we hire the most odious criminals in the world to butcher the inhabitants of Middle Eastern countries? I mean, whose work are we doing by these actions, covertly funding Israel-friendly Arab radicals to demolish nations who refuse to do our bidding?
There can be only one answer. America is no longer run by Americans. Because the same people who commit the crimes own the newspapers and TV networks, most Americans don’t realize their country has long ago been taken away by the very international bankers Henry Ford warned us about, who Adolf Hitler warned us about.
Now Ford and Hitler are the most widely reviled personalities from the 20th century. Not a day goes by when you don’t hear something nasty about them. They tried to stop the Jewish takeover of reality. The tidal wave of Jew-owned white noise media overwhelmed them.
What most people still don’t realize is that none of these neocon wars would have happened had Hitler won World War II. He never wanted to conquer anyone. He only wanted the return of Germany’s ancestral lands, which had been stolen by the Jewish allies (US, Britain, USSR) after World War I.
All the horror stories about Hitler are projected Jewish fantasies that have dominated the Western airwaves for a half century. They are meant to obscure Hitler’s economic miracle and the path to a financial future free of the vampire Jews.
Hitler floated seven peace proposals prior to World War II. But because he had challenged the Jewish monopoly of control of the world’s financial affairs, the Jews would let him have no peace. The secret Jew Roosevelt pushed the levers of war. Winston Churchill started bombing the first day he took office.
Think of all the wars that have been spawned by the Jewish murder machine since that time, the 1940s. It’s impossible to say that none of them would have happened, but had Hitler won, the Jews would not now be strutting around the world using U.S. military might as its brutal enforcer to rob all nations of the their most valuable possessions, and even more chilling, to stamp out all traces of opposition to their psychopathological hijacking of everyone’s reality.
You can’t live a normal life because of the Jews, harvesting and neutering everything they encounter, like some robot parasite destined to suck the life out of the world, as Hitler and Ford both warned us about, turning your food into poison and your daughters into tramps.
There is no one to turn to for help. Turn to the wrong person and you can get killed.
Call the cops and your pet’s as good as dead.
Anywhere in the white United States, if you saw a woman being raped by 20 men on the street, everyone’s first impulse would be to stop the crime, or at least report it to the cops.
Not so in the ugly deserts of the Middle East, where insane Arab terrorists hired by Jews and Americans commit the most barbaric crimes in order to blame these false flag atrocities on people it means to exterminate, a task for which any excuse will do for these world famous killers.
This is the real American personality, the goons who hired those al-Qaeda mercenaries to rape and kill Qaddafi in the streets, people like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Stone cold killers. And they laugh about it.
If you were in your right mind, you wouldn’t ever trust people like this.
America gassed those hundreds of children in Syria and tried to blame it on Assad. People finally began to realize that nothing the U.S. government ever says is true. The terrorists who supposedly slit people’s throats are so over-the-top because they are all a Hollywood act < http://www.globalresearch.ca/isis-beheadings-of-journalists-cia-admitted-to-staging-fake-jihadist-videos-in-2010/5399345 >.
Americans have begun to realize that they are the killers they thought they had been fighting. It turns out the fight has just begun.
Unglued. Society is becoming unglued. The fabric of society is disintegrating. What horrific chaos is sure to follow can only be envisioned by our most harrowing nightmares.
There are no explanations that adequately describe what exactly is happening to the world at the present time except to note that things that once seemed to work now no longer do.
It seems like freedom has been devalued and shackled, and governments make too many decisions the people never wanted, like the World Wars, the Great Depression and the War on Drugs.
To be an American today is like living in a grand old steamship that is not so slowly sinking into a jellified ocean, petrified minds in a viscous sea of misinformation, afraid to challenge orders they know are lies, sliding into oblivion without a clue that they are doing so.
The separation of the population into chosen and neglected applies to all religions, guaranteeing perpetual sectarian strife. Those who are chosen believe it is their right to rob and kill whomever they choose, that they are simply following the laws of nature and the personalized deity they choose to hallucinate.
Governments have adopted this policy. Peace is achieved when robbers agree to divide the spoils. The rest of the people are left to scramble for scraps. It has always been this way, I think.
The government overreach to extend help to needy immigrants is really part of a ploy to dilute the American electorate into undereducated slaves who will support the government through any atrocity because it is the government that is keeping them alive.
This is how the Democrats guarantee themselves a majority of citizens too grateful for the financial help to ever quarrel with the government’s expansionist objectives and its continuing restrictions on individual rights.
There are simply too many subjects to be addressed, to be worried about.
They swathe all the final cuts of vegetables, right before it goes to market, with Glyphosate, to make sure everyone gets poisoned.
Step in brackish Louisiana water with a cut on your foot and your body will completely disintegrate in a few weeks.
The fallacy of the cloister regiments us into soldier slaves, causing us to murder those who disagree with what we say.
The more technology increases the faster human abilities dissipate.
The flaw of democracy is that the people with the money can convince the people with the guns to start shooting at any time.
The government has blackmailed states into implementing a Communist agenda that reduces the intelligence of citizens.
So many lies told over so many years.
As long as we try to see things through the toxic filter of Jewish media, what we see will be a mirage that aims to mislead, exploit or destroy us. Coming unglued.
The world is coming unglued.
Like the Atlantic Gulfstream, the circadian rhythm of the planet has been disrupted.
Ever since it was discovered that men will kill each other over practically anything, there have been those who will cultivate disagreements for profit, such as weapons makers who seek to widen their markets by endlessly promoting conflict, or newspaper owners who fan the flames of discord and scandal and watch their profits skyrocket.
It’s like we’re all spectators at the old Roman Coliseum only instead of some hapless prisoner getting chewed up by lions, the stakes in this entertainment are if the beast wins much of the known world will be turned to rubble and most of us will be suddenly dead. This is no exaggeration. Just ask the people in Syria or any of a dozen other countries that Israel, using U.S. muscle, has destroyed.
It’s like the shadow of Judaism casts its evil pall over every area of human endeavor, pollutes everything, cheapens our lives, makes everything artificial. Why do Jews seek to murder the natural?
Why do they strive toward wanting to be everyone’s jailer and demanding immunity for their obnoxious crimes against humanity, whom they call beasts while their heckling Heebs twitch and moan to the insanities of their so-called holy book.
They suck the blood of their babies’ penises. How insane do you have to be?
Failure to identify this threat and solve this mystery has now placed human society in absolute peril, as the majority of human beings sinks into a second class consciousness, while those with the keys to kosher success join the ranks of ruthless guards keeping watch on a world of pathetic prisoners.
Too many things don’t make sense.
Is our fear of death so strong that we have to destroy ourselves to prove we are immune to it? Better yet would be acknowledgment of its inevitability that would create a clearer view of who we are and what we’re doing.
Because what we’re doing now, and how we are proceeding further into this toxic reality we have created for ourselves, offers us no future except and increasing decay and corruption that the Jews seem to love so much. Like bloodthirsty vultures they look for stricken carcasses on the road that they can devour in their insatiable drive to consume the whole world and everything in it.
The Jews intend to kill everything natural and replace it with a Jewish product that can be controlled from afar. They will fail in this attempt and likely destroy humanity in the process.
In any case, we are well on our way to being completely regimented with independent consciousness no longer an option.
We have no fix on the future. Neither presidential candidate offers us a way out of our trouble because neither will admit the overwhelming control inflicted by the Jews on the whole world is leading to a mindless police state in which our only thought will be to serve the state no matter how cruel and depraved that assignment might be.
To disagree with the aims of the Jewish monster state is to court your own death, or at least to be slandered and ostracized by people you thought were your friends.
Too many things don’t make sense. What unexplored dark corner of our brains would make us create our own enemy in order to keep our fellows enslaved and exploited? John Kaminski is a writer who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida, constantly trying to figure out why we are destroying ourselves, and pinpointing a corrupt belief system as the engine of our demise. Solely dependent on contributions from readers, please support his work by mail: 6871 Willow Creek Circle #103 , North Port FL 34287 USA. | 1 |
564 | Trump Jr. Suspiciously Helps Arizona Woman Push Stalled Car, Uses It As A Photo Op (VIDEO) | Stephanie Kuklish | Trump Jr. Suspiciously Helps Arizona Woman Push Stalled Car, Uses It As A Photo Op (VIDEO) By Stephanie Kuklish
It is amazing how Trump Jr., known for his rich boy attitude, would suddenly feel the need to get out and help push a stalled car while campaigning in, the now swing state, Arizona .
Of course, he didn’t leave without a photo op or video footage being recorded. Tyler Bower, the Maricopa County Republican Party Chairman, posted the footage on Twitter and told the Arizona Republic : “She was just stunned. She was taken aback.” This is why I'm voting Trump! @DonaldJTrumpJr helping push a ladies car off the road in 101 degree heat in Arizona after a rally today #MAGA pic.twitter.com/ngp1ZhS8Wm
— Tyler Bowyer (@conservatyler) October 27, 2016
Even the woman who Trump Jr. helped was extremely surprised that any politician would stop to push a car to the side of the road. And seeing as Arizona has been stampeded by Republican rallies this season, it’s a little hard to believe this just happened to take place in Arizona. AZCentral talked about Trump’s presence in the swing state stating : “Donald Trump, whose grip on Arizona’s 11 electoral votes appears to be in jeopardy, will appear in downtown Phoenix for a Saturday rally, his seventh Arizona event this election season.”
Arizona, a historically red state through and through, has now been determined as a swing state for the 2016 election season. Arizona residents began evening out their party preference when Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, started making insane remarks about building walls to keep out immigrants and having Mexico pay for it. We are sure his tasteless conversations and sexual assault allegations didn’t help the situation at all.
Arizona being a border state is no stranger to immigrant issues, but even with Trump’s hardcore attack on border patrol, Arizona residents still think he is a little hard to swallow. A collaborated effort between The Arizona Republic , Morrison Institute For Public Policy , and The Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication resulted in a poll showing Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton pulling ahead of Trump in the election. Data from Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll from Oct.10-15,2016
If Arizona votes for Hillary Clinton it will be the second non-red candidate that Arizona has ever voted for, the last being Mrs. Clinton’s husband, Bill Clinton in 1996.
Though Trump Jr. made an interesting choice when showing his caring side, we still don’t think it will help his dad win over, what should have been, one of the easiest states for the Trump campaign to snag.
Featured Image Via Tyler Bowyer/Twitter About Stephanie Kuklish
I am a 30 something writer passionate about politics, the environment, human rights and pretty much everything that effects our everyday life. To stay on top of the topics I discuss, like and follow me at https://www.facebook.com/keeponwriting and https://facebook.com/progressivenomad . Connect | 1 |
565 | Suicides by Chicago Police Officers Skyrocket | Warner Todd Huston | A new report finds that the Chicago Police Department has a suicide rate 60 percent higher than the national average. [The study found that of the 10, 000 officer force up to three CPD officers per year commit suicide, the Chicago reported. The CPD’s suicide rate corresponds with the extreme level of violence seen in the Windy City. Last year Chicago’s murder rate was higher than that of New York and Los Angeles combined. “There is a problem, and nobody’s doing anything about it,” Ron Rufo, a peer support counselor, told the paper. “Supervisors don’t talk about it. The don’t talk about it. And it’s like the administration does not want to admit it’s a problem. ” Psychologist Alexa James also noted that CPD officers are living in what many might consider a “war zone” but aren’t getting the mental health treatment they need. “It is a hard, hard job, and police officers get very little support,” she insisted. The Times reported that there are only three counselors for the entire force. In contrast, the LAPD has 11 clinicians on staff for an even smaller force. One problem identified is an Illinois law that prevents anyone who has had mental health issues from being able to gain a firearms license. Because of this law many officers feel reticent to engage a mental health provider for fear of losing the license they need to remain a police officer. Illinois is one of the few states to impose such a law on mental health patients. “But that’s the ” psychologist Marla Friedman said. Police “are afraid if they go to counseling, they’ll lose their job forever. But if they hold it in, they can stay on the job. And then they snap. Which is safer?” “This is a real problem,” Friedman added. “Police officers are the only class of citizen in the U. S. who is going to lose their job for seeking mental health care. ” Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com. | 0 |
566 | So you think SUVs are safe? Shocking video | Anonymous Coward (UID 19747754) | Report Copyright Violation So you think SUVs are safe? Shocking video Back in the 70's everybody was driving rear wheel drive cars in the worst of snowstorm. My dad was even going hunting and fishing with his Chevrolet because that all there was back then. Now every SUV ad tries to sell us the lie that SUVs are safer in the snow and you just can't drive in the snow without one. Re: So you think SUVs are safe? Shocking video SUV's are fine...the idiot driver was going to fast and went into the snow filled shoulder. Drivers fault...not the SUV. "I don't give a tuppenny fuck about your moral conundrum, you meat-headed shit-sack." ~Bill the Butcher "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." ~Arthur C. Clarke "He's a nut-bag! Just because the fucker's got a library card doesn't make him Yoda!" ~David Mills ~ Se7en "THE PLANET IS FINE! THE PEOPLE ARE FUCKED" ~George Carlin RIP Anonymous Coward | 1 |
567 | null | skylynn jones | GUYS THE PURGE WONT HAPPEN ITS A MOVIE ITS FAKE IDIOTS | 1 |
568 | 20 People Tortured, Killed at Sufi Muslim Shrine in Pakistan | Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D. | A Muslim faith healer has been arrested for the brutal drugging and stabbing of 20 of his disciples at a Sufi shrine in Punjab, Pakistan. [The victims of the massacre were reportedly drugged with food, stripped naked and then killed with a dagger and stick. Along with the 20 dead, four more people were wounded in the incident, which occurred around midnight between Saturday and Sunday. The four are in critical condition. The alleged perpetrator of the crime is the shrine custodian and faith healer Abdul Waheed, who confessed that he killed these people because he feared that they had come to kill him, according to regional police chief Zulfiqar Hameed. “The suspect appears to be paranoid and psychotic, or it could be related to rivalry for the control of shrine,” Hameed said. Pervaiz Haider, a doctor in the hospital treating the survivors of the incident, said most of the dead were hit on the back of the neck. “There are bruises and wounds inflicted by a club and dagger on the bodies of victims,” he said. Waheed was known for erratic behavior but was popular as a faith healer. “Local people say Abdul used to beat the visitors who came to him for treatment of various physical or spiritual ailments,” local rescue service official Mazhar Shah said. “Sometimes he would remove the clothes of his visitors and burn them. ” According to Deputy Commissioner Liaqut Ali Chatha, people would come to the shrine for cleansing their sins and allow the caretakers to beat them with clubs. “But in this case the visitors were first drugged and then stabbed with daggers and hit with clubs, apparently during the cleansing process,” Chatha said. The shrine was built two and a half years ago and named after the late boxer Mohammed Ali, a convert to Islam. It has become a popular place of pilgrimage and healing for Sufi Muslims. Two other suspects were reportedly arrested together with Waheed. Many hardline Muslims regard Sufis as heretics because of the mystical element of their tradition. Earlier this year, militants of the Islamic State ( ) carried out a massive suicide bombing on a prominent Sufi Muslim shrine in Pakistan, killing up to 88 people and wounding more than 300 others. Last November, another Islamic State attack at a Sufi shrine in Pakistan left a least 52 people dead and more than 100 others injured. A bomb blast hit worshipers participating in a ceremony at the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Noorani, some 750 kilometers (460 miles) south of Quetta, the provincial capital of restive southern Balochistan province. Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome | 0 |
569 | Comment on Architecture is More Than a Clever Arrangement of Bricks: This Man Transforms it Into a Healing Process by Architecture is More Than a Clever Arrangement of Bricks: This Man Transforms it Into a Healing Process - New Earth Media | Architecture is More Than a Clever Arrangement of Bricks: This Man Transforms it Into a Healing Process - New Earth Media | In this Ted Talk , Michael Murphy discusses how his father’s brush with death ultimately opened the doors to his own life path of architecture, but not just as a profession, and not just as a creative expression. When designing, Murphy and his team go beyond the blueprint, considering things like how like airflow and light can produce both a healthy community and gorgeous structures. He shows us his projects in countries like Rwanda and Haiti, and covers his plan for creating The Memorial to Peace and Justice, which mainly aims to heal hearts in the American South. “ Why was it that the best architects, the greatest architecture — a ll beautiful and visionary and innovative — is also so rare, and seems to serve so very few? And more to the point: With all of this creative talent, what more could we do?” Murphy poses in his talk. He broke into the very soul of his work when he came to the realization that buildings are actually making people sicker. “ In this hospital in South Africa, patients that came in with, say, a broken leg, to wait in this unventilated hallway, walked out with a multidrug-resistant strand of tuberculosis. Simple designs for infection control had not been thought about, and people had died because of it.” With the revelation that hospitals are making patients sicker, he thought of designing one that flips the hallways on the outside, allowing people to walk in the exterior. “ If mechanical systems rarely work, what if we could design a hospital that could breathe through natural ventilation, and meanwhile reduce its environmental footprint?” he said. He then discussed the incredible community aspect of following through with his healing niche in the architecture world. “ We worked with Bruce Nizeye, a brilliant engineer, and he thought about construction differently than I had been taught in school. When we had to excavate this enormous hilltop and a bulldozer was expensive and hard to get to site, Bruce suggested doing it by hand, using a method in Rwanda called “Ubudehe,” which means “community works for the community.” Hundreds of people came with shovels and hoes, and we excavated that hill in half the time and half the cost of that bulldozer. Instead of importing furniture, Bruce started a guild, and he brought in master carpenters to train others in how to make furniture by hand. And on this job site, 15 years after the Rwandan genocide, Bruce insisted that we bring on labor from all backgrounds, and that half of them be women. “ Ultimately, the healing journey became twofold, as it was both the process of building to heal as well as allowing an entire community to heal. “We call this the locally fabricated way of building, or ‘lo-fab,’ and it has four pillars: hire locally, source regionally, train where you can and most importantly, think about every design decision as an opportunity to invest in the dignity of the places where you serve. Think of it like the local food movement, but for architecture. And we’re convinced that this way of building can be replicated across the world, and change the way we talk about and evaluate architecture,” he explained. In his talk, Murphy reveals how he learned that architecture is more than what it seems. It “can be a transformative engine for change.” Watch the full talk below. Perhaps it will show you how your work can be more than what it seems, too.
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 | 1 |
570 | Hybrid Wars 8. Strategies Against Africa – Introduction | Editorial | Africa , China , Hybrid Wars , United States By Andrew KORYBKO (USA)
The most colonized and exploited continent in the history of the world is once more the center of global competition, albeit this time the form of rivalry between the Great Powers has taken on a much more nuanced, though no less intense, form. The US, France, and their unipolar allies want to retain Africa as their exclusive labor, market, and resource reserve for the foreseeable future, both out of their own material self-interest and with the added strategic benefit of depriving China and others of its economic fruits. Contrarily, China wants to integrate the world’s fastest growing economies and populations into the unfolding multipolar world order and give them a fair chance at succeeding in the global system. The contrast between the West’s neo-colonialism and China’s liberating sovereignty couldn’t be more crisp, and it’s this opposition of diametrically opposed global strategies and development models that sets the stage for the grand proxy battle between the US and China over Africa.
Just as much as China needs Africa in order to maintain its steady growth rates into the foreseeable future and ensure its domestic stability, so too does the US want to ‘poach’ Africa from China in order to offset the structural sustainability of its number one rival’s global leadership. The nature of the African-wide proxy conflict is that China is ardently working to finance, construct, and connect various infrastructural projects to one another in order to create a supraregional web of intermodal transport corridors that could then perfectly complement the maritime portion of the One Belt One Road (“New Silk Road”) global vision, while the US is trying with equal fervor to seize control of key nodes along these transnational routes as well as strategically disrupt crucial portions in order to increase China’s dependence on the unipolar-influenced areas. As the ultimate last resort, however, the US, the “world island” in all the manners that it can be strategically understood as, will pull out all the stops and unleash a ‘scorched earth’ trail of Hybrid War destruction in its wake while it strategically retreats back to its self-sufficient “Fortress North America” as the final coup de grace in the African proxy war against China.
More than likely, it won’t ever get to that dramatic of an absolute point whereby the US fully retreats from Africa or totally destroys the continent with Hybrid War, but realistically speaking, there’ll likely be a blended development of scenarios that takes place in this heated theater of competition over the coming decades that integrates elements of both extremes. China will predictably succeed in spearheading several ultra-strategic New Silk Road development corridors in Africa, while the US will probably sabotage a few others and unleash a handful of Hybrid Wars to keep the existing ways indefinitely at bay from fully actualizing their envisioned geo-economic potential. There’s no surefire way to know with absolutely certainty what the future will bring, but it’s possible to acquire an educated expectation about the structural and systemic manner in which the identified group of states will be targeted by US-provoked Hybrid Wars. Even accounting for the possibility that some of the forthcoming examined scenarios might be “naturally occurring” in that they require little if any external pressure to instigate, there’s still a strong likelihood that at least some of the investigated possibilities will eventually occur to varying extents and that the geopolitical repercussions will indisputably impact quite negatively on China and the larger multipolar world’s grand position in the New Cold War.
This section of the book is organized in such a manner that Part I will describe Africa’s overall geopolitical situation, highlighting the influence of hegemonic and institutional regionalism (sometimes overlapping, other times not) over the continent’s affairs in order to clearly illustrate the preexisting advantages and obstacles to China’s New Silk Road vision. The subsequent chapters of the African Hybrid War research will then comprehensively examine the five separate categories of states and their pertinent neighbors that the author has already identified as being relevantly incorporated into the immediate thesis. To remind the reader about what was described in Part III of the book’s Introduction and to expand upon the earlier presented paradigmatic map in a more structurally detailed manner, the following cartographic revision will be henceforth used as the point of reference in guiding the research beyond Part I:
Key
* Yellow – East Africa/East African Federation
* Blue – Central-Southern Africa
* Black – Failed State Belt
* Red – Lake Chad Region
* Hashed/Thatched Lines – countries that will inevitably become involved in the targeted category states’ Hybrid War destabilization, whether as an aggressive actor, a passive victim, or a blended mix thereof. Schematic Observations
A few comments need to be stated about the above map before commencing Part I of the African Hybrid War research:
Southern African Cone:
Firstly, while it’s conceptually possible for all states in Africa (or anywhere in the world, for that matter) to be afflicted by Hybrid War, keeping in accordance with the axiom that this method of warfare is more often than not applied in disrupting multipolar transnational connective infrastructure projects and/or seizing control of them, it can be surmised that the ones which could most radically revolutionize the continent’s geopolitical and geo-economic would be most actively targeted and consequently receive the highest likelihood of some sort of Hybrid War destabilization in the coming future. All of this will be described in detail in Part I, but for now it’s enough to know that the identified states lay along the paths of China’s presently constructed Silk Road routes or most probable forthcoming projects that it could pursue in achieving its grand strategic ends.
It should be clarified at this point that the Southern African Cone was not included in the above model because its economic corridors are relatively well-established and have already been utilized for some time by all sorts of Great Powers, the West obviously included. Furthermore, concerning Namibia and Botswana’s global connectivity via South Africa, and to an extent, even Zimbabwe and Mozambique’s as well, this mostly deals with the one-way transport of natural resources and less so with each respective state’s labor and market potential. While each of these countries have a given role that they play vis-à-vis the Chinese economy, none of them except for South Africa (the hub through which most of their exports, barring Mozambique’s, pass) is integral enough to be targeted by their own Hybrid War.
Theoretically speaking, disruptions in the regional periphery around South Africa could have a strategic effect in putting pressure on the country’s multipolar leadership and pave the way for a regime change scenario, but given the rotten nature of corrupt South African politics, it’s more expected that traditional ‘soft coup’ means such as constitutional technicalities and simple Color Revolutions (i.e. the anti-Rousseff coup in Brazil) would be used in this instance. Additionally, the resources of the population-sparse countries of Namibia and Botswana and the general market and labor potential of South Africa are already pretty much integrated into the larger global economy, so there are many existing unipolar stakeholders that would also be adversely affected by a severe disruption in or around their common point of African access. The same can’t be said so much about Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the former rich in minerals such as diamonds and platinum while the latter is poised to become one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, so it’s entirely possible that they may be targeted sometime in the future. But even so, it would be less in connection with China’s multipolar transnational connective infrastructure projects than with their own individual standalone potentials in their respective fields, thus strategically differentiating them from the other countries included in the present study (although that is not to say that Hybrid War techniques would not be used – they probably would to a large extent).
Insular Importance:
In relation to the above, the insular countries of Africa were also not included in the continental overview, although they too play an important role in its evolving geopolitical paradigm. Nevertheless, because they’re island nations, they’re not directly connected to anything else besides the high seas, so although they may have valuable transit node status for China as an integral component of its Sea Lines of Communication, they’re not as directly affected by the region-stretching Hybrid War study that was commenced for the mainland. Nevertheless, because each of them could play a pivotal role in influencing continental affairs if properly utilized by a partnering Great Power, it’s worthwhile to very concisely comment on how they fit into the larger strategic equation that will be described throughout this work:
* Yellow – Canary Islands (Spain): This legacy holding allows Madrid to exert influence near the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara, both thought to be rich with fish and possible energy resources.
* Green – Cabo Verde (formerly Cape Verde prior to late-2013): The former Portuguese colony connects the North and South Atlantic and offers a strategic position near the mouth of the Senegal River, as well as being positioned along an important oceanic route that the US and EU must take to access West Africa.
* Blue – São Tomé and Príncipe: Another former Portuguese colony, this one is crucially located in the hydrocarbon-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea and in close proximity to the shoreline of Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria.
* Violet – Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte: These two locations are almost on top of northern Mozambique’s LNG-prospected Rovuma Basin and thus near what will likely become a major energy exporting area in the near future.
* Orange – Seychelles: The former UK-colonized island chain lies along the route of approach that India and China must take in accessing the burgeoning East African marketplace, and it’s for this strategically competitive reason that New Delhi has proactively sought to build a naval base and position some of its military units there in order to “contain” China.
* Unmarked – Mauritius and the French island of Reunion: These two insular areas are not directly relevant to Africa’s mainland geopolitical order, although they do acquire significance vis-à-vis Madagascar and the US-controlled Indian Ocean bastion of Diego Garcia.
Transregional Conflict Overspill:
One of the most striking aspects of the reference map is that it clearly delineates the geopolitical fault lines where Hybrid War conflicts could easily become transregional:
Out of all of the areas designated by the map, it’s most probable that the uncontrollably violent processes in the Failed State Belt of the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan would be the ones to spread to other parts of Africa, at least as regards the continent’s conflicts that are presently ongoing (and not accounting for those that have yet to possibly erupt). In particular, CAR’s chaos could result in a refugee and militant overspill to Cameroon and Chad, possibly leading to these respective Christian- and Muslim-led governments supporting their own confessional sides in the country’s unresolved civil war. The misleading “Clash of Civilizations” narrative that would assuredly be purposely pushed by the Western mainstream media will be discussed later on when addressing the Failed State Belt, but at this moment it’s useful just to be aware of the transregional “infection” potential that the CAR has in affecting the Lake Chad region. Additionally, the country’s domestic difficulties could also spread southward into the northern reaches of the Central-Southern state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), representing a dual destabilization threat emanating from the CAR.
South Sudan can do something similar to the CAR in relation to the northern part of the DRC, but possibly even to the Horn of Africa state of Ethiopia and the East African state of Uganda as well. Tellingly, these latter two states are actively involved in the conflict resolution process in South Sudan and are jostling against one another for influence there in order to carve out defensive buffers (but also markets, of course) to protect themselves from this scenario. It should go without saying that South Sudan was only brought into existence because it was forcibly severed from Sudan proper over a three-decade-long civil war period, and the dynamic of anti-Khartoum action hasn’t stopped since Juba gained its independence in 2011. Therefore, South Sudan represents an even larger asymmetrical regional threat than CAR does, and their combined destabilization potential explains why they’re both categorized together as part of the Failed State Belt.
If their respective conflicts somehow merged into a transnational conflagration, then that would represent a large-scale Hybrid War threat in the geographic heart of Africa, but the closest this has henceforth come has been the over-exaggerated threat of Joseph Kony. With reference to the Failed State Belt’s Hybrid War vulnerabilities and the transregionalization that its internal conflicts pose, it’s little wonder then that the US exploited the mystique around this warlord in order to deploy a limited but very strategic contingent of its special forces to Uganda, South Sudan, DRC, and CAR. Almost as an afterthought but drawing on the tangent of transregional conflict overlap, it’s topically pertinent to recall the Darfur Conflict and how this essentially was a proxy competition between the Lake Chad regional state of Chad and the extended Failed State Belt and somewhat Gulf-influenced state of Sudan. It’s no longer as relevant of a geopolitical item as it once was during the mid-2000s, but it nevertheless still has the potential to re-erupt in the future, especially if the externally directed Sudanese dissolution process speeds up and makes headway in the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
Lastly, there’s the realistic possibility that the US’ attempts to instigate a Hybrid War in Burundi could set off a chain reaction of destabilization in the eastern DRC, Rwanda (and by extent, possibly up to Uganda), and western Tanzania, thereby making this geographically tiny state a disproportionately large trigger in upsetting the regional balance. Although there’s not yet an active conflict in Burundi anywhere on par with the scale of what’s been raging in the CAR and South Sudan over the past couple of years, this doesn’t mean that one can’t quickly develop if the entire state collapses under Hybrid War pressure, and this disturbing scenario will certainly be explored more at length later on in the work.
Mapping out the expected transregional conflict overspill zones in Africa, one can unmistakably see that it’s the entire Upper-Central (Failed State Belt) and the eastern portion of the Central-Southern zones of Africa that are most at risk of this destructive process unfolding. Accordingly, this realization leads one to conclude that the DRC and the areas immediately abutting it provide the most fertile ground for the transnationalization of domestic conflicts, which somewhat (but not totally) explains why the Second Congo War eventually came to involve states located far away from the actual battlespace and be nicknamed “ Africa’s World War ”. To put it another way, the Hybrid War vulnerabilities of the identified area combined with its obvious geostrategic centrality to the African continent makes it doubly capable of sucking countless states into a literal Black Hole of Chaos that could easily become the ultimate proxy war climax between the US and China.
To be continued…
Andrew Korybko is the American political commentator currently working for the Sputnik agency. He is the author of the monograph “ Hybrid Wars: The Indirect Adaptive Approach To Regime Change ” (2015). This text will be included into his forthcoming book on the theory of Hybrid Warfare.
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571 | Julian Assange to Speak Prerecorded RT Interview (11/5/16) | Alex Ansary | Julian Assange to Speak Prerecorded RT Interview (11/5/16) 11/03/2016
In today’s video, Christopher Greene of AMTV reports on a prerecorded Julian Assange interview to be aired prior to the U.S. Election on Saturday November 5, 2016. Start Your FREE 14-day trial! Juror explanation for Ammon Bundy verdict 11/03/2016 OREGONLIVE Juror 4 has so far provided the only public explanation of the behind-the-scenes discussions that led to t ... Doug Casey: A Civil War Could Be in the Cards After the Election 11/03/2016 LEW ROCKWELL (Source: The 2nd American Civil War by Richard Hubal, via MN Artists) Nick Giambruno: The US preside ... Putin grants Steven Seagal Russian citizenship 11/03/2016 DAILY MAIL President Vladimir Putin signed off Thursday on a decree granting Russian citizenship to American action her ... AMTV Archives | 1 |
572 | Watch: Israel Loving Hollywood Actor Just Issued Major Plea To America In 3 Minutes That’ll Rock The Election | admin | November 2015 Ads Watch: Israel Loving Hollywood Actor Just Issued Major Plea To America In 3 Minutes That’ll Rock The Election Oct 27, 2016 Previous post
In an impassioned reminder that the freedoms and safety enjoyed by millions of Americans are at risk, actor John Voight has issued a clarion call for voters to save their nation by preventing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton from being elected.
“We were once a country of freedom, and now we are becoming a country of tyranny. We are witness to our own people burning down and looting our own cities: Ferguson, Milwaukee, Orlando, Baltimore,” said Voight in a new video. “We are all witness to our own people killing our police.”
Voight has said in the past that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stirs fear in his opponents because he “represents a form of freedom none of them ever saw before, and they are bewildered about it, and frightened about it.”
Voight said terrorism has come to America’s shores under the policies of leading Democrats.
“Islamic terrorists have killed thousands of people all over our country, and Hillary and Obama want to be politically correct and
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573 | Le top des recherches Google passe en top des recherches Google >> Le Gorafi | null | null | 1 |
574 | On ‘S.N.L.,’ Donald Trump Botches His ‘Independence Day’ Moment - The New York Times | Dave Itzkoff | Sure, “Saturday Night Live” has offered ample criticism of President Trump and his young administration. But in its latest episode, the program expressed confidence that he’ll be in office until at least 2018, long enough to see America decimated by an alien invasion force from the planet Zorblatt 9. After a palpable absence last week, Alec Baldwin returned to play Mr. Trump in the “S. N. L. ” cold open, which imagined him in a future year, visiting a military base and trying to dispense words of inspiration while the United States battles with an extraterrestrial adversary. It was an opportunity for a rousing “Independence Day” speech. So how did he start? Mr. Baldwin — who, outside of “S. N. L. ,” has recently been hinting that he does not plan to play Mr. Trump in perpetuity — began by asking, “Who here loves Trump?” “I know this guy over here, he loves Trump,” he said, pointing at what turned out to be a charred corpse. A military officer played by the cast member Kenan Thompson told him, “The aliens are killing us, sir. They have the most advanced weaponized technology we’ve ever seen. What should we do?” The Trump character responded, “Here’s what we’re going to do. We are going to bring coal back, O. K.? We’re going to have so much coal, you’re going to say, ‘Where did all this coal come from? I never knew there could be so much coal. ’” Informed that the aliens had already vaporized the state of California, Mr. Baldwin answered, “So then I won the popular vote?” As Mr. Trump, he explained that the aliens had already been secretly living in the United States for hundreds of years. “Look, there’s one right there,” he said, indicating Leslie Jones. “And so is the woman next to her, right there,” he said, pointing at Sasheer Zamata. Asked where he was getting his information, Mr. Baldwin replied, “From a very reputable source, Infowars. It’s a radio show hosted by Alex Jones. You know he’s legit because he’s always taking off his shirt. ” When the aliens at last overrun the base and learn that Mr. Trump is president, one creature (played by Bobby Moynihan) declares, “Really? This is going to be so easy. ” A filmed segment shown later featured the guest host Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump, in a commercial parody for her own brand of perfume. A narrator pitched the product in a whispery : “She’s Ivanka. And a woman like her deserves a fragrance all her own. A scent made just for her. Because she’s beautiful. She’s powerful. She’s complicit. ” The narrator added, “She doesn’t crave the spotlight. But we see her. Oh, how we see her. ” (At the same time, Ms. Johansson was shown looking in a mirror and applying lipstick, seeing the reflection of Mr. Baldwin as Mr. Trump, performing the same action.) A final for Complicit described it as “the fragrance for the woman who could stop all this, but won’t. ” (“Also available in a cologne for Jared,” the narrator said, in a reference to Ms. Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner.) During a segment on “Weekend Update,” Kate McKinnon reprised her role as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, seated side by side with Senator Al Franken (Alex Moffat) the Minnesota Democrat and “S. N. L. ” alumnus who has said that Mr. Sessions may have perjured himself in his responses to Mr. Franken’s questions at his confirmation hearing. As Mr. Sessions, Ms. McKinnon said, “People don’t realize this, but Al and I are actually great friends. ” In the past, she said, she took him rafting, and, in return, “Al showed me Jew stuff. ” (“We had lunch at a deli, Jeff,” Mr. Moffat replied in an imitation of Mr. Franken’s dry delivery.) Mr. Moffat tried to get Ms. McKinnon to clarify her testimony: “I’m just a simple country laaaaar,” she explained. “Are you saying lawyer or liar?” he asked. For good measure, “Weekend Update” concluded with Pete Davidson taking potshots at various people associated with the Trump administration, including the White House adviser Stephen Miller (“He tries to project strength,” Mr. Davidson said, “but he looks like Fredo Corleone had been even sicker as a child”) and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the deputy White House press secretary (whom Mr. Davidson called “one of those sweet Southern girls that you marry if you’re gay”). Last week, the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. responded playfully to his portrayal on “S. N. L. ,” writing in an Instagram post, “if you ever need a Don Jr fill in I’m available. ” There were no immediate responses to this week’s episode from President Trump or the population of Zorblatt 9. | 0 |
575 | Man who ‘doesn’t care’ about election acting like some sort of Buddha | null | Man who ‘doesn’t care’ about election acting like some sort of Buddha 08-11-16 A MAN is irritating his colleagues by being self-consciously indifferent to the presidential election. Tom Booker, an accounts administrator from Maidstone, is rising above the frantic speculation with an annoyingly philosophical approach like he is some sort of mystical guru. Co-worker Nikki Hollis said: “The office is rife with chat about whether Donald Trump is going to annihilate us all by declaring war on China, or if Hillary Clinton is actually a robot controlled by the Illuminati, but Tom won’t join in. “He just gives this beatific smile and says something like ‘guys, it’s out of our hands’ or ‘it’s up to America to make their choice’ and then changes the subject. “He won’t even join in with our misty-eyed chat about how much we admire Barack Obama and secretly fancy Michelle. “I used to think he was just a laidback guy, but his lack of hysterical overreaction is making me suspect he voted for Brexit.” Booker said: “I just think they need to chill out. Also, I don’t understand politics and don’t want anyone to realise.”
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576 | Exclusive: Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn Says, ‘Eliminate Net Neutrality to Preserve an Open Internet’ - Breitbart | Sean Moran | Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn told Breitbart News that she hopes for the elimination of net neutrality with a Republican Congress and administration. [“I think that the chairman will move through the vote process and rescind the order and if that’s the way the chairman wants to proceed I am fine with that,” Blackburn explained of the Federal Communications Commission. “I think that the marketplace would appreciate it if there was a clean repeal of that order. It would get rid of Title II (public utility regulation). Then we can focus on regulation and preservation of an open internet, and focus on cybersecurity provisions and broadband expansions, and maybe focus on getting spectrum auction right. ” Congresswoman Blackburn discussed paid prioritization, in which content providers such as Netflix can pay Verizon to better handle its bandwidth. YouTube and Netflix, at peak hours, use half of the bandwidth in the United States. Congresswoman Blackburn said that the best way to handle this issue involves “content distributers and Internet service providers work[ing] this out at the negotiating table. ” Congresswoman Blackburn discussed the broadband internet’s importance to the economy, saying, “Rural broadband is the top education, economic development, and healthcare access issue in my district. I have 16 rural counties, and you do not get economic development and you cannot utilize telemedicine and remote monitoring and you cannot recruit companies and factories without consistent and steady broadband access. ” She told Breitbart News, “When it comes to broadband investment, you know this administration cannot achieve its goals for economic growth without broadband investment. It is the infrastructure issue of this decade. ” | 0 |
577 | How To Attach A Year-Round Greenhouse To Your Own Home | Elina St-Onge | How To Attach A Year-Round Greenhouse To Your Own Home Nov 4, 2016 2 0 Self-sufficiency. We often picture it as living in this off-grid shack, far away from civilization. But what if you could bring everything you need to live a self-sufficient, abundant life straight to the comfort of your own home? The Solution Era team who brought us the Green House of the Future just made this lifestyle more accessible by teaming up with the renowned and award-winning engineer Luc Muyldermans to design a year-round passive solar greenhouse that you can connect to your own home. If this sounds like a dream to you, you can now make it come true. Check this out!
Greenhouse of Abundance and Food Self-Sufficiency is a captivating and formative online course where the best information and tools are provided so that all may create their own self-sufficient and abundant lifestyle.
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3. Tools allowing you to choose the ideal location for your greenhouse or your gardens.
4. Plans and technical details of Luc’s greenhouse ( in 2D and 3D ) for those who would like to assign the construction to a local carpenter.
5. Their SAFE support will allow you to ask questions directly to the team and Luc himself as well as connect, discuss and collaborate with other participants. To share this essential knowledge throughout the world, Solution Era needs your contribution to complete the course videos, edit the content and translate the material. Let’s support their amazing efforts in creating a healthier and more sustainable world for generations to come! | 1 |
578 | SHERIFF CLARKE On Obama’s Final Days: “Obama’s Like A Tenant Who’s Been Evicted From A Property, And He’s Gonna Trash The Place On The Way Out The Door” [VIDEO] | EdJenner | Go to Article Wow! Milwaukee’s Sheriff David Clarke nails it again! “[President] Obama is like a tenant who has been evicted from a property, and he’s going to trash the place on the way out the door just out of spite. So, nothing would surprise me from Obama in these waning days.” — Sheriff David Clarke | 1 |
579 | 45 Weird Bans on Women in Iran | Dr. Majid Rafizadeh | 45 Weird Bans on Women in Iran Gender apartheid in the Islamic Republic. October 27, 2016 Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Under Iran’s Islamic laws, women are prohibited from performing basic day-to-day activities. I had firsthand experience of witnessing many of these strange and bizarre bans while living in Iran and other Muslim countries. Millions of women, including my relatives in Iran and Syria, continue to face these injustices. Some of the following rules, which are derived from Iran’s Islamic constitution and moral police codes, were recently reported on by Deutsche Welle Farsi . They exist in may other Islamic countries as well:
1. Women are prohibited from taking selfies with soccer players. Specifically, Iran’s “moral committee” has banned women from taking selfies with famous soccer players.
2. Iranian women are prohibited from riding bicycles. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently issued an Islamic fatwa regarding officially banning women from riding bicycles. He argued that "riding bicycles often attracts the attention of men and exposes the society to corruption, and thus contravenes women's chastity, and it must be abandoned,” according to Iran’s state-run media.
3. Coffee shops are prohibited from hiring women. According to Iran’s police, women are banned from working in any cafés.
4. Iranian Muslim women cannot marry non-Muslim men. But Iranian Muslim men can marry non-Muslim women.
5. It is forbidden for women to wear boots over their pants. (Why? I am not sure what is Iran’s Islamic logic behind this.)
6. Women are not allowed to wear hats instead of veils to cover their hair.
7. Women are not allowed to wear tight clothes that show their body curves.
8. Women are prohibited from wearing tight clothes for swimming.
9. Women are forbidden from changing their religion or criticizing Muhammad, Allah, the Supreme Leader and other Muslim leaders.
10. Women are prohibited from entering sport stadiums and watching men’s sports.
11. In Iran, buses and subways are divided in two sections. The larger front section is for men, the smaller back section is for women. Women are prohibited from entering the men's section even if there are no seats left in the back and there are plenty of empty seats in front of the bus.
12. According to Iran’s moral police, women are banned from wearing leggings.
13. Women are prohibited from showing strands of their hair on any side. Article 683 states: “Those women that appear in the streets and public places without the Islamic hijab, shall be sentenced from ten days to two months’ imprisonment or fined from fifty thousand to five hundred thousand Rials.”
14. Women are banned from going camping with men.
15. Any kind of contraceptive surgery is not allowed for women.
16. Women are banned from entering coffeehouses or smoking hookah.
17. Women are not allowed to initiate divorce. Men have the right to do so.
18. According to Iran’s family code, women cannot travel abroad except with the permission of their custodian or natural guardian (husband, father, etc.). They also cannot obtain a passport without the consent of their husbands.
19. Women are banned from wearing clothes with writing on them.
20. Women are banned from taking their hijab off in any sport event, including in the Olympics.
21. Iranian women are prohibited from pursuing education in some academic fields. Iranian regime's oil minister argued that “education of women in the field of operations such as drilling and processing and so on that require (physical) activities in operational areas and sites is useless and these are masculine (men’s) jobs.”
22. Women are not allowed to work in any occupation if their husband disagrees with it. Article 1105 of the Civil Code states, “In relations between husband and wife, the position of the head of the family exclusively belongs to the husband.” In addition, when it comes to employment laws, Article 1117 of the Civil Code indicates, “The husband can prevent his wife from an occupation or technical profession which is incompatible with the family’s interests or the dignity of him or his wife.”
23. Women are banned from receiving the same amount of inheritance as their male relatives. Even if a husband dies, the wife will receive only one-eighth of the inheritance if she has a child.
24. Women are forbidden from having any physical contact with men, including shaking hands.
25. Women are banned from becoming a Supreme Leader.
26. Girls, as young as 9 years old, are not allowed to object to their parents decision to marry them off.
27. Women are not allowed to object to their husband’s requests for sex. The law of Tamkin means women’s submission, obedience, full accessibility and unhampered sexual availability to her husband. Sexual availability is considered a woman’s duty and a man’s right.
28. Women are not allowed to bring lawsuits if they are raped, unless they have four witnesses.
29. Women are banned from socializing or dating men.
30. Women are banned from attracting attention in public through “flamboyant behavior” such as laughing loudly.
31. Women are not allowed to show any part of their skin except the face. It is encouraged to cover the face as well.
32. Women are not allowed to have any kind of alcoholic drinks.
33. Women are not allowed to dance.
34. Women are forbidden from being lesbian. Sex between two women is adultery and the punishments range from stoning to execution.
35. Women are banned from listening to “forbidden” music.
36. Women are not allowed to have pets, such as a dog.
37. Women are banned from adopting except if they have a husband and he agrees to do so.
38. Women are prohibited from gambling in any kind of event.
39. Women are banned from having sex or marrying a man up to five or six months after their divorce.
40. Women are prohibited from having tattoos.
41. Women are not allowed to have premarital relationships with men.
42. In many of Iran’s provinces, women are banned from performing music on stage.
43. Women are banned from being judges.
44. Women are banned from striking their husband, but men are allowed to do so in some circumstances.
45. Women are not allowed to show their jewelry in public.
Some women continue to defy these rules, but many face severe punishment and discrimination for performing some of these normal day-to-day activities. We need to raise our voice in helping Muslim women in Iran and other Muslim countries who desire to experience freedom, social justice, equality, and do not want to be subjugated, dehumanized, treated as second class citizens, or solely as sexual toys for men. | 1 |
580 | null | SloMoe | Ludicrous... | 1 |
581 | The End Game Closes In On The Clintons As The Deep State Turns | Gillian | Leave a reply
Mike Adams – My fellow Americans, we are watching history unfold before us with such sound and fury that we are likely to never witness comparable events again in our lifetime. As of today, I am now convinced that the deep state has turned on Hillary Clinton and will unveil damning in the next few days that will end the Clintons’ reign of terror over America and collapse her bid for the presidency.
The mainstream media, of course, will never report this news for the simple reason that they are the propaganda arm of the criminal Clinton cartel. As such, they will lie to the public to the bitter end, even as the Clinton Titanic sinks with all of them on board (in deep, frigid waters, no less, with no more lifeboats to be found).
The so-called “deep state”— the powerful insiders who really run the intelligence services and inner layers of untouchable bureaucracy — has decided Hillary Clinton is too damaged to defend any longer . Even if she were to win by stealing the election, she would be so mired in criminal investigations and political illegitimacy that she would rip the nation to shreds while fighting for her own political survival.
It has now been decided, I believe, that Hillary Clinton will be taken out of power by releasing criminally damaging emails which have long been held by the NSA and FBI. This will likely happen before the coming weekend. Once that is accomplished, the next goal will be to wait for President Trump to take office, then destroy the U.S. economy through a controlled, global debt collapse so that Trump can be blamed for the near collapse of western economies. (Remember: The deep state isn’t pro-Trump. They’re still all about defending the establishment. But Hillary is one bridge too far for even the statists to stomach…)
Instead of allowing Hillary Clinton to take power and destroy America from the top, in other words, deep state power brokers have reverted to “Plan B” which is to let Trump take the White House, then destroy America through the controlled demolition of its currency and economy. This is simpler than it sounds. Bringing down the debt pyramid of a nation carrying nearly $20 trillion in national debt isn’t exactly rocket science. All they have to do is stand back and stop manipulating the markets and stop printing new money for a few months while raising interest rates. Monetary gravity will do the rest…
In the mean time, Hillary Clinton and a long list of her co-conspirators are going to find themselves charged with obstruction of justice , lying under oath, destruction of evidence, conspiracy, corruption and other serious charges that will lead to serious prison time for many.
The criminal racket of the Clintons is about to implode. The participants will be charged under the RICO Act for “racketeering” activities, for which ample evidence already exists. A new video from Steve Pieczenik describes some of this
In this video, intelligence insider Steve Pieczenik lays out how high-level intelligence insiders are now working in concert to “reverse the Clinton coup” that’s attempting to take over America and destroy it from within.
Even if you don’t believe Pieczenik — and I fully realize he’s controversial in his own way — this short video is a very important “must watch” explanation to know what people in the intelligence community are doing…“we’ve initiated a counter-coup…”
The Clintons are going to go “full murder” in a last ditch, desperate effort to save themselves
Beware of what may yet unfold in the coming days. Like a cornered wild animal, the Clintons are extremely dangerous when they realize they have nothing to lose by going “full murder” in an attempt to save themselves.
I will not be surprised the least bit if bodies of people in high places start piling up over the next week. Watch for news reports of mysterious car crashes, swimming pool accidents or “natural” deaths involving people like James Comey, who’d better have armed security personnel around him at all times.
Look for desperate measures such as the Clintons attempting to blackmail Obama, Comey or anyone who they think might serve as leverage to save their own skins. We might also see desperate false flag attacks unfold in the next few days, although that’s increasingly unlikely since it seems the Clintons are now on their own (they would need the assistance of Obama to pull off another Sandy Hook, you see). A deal has already been struck with Obama
Most likely, deep state operatives have already struck a deal with Obama to avoid prosecuting him for his own serious crimes as long as he stays out of the way as Hillary Clinton’s head is served up on a platter. This likely explains why Obama is now publicly saying he trusts Comey (and refuses to go to bat for Hillary). There’s no love lost between Obama and the Clintons (remember 2008?).
As all this is going down, the propaganda ministry of the Clinton regime — CNN, NYT, Washington Post, etc. — is going to explode into an all-out “bat-s##t crazy” conspiracy theory phase where they blame the Russians, extraterrestrials, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster for everything that’s imploding around the Clintons. Mainstream media news reports are going to increasingly sound like sociopathic babble from crazy people grasping at whatever outlandish theories they can invoke. Maybe crop circles were created by the Russians as a secret code to Wikileaks and Donald Trump, eh?
Meanwhile, conspiratorial operatives like George Stephanopoulos fully realize they are probably going to jail for collusion and sedition , so they have nothing left to lose by desperately trying to put Hillary in the White House via any means at their disposal, including totally faking negative news against Donald Trump (which is, of course, the entire news mission of CNN at this point, a disgraced propaganda network run by anti-American traitors). If the vote is stolen for Hillary Clinton, all hell breaks loose
Should the globalist Soros operators manage to steal the vote, bribe the electoral voters or rig the black box voting machines sufficiently to place Hillary Clinton in the White House, all Hell breaks loose across America : • The FBI goes into full indictment mode to push criminal charges for the Clinton criminal regime. • Donald Trump launches a massive legal challenge to the election outcome, dispatching an army of lawyers to level a vast assortment of charges involving coordinated voter fraud, the rigging of voting machines, the attempted bribery of Electoral voters and so on. • The U.S. military revs up its plans for an armed military coup to depose Clinton and restore democracy. This one should be especially entertaining to watch unfold if it gets activated… (and yes, YOU will beg for a short-term military dictatorship as long as they promise to depose Clinton and restore open, fair and free elections). • Armed U.S. citizens prepare for a massive march on Washington to take back their democracy and restore a lawful society where the political elite don’t get away with corruption, fraud and murder. Expect this march to be joined by police officers and federal law enforcement officials of all kinds. • The NSA likely goes into “full dump” mode to unleash every scrap of damning criminal evidence against Hillary Clinton. This will likely be joined by CIA assets who already have the goods on the Clintons and their “Lolita Express” pedo joy rides. • Wikileaks, Anonymous and every former NSA analyst goes into “destroy the Clintons” mode and begins to hack and expose every last shred of email evidence ever possessed by the Clintons and anyone close to them. Anonymous alone has enough technical clout to accomplish this with little or no outside help. (I expect Kim Dotcom to be aiding this entire effort as well, as he rightly holds extreme hatred toward Hillary Clinton… as do we all, come to think of it.) • The establishment Republicans in the U.S. Congress will, as usual, meekly surrender to the democrats, pulls down their britches and bend over to prepare to take it in the rear because that’s what they do best when the going gets tough. Totally useless politicrats like John McCain can’t get their pants around their ankles quickly enough when democrats start accusing them of something. These useless heaps of human baggage will be tossed out of Washington as the revolution unfolds, replaced with individuals who actually honor the U.S. Constitution (like Rep. Louie Gohmert). I root for all groups working to save America and expose the criminal politicians
Bring out the marshmallows and weiners, folks: This is going to be the most bizarre campfire front row seat to U.S. history that anyone has witnessed in over 200 years. Try not to trip and “face plant” into the flames as all this unfolds. It might be a smart idea to have some preparedness supplies at the ready, since no one really knows just how nasty this is all going to get. (And thank God Hillary doesn’t have her fingers on the nuclear launch codes, or she’d probably launch them just to change the narrative…)
As for me, I’m with anybody who’s trying to save America , restore democracy and throw the establishment criminals in prison. Like almost everybody else, I’ve had enough of the lies, the corruption, the media deceptions and the incessant blood sucking parasites in Washington D.C. who are too arrogant and stupid to realize just how much they’re universally despised. The revolution is ON. Anonymous, Wikileaks, Project Veritas, the FBI and the NSA have all been activated. There’s no stopping them now, and all the details of all the crimes of the Clintons are about to spill onto the stage of history, dirty deeds and all.
Be warned, you are probably not psychologically prepared for the truth about what the Clintons really are. You will probably vomit. SF Source Natural News Nov. 2016 Share this: | 1 |
582 | Does Trump Have a Fighting Chance Against the Establishment | New Eastern Outlook | Author | Region: USA in the World When countries are in trouble they always react the same way. If they have economic troubles their governments take ever greater control of the public finances, whether through austerity or centrally-dictated spending programmes. When there is civil strife the government calls out the army and restricts liberties to regain control of the situation. When wars are taking place elections are cancelled so the government of the day remains in power to deal with the conflict. These measures have the effect of entrenching the “Establishment”, whoever that may be at a given time, and excluding others. People can only play a part in addressing the problems of the country at the whim of the Establishment, with appointments replacing elections in many such scenarios. Only when the Establishment is secure does it allow greater freedom of debate, action and participation, which are regarded as the hallmarks of stable countries . Now Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States on an avowedly anti-Establishment platform. He tapped into those disaffected by the political system and found the issues on which he could make the most noise. That in itself was a virtue with the constituency he was trying to attract. Too many people have become disaffected with politics everywhere because someone has decreed certain views to be unacceptable, without giving a reason why, and Trump was only too happy to give voice to those who have been told that their views don’t entitle them to one. But is Trump’s election the democratic revolution he claims? Does it actually give a voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless? In order to exercise any power President Trump will have to do all the things he accuses his opponents in the Establishment of, but worse. For a while he might get away with it, but he will never have the resources to win in the longer term. All we will have is the methods, with no returns: Establishment oppression on a scale beyond the worst nightmares of the enforced nobodies who now think they are somebody, but are in fact Donald Trump. Who do you think you are? As it turned out, Hillary Clinton failed to get past a problem she would not have had as a Republican. If you are on the conservative end of the political spectrum you are expected to act like you belong in power when you have it. People in more progressive parties claim to represent the interests of the broad mass of people who will never be rich and powerful. If they stay in power for too long, they create a distance between themselves and that mass which erodes their natural support. Hillary Clinton has been a national figure in the US for a generation. Her accession to the Democratic nomination was seen as almost dynastic, a factor which harmed Senator Edward Kennedy when he ran for the Democratic nomination against Jimmy Carter in 1980. She was referred to as the “Establishment candidate” throughout the campaign, particularly by members of her own party who preferred socialist Bernie Sanders, who complained throughout the primary process that the voting was being rigged and that the media were falsely reporting that she had won the nomination before it was mathematically certain . For a Republican, all this would play well, except in extreme circumstances such as Watergate. For a Democrat it was bound to depress enthusiasm in the party’s voter base, and either drive it to another candidate or persuade it to stay at home, particularly when enough scandal attaches to Clinton as it is due to her business and government dealings. Clinton was about her nice office in Washington, not the problems of real Democrats. Keeping her there would have solved nothing. This was seen most clearly in Wisconsin, a traditional Democratic mainstay which voted for Trump despite the fact exit pollsters were showing that a large numbers of voters greatly disliked both he and Clinton . Many of those who disliked Trump still voted for him because they felt disliked themselves by politicians such as Clinton, who had let them down more than a newcomer had been able to do. He was “the-none-of-the-above” candidate from early on in the primary election period. Poacher turns gamekeeper Whether Trump would have got anywhere near the Republican nomination had there been a Republican president for the last eight years is unlikely. Only as an outsider could he gain any traction within a party which thinks of itself as the natural party of government, and would pick an insider every time to maintain its hold on power. The Republican Party will remain largely embarrassed by Trump, despite his victory. He may be the voters’ idea of a president, but he isn’t what Republican politicians see as a Republican president. As the Huffington Post published underneath every article about Trump from January until election day, “Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar , rampant xenophobe , racist , misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims – 1.6 billion members of an entire religion – from entering the US.” Ask most Republican Congressmen, who control both houses, whether this describes a Republican President and you know what the answer will be, though Trump himself revels in such depictions. Well before the end of his term Trump will have become the Establishment himself. So to achieve anything in the checks and balances system the US has he will either have to carry the party and the military-industrial establishment with him, and become more embedded than Clinton is to do it, or try and purge the very many who will oppose him. Throughout his “business career”, if repeated bankruptcy, con, robbing of contractors and tax avoidance can be dignified with such a term, Trump has relied on bluster and a stubborn refusal to face reality to prosper. Whether he can get away with that with the military and intelligence staff who have ruined America’s global reputation with impunity is another matter. Presidents who spent lifetimes working the system have not been able to control the CIA or the industrial and media barons. If Trump tries, he will have to exert extreme control to do it, and become more exclusive than the Establishment itself. Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976 as an antidote to a corrupt political establishment. Despite his long years of public service, he was discarded four years later for being exactly what he was elected to be – a good man out of his depth in murky Washington. Trump has never held any elected office. Is he going to take on those same forces and turn them into public servants? More than he can chew out
One of Trump’s selling points with poorer Americans is that he pledged to stop US involvement in costly foreign wars. In particular, he said he could work with Russia and saw no need for the continual war rhetoric coming out of every Western government. Obviously this plays well with those who can’t afford to feed their families. The money will be spent on them, not bombs. But is it even possible to reduce the US military commitment, with so many bases, so many troops employed, so many weapons which will be manufactured and sold regardless? Trump may well find that the best way to stop foreign wars is to buy up all the weapons so that potential enemies don’t get them. The War on Terror would greatly diminish if the US didn’t supply arms to its favourite terrorists whilst pretending to fight them. But there is a vast industry devoted to maintaining armament and troop levels, which can only be justified by fighting wars against enemies real or imagined . So how would Trump go about achieving such a goal? Trump and his supporters are sons and daughters of the Bolsheviks. Convinced they are right, they think they can say what they like, do what they like and everyone else just has to put up with it because any opponent is part of the corrupt Establishment. It is no coincidence that Nigel Farage, former leader of UKIP and the main proponent of the UK leaving the European Union, has described Trump’s victory as a “ Supersized Brexit . Farage’s supporters behave the same way: everyone they don’t like hasn’t got the right to an opinion anymore, because they lost, and were inherently bad to begin with. Based on all we have seen so far, if someone stands in the way of Trump’s ambitions as president they will be told that they are holdovers from a corrupt system, serving masters who are now enemies of the people, and must therefore be removed. In order to get rid of them he would have to use extralegal measures in many cases, and deny them an opinion or another job. The “people” Trump would be referring to are the dispossessed whose votes he courted, who by definition don’t have levers of power of their own. It hardly gives those people more power to demonise certain individuals on presidential say-so, but that is all Trump has offered so far, or may ever be capable of offering. Trump has enjoyed spreading hatred of various minority groups. As many commentators have pointed out, he has broken all the usual rules of presidential candidate conduct and got away with it. But this simply makes anyone a potential victim, and encourages such behaviour to go on unchecked. A system which was there long before a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician has all the levers his supporters don’t to maintain itself. But if attacked, it will have no alternative but to fight fire with fire. A battle for control fought behind the scenes would empower Trump’s supporters even less, whilst not addressing the specific problems which made them see Trump as the solution. Not beating them, only joining them This presidential election campaign was the ugliest within living memory. This played into Trump’s hands: it brought those who were told they couldn’t behave like that into the mainstream, and Trump as the outsider reaped the benefit. But it also created the expectation that this will be followed through: if you start such a process, you are expected to finish it. A poll taken just before Election Day showed that if Bernie Sanders had been running against Clinton and Trump he would have won by a landslide . Sanders supporters remain angry that he was denied the nomination by what they thought was an establishment fraud. Now Clinton has lost, they will make further efforts to ensure that anyone with Clinton credentials is neutralised so that they can present a more credible candidate in 2020, and will have much moral weight and grassroots sympathy behind this effort. As Clinton supporters will fight back in the same terms, the Democratic Party is likely to spend the next four years fighting itself rather than Trump, trying to exclude its own members in the same way Trump supporters want to get rid of everyone they don’t like. The Republicans have the same problem. Trump was as offensive to his intra-party opponents as he was to Clinton. Those who think themselves “real” Republicans will be emboldened by the pro-Sanders Democrats to seek to reclaim the party and its voters from the Trump constituency in the same way. This will generate more exclusion and counter-exclusion, even through Republican Congress versus Republican President battles, with each trying to show themselves to the public as More Republican Than Thou. Both Trump and Sanders supporters will now feel that they are the new “Establishment” because they have been backed by their respective publics to overthrow the old one. Though both Trump and Sanders were the none-of-the-above candidates, they will be the above from now on. To justify their initial behaviour, and satisfy their support, they will have to be even worse Establishments than the ones they have removed, more intolerant, more exclusive …more arbitrary. If the old guard is going to come back, they will have no choice but to adopt the same tactics. The choice at the next election will be between groups of battle-hardened intolerants who are more interested in serving their friends and stuffing their enemies than in the disaffected people in their midst. Trump has not overthrown the failed political Establishment and methods which created the disaffection he has exploited, he has confirmed their validity. Trump may change the personnel, but the Establishment will be the same animal, all the more dangerous for its delusions to the contrary. Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook ”. Popular Articles | 1 |
583 | In Trade Stances Toward China, Clinton and Trump Both Signal a Chill - The New York Times | Keith Bradsher | HONG KONG — For Asia, the bad news this week was not that Donald J. Trump detailed a plan to toughen American trade policy, especially toward China. It was that Hillary Clinton’s campaign accused Mr. Trump a few hours later of purloining her ideas, noting that she favored similar action on those issues. A strong dose of economic populism, with an occasional sprinkling of geopolitics, has suffused the trade plans of the leading American presidential candidates this year. Vying for votes, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton are each promising to do more to preserve American jobs at a time of slowing global economic growth. And China — with its vast trade, rising international influence and authoritarian government — is a natural target. Presidential candidates vow every four years to do more to help American workers facing competition from abroad. After taking office, they have consistently pursued more conciliatory trade policies toward China, seeing a strategic benefit to warm relations with Beijing. But broad political distress this year over the loss of working class jobs to global competition, coupled with mounting concern about China’s increasingly assertive military posture, suggest that the next president could actually follow through on the pledges. If they do, the policies could pose a real predicament for China, and for other Asian countries that depend on its economy. Millions of jobs in China and across the region require the continued willingness of the United States to rely overwhelmingly on imports to supply American families with everything from the clothes they wear to the smartphones they carry. Rapid economic growth in China and the development of a strong consumer market had seemed to reduce the country’s need for huge exports to the American market. But China’s economy has recently slowed, hurting domestic players from small exporters to large steel makers. Weaker growth at home has made it all the more important for China to maintain a large trade surplus with the United States, selling more to consumers and businesses there than it buys. For years, China has exported four times as much to the United States as it imports, and it continues to do so. “If there are tougher trade policies from the United States,” said Shen Jianguang, an economist at Mizuho Securities Asia, “that will dampen Chinese exports. ” The candidates plan to take direct aim at the two countries’ trade gap. They want to label China as a currency manipulator that undervalues the renminbi to help its exporters win sales in overseas markets. They want to file more trade cases against China and impose more tariffs. They want to investigate how the Chinese government subsidizes businesses. They also want to rethink big trade deals. Mr. Trump wants to scrap the Partnership, a agreement between the United States and a group of countries, mostly in Asia. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign took a subtly different position, saying that she opposed the agreement in its current form. The Asian countries involved in the trade pact, notably Vietnam and Japan, made significant concessions to American negotiators because they felt threatened by China’s rise. Now, the presidential candidates are lumping them together with China, holding them responsible for killing American jobs. With few exceptions, Chinese officials have tried to steer clear of commenting on the American candidates. Even Chinese academics, the usual pipeline to Beijing’s thinking, have been wary of doing so, to avoid being accused of violating China’s policy of not interfering publicly in other countries’ politics. To the extent that Chinese experts say anything, it is to express hope that this year’s talk of getting tough on trade will not be a harbinger of policy shifts ahead. “There is no big difference from previous presidential campaigns, only more emphasis, due to the poor world trade performances” and weak global economic prospects, said He Weiwen, a of the . S. . U. Study Center at the China Association of International Trade in Beijing. The uncertainty for China, and much of Asia, is whether the candidates will sing the same trade tunes once in office. Mr. Trump’s confrontational approach would seem to indicate some . Mrs. Clinton seems less likely to change American policies, given that she supported President Obama’s free trade efforts during his first term of office, when she was secretary of state. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and Mr. Obama, at least initially, all tried to help China become more involved in the world economy. They hoped that more enmeshed trade and financial relationships would mean a more democratic China with closer diplomatic ties to the West. It seemed to work for a while. But in the last three years, China, under President Xi Jinping, has shifted toward more authoritarian rule. China has embarked on a military buildup, constructed artificial islands with runways in the South China Sea and challenged Japan’s control of a cluster of islands north of Taiwan. And a combination of strict censorship and comprehensive propaganda has fanned the already strong nationalism of the Chinese public. Those geopolitics have left American policy makers with two choices, neither of them appetizing. Further trade with China and additional investments there by Western multinationals could strengthen the Chinese economy and help Beijing afford even more ambitious territorial and military policies. Discouraging trade and investment could cause lower economic growth that might slow China’s military rise but also might feed sentiment and foster public demands for more assertive foreign policy. If the candidates’ ideas became policy, China would almost certainly retaliate in some fashion. American exports, while sharply smaller than those China sends in the other direction, are a potential focus. Beijing has proved especially adept in the past at targeting American exports from swing states in presidential elections and closely fought congressional districts, maximizing its leverage in the political process even if the economic effects were limited. The biggest immediate casualty of tougher trade policies could be the Obama administration’s effort to strengthen relations with countries like Japan, Singapore and Vietnam as a way to balance China’s growing muscle in East Asia. The economic centerpiece of the administration’s pivot to Asia has been the negotiation of the Partnership. That agreement calls for dismantling barriers to American trade with many of the countries that find themselves increasingly uneasy about China’s growing dominance. Mr. Trump denounced the pact again on Tuesday, saying that it would force American workers to compete with Vietnamese workers. Mrs. Clinton, after supporting the early negotiations as secretary of state, has come out against the pact since the fall, saying that the deal does not go far enough to address issues like currency manipulation. Yet canceling the trade pact could actually cause more problems, by pushing American allies in the region into China’s arms and preventing American companies from developing in emerging Asian markets. “If America kills the T. P. P. ,” said Kishore Mahbubani, the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, “then China becomes the main center of economic gravity. ” | 0 |
584 | Review: ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ Amuses, but Misses Opportunities - The New York Times | A. O. Scott | First things first: “The Secret Life of Pets” is preceded by a short film starring the Minions, in which those irrepressible yellow gelcaps take up landscaping so they can purchase a blender. You may regard this extra little cartoon as a bonus or a tax, depending on your level of Minion tolerance. Mine reached its end around 90 seconds before the movie did. But in any case, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures are determined to keep selling toys and Halloween costumes, and it’s pointless to protest the merchandising of manufactured cuteness. Part of the Minions’ ostensibly universal charm lies in the fact that they speak no known language, but rather a chirpy, vaguely patois. “The Secret Life of Pets,” Illumination’s newest feature, relies on the more conventional sound of celebrity voices, mostly belonging to people who are professionally funny on television. Children may not be all that familiar with many of them, including Louis C. K. who plays the main character, a dog named Max. Louis C. K. on his television projects and in his tends to work on the blue end of the spectrum, trafficking in melancholy as well as profanity. His presence here may be a gift to his own children, and to their college funds. It might also provide a measure of consolation to gloomy, sensitive dads who need to sense a kindred soul on the other side of the screen. Similarly, Hannibal Buress (a dachshund) Jenny Slate (a fuzzy white lap dog whose exact breed I could not identify) and Lake Bell (a cat) might be here not because kids will recognize them from “Broad City” or “Obvious Child” or “In a World” but because youngish parents might want to feel a little bit cool at the multiplex on a Saturday afternoon. No shame in that! Fans of “Modern Family” will be happy to hear Eric Stonestreet as a big furry dog. Fans of Kevin Hart who want more after “Central Intelligence” and “Ride Along 2” will enjoy his impersonation of an angry bunny. Albert Brooks is a grumpy raptor. That sentence was a pleasure to write. There is also a guinea pig, some other birds, lizards and even a few human beings. But this is mostly a dog story, full of capers and complications arising from the arrival of Duke (the big shaggy one voiced by Mr. Stonestreet) into the household Max shares with Katie (Ellie Kemper) his millennial owner. There is rivalry and resentment and eventually friendship. “The Secret Life of Pets,” written by Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch and directed by Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud, is like one of those picture books about how to deal with a new baby, but with talking animals. Which is, all in all, pretty good fun. cartoons generally are, if they have even a modest quantity of wit or insight. And while this movie never achieves — and does not really aim for — the emotional richness or visual inventiveness of the better Pixar features, or the sly social consciousness of “Zootopia,” it has a playful absurdity and a winning, friendly spirit. As the title suggests, the conceit is that when we humans are away, our furry, scaly, feathered companions get up to all kinds of mischief. They visit one another’s apartments, they dance and flirt and play loud music and then, when we return, pretend that they’ve been waiting for us the whole time. Except for the cats, of course, who make a great show of not caring. Here I should say that, while Ms. Bell’s purring vocalizations are beyond reproach, the film is clearly the work of dog people, and traffics — like nearly every other movie in its genre — in some tired stereotypes. I could go on about this, but I’m not supposed to let my political opinions affect my reviews. And I’m not biased. Dogs are fine. I have shared my home and opened my heart to a few of them. But they’re also just too easy, with their wet noses and broad pink tongues and eagerness to please. Cats are demanding. Complex. A more daring movie would have ventured beyond fat, pampered house cats and scrawny alley predators in its depiction of them. Representation matters. Speaking of politics, the house pets encounter an underground militant organization led by Mr. Hart’s adorably fuzzy, implacable little rabbit. He steals the movie, of course, and helps it ascend to a level of anarchic delight. The animated action is bouncy and frenetic, and if the story becomes a little too busy, it moves quickly and makes room for a barrage of jokes and even some character development. Ms. Slate’s Gidget the lap dog evolves from a lovestruck princess (pining for Max) into a fierce and resourceful action heroine. Max himself grows less . Everyone gets home safely. Like the “Despicable Me” movies, which put Illumination on the map (and spawned those furshlugginer Minions) “The Secret Life of Pets” is adequate animated entertainment, amusing while it lasts but not especially memorable except as a catalog of compromises and missed opportunities. Among those are the New York setting, a potential wonderland of glamour, filth and imagination that is rendered as blandly as if the movie had been shot on a set. “The Secret Life of Pets” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Fewer poop jokes than you might expect. Running time: 1 hour 26 minutes. | 0 |
585 | Компания Alibaba открыла вакансию кота | null | 0 комментариев 0 поделились
Как сообщает Crienglish.com, кота компания рассчитывает найти до 10 ноября. В этот день в преддверии крупнейшего в КНР торгового фестиваля состоится гала-вечер интернет-магазина Tmall (его символом является черный кот). В Alibaba рассчитывают, что животное станет объектом для новых мемов и вирусных видео, а также увеличит продажи.
Ранее Alibaba ранее уже удалось привлечь ставших популярными в сети котов, к примеру, сердитого котика из США (Grumpy Cat), кота по кличке Анри из Франции, Мару из Японии. В должности заинтересованы Милк и Орео из Великобритании, а также китайские коты, сообщает портал.
Напомним, компания Alibaba основана в 1999 году. В ее структуру входит десяток интернет-площадок, в том числе AliExpress, Taobao и китайское подразделение Yahoo!.
Американские ученые пришли к выводу, что гладить кошек - опасно для здоровья.
В ходе исследований ученые выяснили, что близкое общение с кошками опасно для человеческой жизни, сообщает РИА VladNews со ссылкой на Информинг.
Согласно исследованиям, домашние любимцы передают своим хозяевам инфекции чаще, чем считалось ранее. Результат исследования показал, что кошачьи царапины, которые появляются в ходе общения между кошками и их хозяевами, могут привести к серьезному заболеванию - «кошачьей лихорадке».
Ранки от кошачьих ногтей могут спровоцировать высокую температуру и даже могут стать причиной летального исхода.
По словам специалистов, не следует заводить кошек, когда в доме есть маленькие дети, а также после общения с животными следует тщательно мыть руки.
Специалисты-фелинологи уже полгода ведут наблюдение за хвостатыми подопытными и к 2021 году обещают объяснить, что означает вся гамма издаваемых нашими любимцами звуков.
Исследователи в процессе опыта записывают все звуки, которые выдают 50 подопытных котов, когда они голодны, испуганы, ищут ласки или просто довольны.
Полученные результаты анализируют и классифицируют. Уже установлено, что кошки способны изменять интонацию или мелодику осознанно, желая донести до хозяина определенную информацию, делится наблюдениями специалист в области фонетики Сусанна Шетц . Например, когда кошка просит еду, она мяукает тоньше.
По мнению фелинологов, вербальное общение - не главное средство связи этих животных с человеком: диалог в основном идет на языке тела и запахов. Некоторые проблемы во взаимопонимании возникают еще и потому, что по сравнению с собаками, и уж тем более людьми, мурки имеют очень мало лицевых мышц. Впрочем, научившись шифровать эмоции, сами они легко считывают информацию с лиц хозяев.
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586 | First case of demonetisation-related HIV after man has unprotected sex with an ATM machine | Flying Table-fan | First case of demonetisation-related HIV after man has unprotected sex with an ATM machine Posted on Tweet
10th day into demonetisation and things are going from bad to worse. There is mayhem everywhere. We have already had reports of suicides, murders, robberies, cyclones, earthquakes, and Rohit Sharma’s ouster from Indian squad because of demonetisation, and now we have the first case of HIV that this dreadful ban has caused.
The incident happened when a man contracted the disease from an already infected ATM machine in Mumbai. Despite numerous warnings issued by India Today and other media houses about ATM keypads transmitting the virus, he went to an ATM and touched the dangerous keypad. He was later diagnosed with HIV positive.
“So did he actually have sex with the machine?” we asked an insider from India Today.
“No, but withdrawing cash is as good as having sex with the machine. You have more or less the same feeling when you get the cash in your hand,” he affirmed.
“Ok that’s interesting. So the engineering students are not virgins anymore and they can proudly brag about their sex lives.”
“Well, technically speaking, yes, they can.”
“So, who is at risk of catching the virus? Someone with a poor immune system?”
“No, anyone who is withdrawing cash from an ATM.”
“You mean, balance inquiries and other transactions are safe, right?”
“Who stands in the queue for 3 hours to check balance?”
“Oh ok, you are talking about the current scenario.”
“Yes, people should avoid an ATM machine at any cost because it may cause STD as our researcher suggested, and once you are infected with an STD, you become more susceptible to HIV infection.”
“And who is the researcher at India Today you are referring to? Is it Rajdeep Sardesai?”
“No, he is in Goa. The person who published the report is Jane Carlton.”
“Ok but the report was published in 2014. Why are you linking it to currency ban?”
“Because it’s always relevant.”
“But what made you search the report two years after it was published and exactly at a time when people are desperately trying to use ATMs? We are just curious, what was going through your mind when you decided to look it up and what were the keywords you entered into Google that returned this report?”
“Listen, I think I am done with the interview. If you have more questions then ask Rajdeep Sardesai. I am going to call him. Here are your boxing gloves.”
“But you said he is in Goa,” we hurriedly wrapped-up the interview. | 1 |
587 | 5 Things You Need to Know About the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests | Heather Callaghan | By Nick Bernabe A small Standing Rock Sioux site in North Dakota called the Sacred Stone Camp has been propelled into the national news narrative following their stand against the Dakota Access... | 1 |
588 | Koch Brothers Battle to Prevent Dark Money Disclosure in South Dakota | Quest | We Are Change
By David Armiak and Mary Bottari
The Koch network has mobilized in South Dakota to defeat the “ South Dakota Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act ,” a state-wide initiative on the ballot November 8.
The anti-corruption measure, Initiated Measure 22 or IM-22, was launched by a bipartisan group called the South Dakotans for Integrity and put on the ballot with signatures from over 20,000 state residents.
IM-22 cracks down on dark money and phony industry front groups by barring candidate coordination with outside groups and regulating independent expenditures. It cracks down on sham “issue ads,” which are really the functional equivalent of express advocacy, by requiring them to be reported electronically within 48 hours, requiring donor disclosure and requiring the top five donors to be disclosed on air. The initiative also provides a small dollar public financing mechanism, sets rules for lobbyists and gifts and creates an ethics commission to investigate violations of ethics and campaign finance rules.
The measure is one of four on ballot nationwide that seek to increase transparency in the financing of elections in a post-Citizens United world. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. FEC to strike down limits on “independent” political spending, which opened the floodgates for billions in dark money into elections nationwide.
If passed, South Dakota voters may finally have some way of knowing who is bankrolling those big money ads and before the election too.
Koch’s Americans for Prosperity Behind “Defeat 22” Group The Kochs are bankrolling the group working to defeat the initiative.
According to its statement of organization filing , Defeat22.com was founded by Ben Lee, the state director for the Koch’s astroturf group Americans for Prosperity , on July 1, 2016. The group promotes itself as a coalition, listing its 18 “partners” on its website including AFP, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the different GOP organizations, among others. But, a campaign disclosure filed on Friday with the South Dakota Secretary of State tells another story.
Of the $609,110 raised by Defeat22.com so far, $590,000 came from AFP. The next largest contribution of $1,500 from the SD Farm Bureau Federation was even dwarfed by AFP’s total in-kind contributions of $36,756 .
The opposition to IM-22 is led and organized by AFP. Chad Krier, AFP’s South Dakota Field Director, who has organized many of the campaign events to answer questions and solicit volunteers. AFP also appears to have tapped into its staff network to not only phone bank, but also go door to door to urge voters to Vote No on IM-22. Defeat22.com has send out mailings , placed radio ads , and put up billboards .
The Kochs are battling the measure because “the Kochs see IM-22 as a threat to the dominance the millionaires and billionaires have under the [current] political system,” says former Republican State Senator and co-chair of South Dakotans for Integrity Don Frankenfeld. The Kochs have been battling weaker donor disclosure laws in California in court for years.
And Koch allies in other states are lending a hand.
A right-wing Floridan think tank has been helping out the Defeat IM-22 forces. The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) has set up an “educational” website, Measure22.org , where it published poll results from 478 South Dakotans that demonstrates opposition to the measure in the state. The website operates under the name FGA Action, Inc., a 501(c)(04) that shares an address with FGA and lists its contact as Jonathan Bechtle , the COO and General Counsel at FGA.
The site also hosts two videos which are unsupportive of the measure, one produced by FGA Action, Inc. and another by UnitedforPrivacy.com. UnitedforPrivacy.com is the website for People United for Privacy, an SPN backed group that states , “To change our laws to subject people to the chilling effects of having their privacy invaded and their personal information compiled in government databases and Google searches is not they way our democracy should operate.”
FGA is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN) , a right-wing web of “think tanks” in 48 states, which has been working hard to convince the public that the “free speech” rights of millionaires and billionaires are harmed by campaign finance disclosure laws. Both SPN and FGA are largely funded by the Donors Capital and Donors Trust investment vehicles utilized by the Koch network.
The amount of money spent by FGA Action, Inc. and People United for Privacy against IM-22 is unknown because both groups have yet to file disclosures.
The Kochs Protest “Taxpayer Funded Elections” The Kochs are attacking the anti-corruption measure for its creation of a small dollar publicly funded campaign finance system, which will give each registered voter two $50 vouchers that she can contribute to the candidate of her choosing if the candidate agrees to only fundraise from small donor South Dakotans. AFP argues in its Defeat22.com radio ad and mailings that this system will “divert” public tax dollars from roads and schools–an interesting line of attack from the anti-government Kochs which have opposed taxes for roads in states like Wisconsin.
In state, the Kochs protest “taxpayer funded elections.” “Don’t let politicians take your tax dollars to fund their campaigns” is the Koch spin. Their preference is to put millionaires and billionaires in charge of campaigns and elections.
Nationally, Ben Lee is taking a different approach. In a recent opinion piece in Forbes , Lee trots out the Koch line that the ballot measure is a “full-on assault on the First Amendment cloaked in the guise of transparency.” The Kochs might believe that their right to bankroll politicians secretly is written into the constitution, but super majorities of average citizens–both Democrats and Republican—disagree and the popularity of campaign finance transparency and limits continues to rise .
The widespread support for IM-22 is best demonstrated by South Dakotans for Integrity’s financial disclosure submitted on Friday with attachments that list over 6,000 donations for a total of over $1.2 million. More than 99% of contributions were for $100 or less. The good government advocacy organization Represent Us provided $55,079 in in-kind contributions to South Dakotans for Integrity.
If IM-22 passes on November, it will put the brakes on secret political spending by AFP, the Kochs, and others pulling the strings in South Dakota. But, more significantly, if the law succeeds in setting up a campaign finance system that is more responsive to all citizens, not just the wealthy, it could become a model for other states to follow.
And this is precisely what the Kochs fear.
Two other two ballot measures promoting transparency and clean elections are Proposition 59 in California and Amendment 2 in Missouri.
Source; PR Center for Media and Democracy.
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589 | MILO Berkeley Event Evacuated as Masked Protesters Light Fires, Storm Venue - Breitbart | Tom Ciccotta | MILO’s event at UC Berkely was cancelled and the venue evacuated over an hour before it was scheduled to begin, after masked protesters stormed the venue, overturning police barricades and lighting fires. [The event devolved rapidly after the arrival of a large number of protesters, who immediately stormed the venue’s barricades, threw fireworks towards police officers, and lit fires. @berkeleyside: Protestors dressed in masks and black clothing join demonstration against Yiannopoulos. Rocks thrown at @UCPD_Cal pic. twitter. — Carlo David (@carlodavid1115) February 2, 2017, Light stand fully engulfed, setting tree above on fire … @UCBerkeley #MiloYiannopoulos appearance canceled. pic. twitter. — Laura Anthony (@LauraAnthony7) February 2, 2017, Protesters rush toward barricade before fires, fireworks go off at #MiloYiannopulous protest in #Berkeley: https: . . pic. twitter. — ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) February 2, 2017, Multiple fires have been recorded on video, and police are attempting to subdue the crowd with rubber bullets. Police have advised members of the public to stay away from the area surrounding the venue. . @UCBerkeley For your safety, stay area from Sproul Plaza and @ASUC_Union Union #miloatcal @CalSurvivor, — UC Police, Berkeley (@UCPD_Cal) February 2, 2017, A live video stream of the protest and coverage can be found here. ABC7’s reporter stated earlier that there have not yet been any attempts to put out the fire, and that police had withdrawn from the balcony above the crowd where they had previously been stationed. According to the reporter, police issued a dispersal order to the crowd, declaring it an unlawful assembly, but they have not yet attempted to move the protesters out of the plaza. In a comment, MILO said “At Berkeley, once the home of the free speech movement, leftists tried to set a building on fire to stop me speaking. Leftist violence is now completely out of control. Soon it’ll be the conservatives that’ll need safe spaces … with armed guards and fire extinguishers!” DEVELOPING … | 0 |
590 | "Authoritarianism": How the West demonizes strong, popular leaders | Jafe Arnoldski ([email protected]) | November 22, 2016 - Deena Stryker, Katehon -
In 1944, against a groundswell of concern for the democratic process, FDR ran and won a fourth presidential term, because Americans did not want an untried leader in the midst of two wars. (Unfortunately, Roosevelt died soon after that election, leaving President Truman to formulate the disastrous American policy toward the Soviet Union that brought us Cold Wars I and II.)
Today, FDR’s presidency would probably be considered ‘authoritarian’: he pretended not to see Japan preparing to attack Pearl Harbor, so that shocked Americans would finally be willing to declare war on both Japan and Germany. He is famous for packing the Supreme Court, and although they were milder than would have wanted the Progressive Movement, he wrung workers’ rights and protections out of Congress by signaling to his advisors “Make me do it.” He is still revered today, while one of the polities that ranks highest on key governance criteria is Singapore, a tiny, multi-ethnic country led by the same man for four decades.
After achieving independence from Great Britain, Lee Kuan Yew moved Singapore’s Third World economy to First World affluence in a single generation. According to Wikileaks: “Lee Kuan Yew's emphasis on rapid economic growth, support for business entrepreneurship, and limitations on internal democracy shaped Singapore's policies for the next half-century. Freedom House ranks Singapore as "partly free” and The Economist ranks it as a "flawed democracy", however the ruling party gets 83 of 89 seats with 70% of the popular vote, while in the mid-eighties, Gallup reported Singaporeans’ confidence in the government and judicial system among the highest in the world.
Although Singapore ranks among the top countries for "order and security", "absence of corruption", and "effective criminal justice,” gatherings of five or more people require police permits, and protests may legally be held only at the Speakers' Corner. Yet, this multi-lingual (English, Chinese and Hindu), country is among the top internationally in education and government supported health care. Although the system can only be classified as authoritarian, there is absolutely zero chance that a US president will declare that its leader “has to go”. That is because like Europe, it combines entre-preneurship with socialist citizen protections.
Today, ’authoritarianism’ is applied equally to the Saudi Arabian monarchy, where women are not allowed to drive, much less legislate, to China, where the Communist Party watches over the biggest ever economic miracle, and to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Interestingly, it was not applied to Dmitri Medvedev when he was President (Vladimir Putin serving as his Prime Minister). Medvedev was referred to as ‘a man we can work with’ —and even as ’Our man in the Kremlin’.
At home, however, his ‘Atlanticist’, neo-liberal faction is referred to by Putin supporters, who cherish their social protections and believe the state should be in charge of a nation’s key sources of wealth, as a ‘fifth column’.
What was the state of Russia when Vladimir Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin, America’s first ‘man in the Kremlin’?
Putin first won election in 2000, three months after Yeltsin’s resignation for ill health. At forty-eight, thanks to his steadfastness as a KGB officer, then as advisor on international affairs to the mayor of St Petersburg, as head of the KGB, then Prime Minister to Boris Yeltsin (a president famous for his drunken displays), Putin was his designated successor at a time when Russia was in a shambles.
Its crown jewels had been privatized at rock bottom prices to a group of men who became known as ‘the oligarchs’. State employees weren’t getting their paychecks on time — if at all — and virtually nothing had been done to build a fair liberal —or social democratic — system ten years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. (When Vladimir Putin declared that this event had been a catastrophe, he was not, as the Western press implies, alluding to the demise of Communism, but to the terrible social conditions in which rabid privatization left most Russians.)
Putin is invariably tagged as a ‘former KGB officer’ by US journalists, who conveniently forget that the first President Bush ran the CIA for a year. The truth is that the Russian president’s wide-ranging jobs prepared him well for the challenge of reviving the largest country in the world, home to 160 ethnic groups speaking some 100 languages and practicing four different religions, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam—(estimates for this latter ranging from 5 - 14%).
The Western media claims that President Putin’s 80%+ ratings reflect a herd mentality, the result of centuries of autocratic rule under the Mongols (four centuries), the Tsars and the Communist Party. In reality, unbeknownst to most Americans, today’s Russians enjoy individualist lifestyles, vacations abroad and the latest cars.
For twenty centuries, the lure of Athenian democracy (in which only free males participated) increased in tandem with the power of Kings. But applying democracy has proved ever more difficult as populations and threats grew larger. As he prepares to leave office after eight years of Republican refusal to cooperate with his laudable projects, I suspect President Obama, like most other Western heads of state, secretly envies Putin his ability to get things done.
When I was in Cuba in 1964, Fidel Castro was being billed in the US as a dictator. I asked then president Osvaldo Dorticos whether or not he agreed that it was risky to have a ‘king’, since one could never know whether inherited leadership would be good or bad. (The outside world did not know that the Cuban government was already experimenting with various forms of local democracy.) Today around the world, ‘the people’ are still impotent to prevent worsening economic conditions — and even war, which first fills the coffers of arms makers, then of industry, needed to rebuild what war has destroyed. Yet Raul Castro has overseen a transition toward a form of national participatory democracy, and Putin appears to be encouraging the same approach in Russia. Meanwhile, in the West it becomes increasingly difficult to affirm that free and fair elections guarantee efficient government or popular satisfaction.
In the complex 21st century world, peace and prosperity are probably best achieved when strong central governments jointly deal with global challenges, while participatory local governments oversee domestic affairs. (Iceland, a country so sparsely populated that almost everyone knows everyone else, is successfully applying this system.)
Although he has been elected ‘fair and square’, Donald Trump may not make it into the White House, whence he, together with Putin and Xi could move toward a multi-polar world organized along those lines. Guided by ‘an invisible hand’, thousands of people protest the neo-fascist, misogynist, racist president who defeated his neo-fascist rival preparing for nuclear-war against Russia, and whose backers, unlike the protesters, have the means to once again implement the ‘ultimate solution’ against an American president.
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591 | Swedish Journo: Sweden Will Collapse Without Illegal Migrants | Chris Tomlinson | Swedish writer Åsa Linderborg has claimed the Swedish economy would collapse if it was not for illegal migrants who she says are vital to the economy. [Ms. Linderborg, who serves as the cultural editor for Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, wrote an opinion piece on Monday: “Yes, there is a problem with those who are denied their asylum applications and then go underground,” but added: “It’s equally true that Sweden would stop working if the tens of thousands of undocumented migrants who are here vanished for real. ” Linderborg made the argument that illegal migrants do the jobs that Swedes refuse to do saying illegals were the ones who worked jobs like cleaning and in the service industry. The piece comes as a reaction to the news the terrorist in the Stockholm attack was a failed asylum seeker set to be deported. Following the attack, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said that Sweden would no longer employ an open door policy for illegal migrants. Though Linderborg claimed the Swedish economy relies solely on migrants, various reports have shown the opposite is true and that migrants are often the most likely to be unemployed in the country. A report from December 2015 predicted that six out of every 10 unemployed people in Sweden would come from a foreign background by 2017. In October 2016, the employment numbers for Swedes were so high that some economists considered Swedes to have full employment. People from migrant backgrounds were almost opposite with some 21. 6 per cent being unemployed. Of the 163, 000 migrants that Sweden took in during the migrant crisis in late 2015, fewer than 500 had found jobs as of June 2016. Linderborg claims Sweden is “exploiting” the migrants who do work because many of them are low skilled and are paid low wages. She then called on the prime minister to invest in migrants to improve their job prospects. The daughter of a former member of the Left Party, Linderborg was also a member of the Left Party and a member of the “Communist Youth” during the 1980s. Sweden is not the only country to have issues with migrants and unemployment. In Germany, economists have said the idea that migrants will become the skilled workers of tomorrow is an illusion and that mass migration will ultimately hurt economic growth in the long term. Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson@breitbart. com | 0 |
592 | Is your promising internet career over now Vine is dead? Write for NewsBiscuit to cheer yourself up | newsbiscuit editorial team | 1 |
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593 | In Iowa, Trump Voters Are Unfazed by Controversies - The New York Times | Trip Gabriel | MONTICELLO, Iowa — The Table of Knowledge was delving into Donald J. Trump’s plans to upend government, and marveling at how he had forced his fellow Republicans in the House to reverse themselves on gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics. “He’s getting responses things are happening,” Jerry Retzlaff, a retiree, said. “He got Congress to turn themselves around with one tweet. ” “There’s no secret the press doesn’t like him, and neither does a lot of the leadership,” he added. “And that’s because he’s planning on making a lot of changes. ” The eight men around a rectangular table, sipping coffee from a hodgepodge of mugs donated by customers, meet daily for breakfasts of French toast, eggs and bacon at Darrell’s diner, all while solving the world’s problems, hence their gathering’s nickname. Washington may be veering from one Trump controversy to another: unproved reports of Russia’s holding embarrassing information against him, possible ethical conflicts, the donors and billionaires of his cabinet, his pushback against intelligence findings on Russian hacking in the election. But there does not seem to be much angst in Iowa among those who voted for Mr. Trump, including some Democrats and independents. Monticello, in rural eastern Iowa, is as close as any place to the epicenter of the political quake that made Mr. Trump president. The state’s longstanding reputation as a political bellwether had led The New York Times to move me to Iowa for a full year ahead of its presidential caucuses in early 2016. I had not returned since. In the intervening year, Iowa gave Mr. Trump his largest triumph of any battleground state: a reversal over President Obama’s easy victory here in 2012. Al Ameling, 58, a technical analyst who lives in Marble Rock, near the Minnesota border, is representative of the profound demographic shift among white rural voters in the northern Midwest that helped produce Mr. Trump’s stunning upset. Mr. Ameling voted for Mr. Obama in 2008, sat out in 2012 and enthusiastically backed Mr. Trump. Nothing he has heard since Election Day has shaken his support, including reports this week that American intelligence agencies are investigating unverified accounts of meetings between Trump aides and Russian officials, as well as sex tapes purportedly made of Mr. Trump in Moscow. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump called the allegations completely false. “The way it is nowadays, unless I see positive proof, it’s all a lie,” Mr. Ameling said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. He added he was more concerned that government officials might have leaked the material to the news media. “I don’t know if it was classified, but if it was, whoever leaked it needs to go to jail,” he said. “We need law and order back in this country. ” I headed to Monticello because it was the site of Hillary Clinton’s first campaign stop after declaring her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in 2015. When she rolled up in her black van, a pack of journalists took off at a run, myself included, an enduringly silly image. Mrs. Clinton rarely returned to the state in the general election campaign, giving it up as all but lost. Jones County, which includes Monticello, is the birthplace of the painter Grant Wood, and where older men still wear the style of pinstriped overalls in his “American Gothic. ” It is a beautiful place, with bald eagles soaring over wintry farm fields. Mr. Trump carried the county by 20 percentage points Mr. Obama easily won there four years earlier. At Darrell’s, there are actually two Tables of Knowledge, one favored by Democrats and the other by Republicans. Among them are an optometrist, farmers and former employees of a utility company. I asked if there was anyone who had voted for Mr. Trump after having previously supported Mr. Obama. “Yeah, there is, but they won’t tell you,” said Mr. Retzlaff, an outspoken conservative who usually chooses to sit with the liberals. Mel Manternach, a retired farmer, said many farmers who had once voted for Mr. Obama switched to Mr. Trump, which he found perplexing. “Trump was against T. P. P. which would help exports of ag commodities,” he said, referring to the Partnership, a deal. “They voted against their own . ” The Iowans I interviewed largely went about their lives outside the political hothouse of social media. They did not follow developments of the presidential transition. Indeed, on Wednesday, several were unfamiliar with the reports that Russia was holding compromising information on the which Mr. Trump addressed in a news conference. Many were hazy on specific policy details about how, say, House Republicans were seeking to replace Medicare with a voucher system. These voters feared an outbreak of terrorist attacks by Muslims in the United States, maybe in their own communities. And overwhelmingly, Trump supporters did not want their money redistributed to people they regarded as undeserving. A year ago, I shadowed a Clinton in Newton, a small city in central Iowa that has struggled since Maytag closed a washing machine plant. Jeff McKibben, one of the workers, traded down for work at a prison. Once a “straight Democrat,” as he called himself, he refused to commit at the time to support Mrs. Clinton. Contacted recently, he did not want to say how he voted, although Jasper County, which includes Newton, was one of the more than 30 Iowa counties that swung to Mr. Trump from Mr. Obama. “Maybe it’s time to have some change,” Mr. McKibben allowed. “I saw neighbors I knew were strong union people with Trump signs in their yards. ” The story was the same in Des Moines County, in southeastern Iowa. The local Democratic Party chairwoman, Sandy Dockendorff, knew there was trouble when she saw a Trump sign in the yard of an electrician who had always supported Democrats. “When I called him,” Ms. Dockendorff explained last month to a group of demoralized activists at a United Steelworkers union hall, “he said, ‘You stopped talking my language you don’t care about jobs.’ ” In an interview, Ms. Dockendorff, who is running for chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said rural Iowans were critical of Democrats for opposing projects like oil pipelines while running a presidential campaign focused narrowly on Mr. Trump’s shortcomings. “It was all about making fun of Donald Trump — he would never be president and how horrible it would be,” she said. But “the only one talking about jobs was Trump,” Ms. Dockendorff added. At a Des Moines County diner in Burlington, a small city on the Mississippi River, Melissa Ell, a waitress, said she had voted for Mr. Obama in 2012. But this Election Day, she stayed home. “I didn’t want to vote for either one of them, to be honest,” she said. Ms. Ell, 46, earns a base wage of $6. 50 an hour at Jerry’s Main Lunch, a restaurant across from the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks. As she bused a table, Ms. Ell commiserated with Jackie Furman about those who take advantage of government aid. “I think they should be if they’re on welfare,” Ms. Ell said. “The welfare system needs to be reorganized,” agreed Ms. Furman, a retired commercial bakery manager, complaining that “Chicago people” were moving to Burlington to receive higher benefits and bringing crime. Ms. Furman, 70, said, “I’m ashamed to say we caucused for Obama” in 2008. “My view is he purposely got into the presidency so he could ruin America. ” There are contrary views. On Washington Street in Burlington, I expected Post 10102 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to be a bastion of support for the who had promised repeatedly to “take care of the vets. ” But there was deep skepticism. “Forget about me,” Dan Meade, a Navy veteran, said. “What’s going to happen to our kids, our grandkids? I think the guy’s nuts. ” He and three others sipped $1. 50 draft beers from plastic cups. They sarcastically echoed notable Trump lines from the campaign trail. “He knows more than the generals he doesn’t like prisoners of war,” Dan Warren, an Army veteran, said. “When Trump was running for office he said he’d run the country like he runs his companies,” Fran Boyle, who served in the Navy, chimed in. “Which one of his bankrupt companies is he going to run it like?” Still, Trump voters in the state say they are hoping for the best. Mike Staudt, a retired farmer from Marble Rock, voted for Mr. Obama in 2012, but called the Affordable Care Act a form of socialism. He said he had no problem with a candidate who had run as the voice of the working people but was stocking his cabinet with the ultrawealthy. “I know these guys are really rich,” he said. “They may have pulled off a few plays that weren’t exactly on the but they all had to be pretty smart to be billionaires. If they replace their own concerns with the concerns of the country, they can make things really move forward. That’s what I’m excited about. ” | 0 |
594 | Radical American-Grown Marxist Terror Group Just Made Announcement For January 20th | Conservative Daily Post | Elliot Bougis |
Posted by Elliot Bougis | Nov 18, 2016 | National Security Trump/Pence 2016: Lawful Good vs. Chaotic Evil
I’m a nerd but please bear with me:
Yesterday I asked some friends online about an economic theory that some of them are interested in and one friend, who does not support this theory, made a joke about “getting the Marxists out of the way first.” A little later a friend who does support the theory replied with irritation that it must be a joke to think Marxists are actually in power in this country.
I won’t bore you with the rest of the discussion, but imagine my surprise when I saw an article this morning about–wait for it–powerful Marxists in America!
As Michael Volpe reports at The Daily Caller:
A Marxist, a Venezuelan diplomat and an illegal alien headlined a meeting of organizers of the Trump resistance as they announced their plan to shut down Chicago on Saturday and Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day. Chicago ANSWER was one of the radical leftist groups that helped to organize anti-Trump protests when his campaign tried to hold a rally in March ; that rally was canceled after protesters clashed with attendees. As The DC reported last week , the group is responsible for organizing rallies in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Albuquerque. Since holding those rallies, the group has announced “mass marches” on Inauguration Day in Washington and another one in Chicago on Saturday; the group hopes to “shut the streets down” at both rallies. In other words, if they can’t win an election legally, they’ll try to reverse it with violence and “birddogging” chaos. Before we go any further down this sad road, I want you to keep two things in mind. First, this is what Marxism always does. When it fails one group of people, it oozes away like a red version of The Blob to consume some other poor, unsuspecting populace with its cultural and economic acids. Now that Marxism has left Venezuela devastated and poor, the swarm of Marxist fire ants are trying to do the same here. The Socialist Blob: Coming Soon To A Community Center Near You! Second, like a lot of critics of Trump, these Marxist ants don’t listen to his positive message and policy proposals. Instead, like a swarm of worker ants following their queen, the mainstream media, they fixate on the “racist” or “sexist” or “mean” things Trump reportedly said. As I wrote yesterday, Trump hired Steve Bannon for many reasons, but one reason in particular is because they both care about economic justice, middle-class prosperity, and a strong national labor force. So remember: 1) these ants are making trouble for Trump because they smell fresh meat after leaving rotten meat in other places and 2) they are fighting a presidency that will actually help the people they say they care about. Now back to Volpe’s report: On Nov. 15, the group held a meeting to plot its next move in its ongoing resistance of the Trump in a space normally operated by the Mexican Solidarity Network, a less well-known group in the mold of La Raza. CHICAGO ANSWER organizers, Stephanie and Mika, co-chaired the evening and Mika said he was also an organizer with the Party for Socialist and Liberation, a radical Marxist group and a frequent partner of ANSWER. Mika fired up the crowd. “What do want?” he yelled at the crowd. “Justice,” the crowd roared back. Same as Donald Trump! Law and order! Drain the swamp! “When do we want it,” he screamed again. “Now,” the crowd roared even louder. “People can and must be organized in a deepening resistance,” Stephanie said. “As united as possible, as militant as possible.” She also said she was willing to “work with anyone to resist this administration.” Because these ants have no ideas or skills to contribute to society, they prefer to tear anyone who is trying to help in concrete ways–hence they hate a celebrated DOER like Donald Trump. Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza is the Counsel General for the Venezuelan consulate in Chicago and while the rest of the speakers accused Trump of the normal litany of grievances — that he’s a racist, homophobe, misogynist and charlatan — Rodriguez said his diplomatic position forbade him from weighing in on Trump. “Before I was the Counsel General in Chicago, I was a regular citizen in Venezuela just like you, in 2002, was moved in my basement because of the attack against Hugo Chavez. Because of that I started getting involved in politics. Rodriguez-Espinoza said he became a supporter of Chavez after that. Just goes to show: never trust a Jesus that isn’t in the Bible. Rodriquez-Espinoza also claimed the current economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela is over-blown. “All the humanitarian crisis that you hear in the media most of that is an exaggeration. The only crisis we face is destabilization in Venezuelan oil. I’m not saying everything is perfect; I’m just saying it’s overmagnified because it’s in the interest of the most powerful countries in the world to get rid of the progressive government in Venezuela.” According to a June Guardian story , Venezuela has an economic crisis where Gross Domestic Product is contracting by 8 percent, unemployment was at 17 percent, and the inflation rate was at 482 percent. As always, facts are inconvenient things at times. Plus, if oil is Venezuela’s main (only??) economic problem, then people like Rodriguez-Espinoza should try to work with Trump as a successful business developer, dealmaker, and, as of this Tuesday, the President-elect over the largest oil discovery in America of all time (20 BILLION barrels in the Permian Basin in southwest Texas). But because he is a short-sighted ant, Roqriguez-Espinoza, and all Marxist ants, to be honest, only know how to swarm and scurry and bite so they can feel “progressive.” Far be it from them to take the humble, slow route of working, developing, building, and planning like Trump and most of his supporters do on a daily basis. Share this article to inform and encourage your family and friends! | 1 |
595 | Guardian Opinion Writer: Trump, Bannon Counting On Terrorist ’Massacre’ | Aaron Klein | Writing at the Guardian newspaper, global warming advocate Bill McKibben claimed that President Donald Trump and White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon are “counting on” a terrorist “massacre” on American soil to “tilt things their way. ”[McKibben, who has contributed numerous opinion pieces to the Guardian, wrote a column titled “Donald Trump and Steve Bannon have turned the White House against America. ” In the piece, McKibben claimed the White House, which he argued was acting more like a “Black Tower,” was “sending out its Breitbartian orcs and winged harpies to poison the politics of a nation. ” He referred to Trump’s temporary halt on refugees while the U. S. revamps its flawed screening process as an “immigration ban,” which McKibben claimed was actually a “calculated assault” on Muslims, morality, and “on simple kindness. ” “It was a probe to find out if Americans would come to the defense of a minority that we’d been told to fear and hate,” he claimed. “And it failed — not because a federal judge struck down the ban, but because Americans in their millions poured into airport baggage terminals and city squares. ” McKibben went on to charge that Trump and Bannon may be “counting on a Bowling Green massacre to tilt things their way. ” He wrote: The outpouring was not a show of Muslim strength — there really isn’t much Muslim strength in America. It was a demonstration that, for the moment, our moral commitment to the underdog still holds. But there are no guarantees: morality can bend pretty easily in the face of fear, and you know that Bannon and Trump are counting on a Bowling Green massacre to tilt things their way. And in any event, morality is the not the only pillar they’re after. Next on the list is reason: the attack on climate science is, in fact, an attack on science itself, on the enterprise that undergirds modernity. McKibben’s charge about a “Bowling Green massacre” referred to an error made by Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who mistakenly said that “President Obama had a ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre. ” In actuality, Obama’s State Department in 2011 reportedly imposed a six month freeze on the processing of Iraqi refugees. The halt was the result of the discovery of two members admitted as refugees from Iraq who were living in Bowling Green, Kentucky and admitted to targeting U. S. troops in Iraq. McKibben is founder of 350. org, which bills itself as a grassroots group building a “global climate movement. ” The group is funded by the George Tides Foundation and a slew of philanthropies. In a 2010 review of one of his books, Time magazine opined that McKibben “may be the world’s best green journalist. ” 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. | 0 |
596 | Putin’s Pro-Trump Online Trolls Just Spilled The Beans To Samantha Bee | Colin Taylor | Comments
The conservative political machine has been working overtime to try to deny that the government of the Russian Federation is interfering with the American election in support of Republican nominee Donald Trump – but this explosive investigation by former Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee proves once and for all that dictator Vladimir Putin is using every tool at his disposal to tilt the scale in favor of Trump.
Samantha Bee, now the host of her own show, traveled to Moscow to interview two of the “thinkfluencers,” members of Putin’s underground troll farms that pose as Americans online and flood social media with pro-Russian and pro-Trump propaganda.
“The reason I’m hired is to make simple people change their mind about their vote and also about Russia” said one woman, who admitted she identifies herself as a Nebraskan housewife online. When asked why they thought their propaganda was working, she replied it was because Americans are “lazy and they believe everything they read.” | 1 |
597 | Along Mosul’s Front Line, Desperate Civilians and Dug-In Troops and Fighters - The New York Times | Tyler Hicks | In the battle against the Islamic State for Mosul, Iraq’s city, there is no continuous front line, but a patchwork of battlegrounds in the city and all around its edge. When the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, retreats from a position, it tries to leave as much damage behind as possible, including burning oil field wells to provide concealment ahead of a government advance. Snipers are also in place, ready to strike. A village or neighborhood that is retaken by government troops could soon be flooded again with extremist fighters, who are rarely far away. I recently spent three weeks in this volatile zone, first with the Iraqi Army in eastern Mosul and then, after setbacks for the army, whose battle of attrition was not going the way it had hoped, with units of the Iraqi federal police. The police, traveling in armored vehicles, are playing a significant role in the battle for Mosul, sometimes supporting the army. They are also responsible for holding their own territory around the city. The police have been tasked with maintaining areas of the front line nearby, ISIS fighters are ready and in position. When holding ground and not on an advance, the two sides intermittently exchange rifle and mortar fire, shows of force that tend to harass more than inflict serious casualties. For the two days I was embedded with the police, they had been ordered to pause in their advance. So for the most part, they were left to wait along a muddy front until the next push forward. For the civilians trapped by the fighting, life is bleak, and most are desperate to leave. Areas along the contested front have no water, no electricity and no way for people to obtain basic supplies. Those trapped by the fighting and those who return hoping to restart their lives — or at least to recover some belongings — are at risk of being caught in the and injuries and deaths among civilians are increasing. When government forces liberate an area, most civilians act quickly to try to evacuate. However, the Islamic State appears eager to keep as many civilians as possible in the urban center, using them as shields against aggressive bombing campaigns by the government and coalition forces. Anyone seen fleeing risks a sniper attack. Government troops sometimes escort families to safety, urging them to hurry through streets that offer little cover. Once civilians reach a safe zone, a more organized system is in place to transport them in buses and on the backs of trucks to camps for displaced people. On the way, they receive donations of food and water. Iraqi forces have been told to destroy evidence of the Islamic State after retaking an area, but signs of its control can sometimes be difficult to efface. Coalition bombings destroyed an Islamic State training base in a former agricultural college in the town of Hamam Alil, below. But ISIS writing, which states the name of a unit, remains visible on the wall. Residents, like the women below in the town of Bashiqa, are starting to return to areas recently freed from the Islamic State to learn what became of their homes and to gather the few belongings that have not been looted or destroyed. The woman below was recovering a wedding photo from the rubble in Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul. The town, famous for its olive groves, was once a popular day trip destination from the city and had a large population of Yazidis. The Islamic State’s control of Mosul and the nearby area separated families for long stretches. The relatives below, reunited on the side of the road, had not seen one another in two years. The battle for Mosul has forced many tens of thousands from their homes, and displaced people are a common sight along the roads across the city. Early in my assignment, I accompanied the Iraqi Army to this neighborhood below, which is in the eastern part of Mosul, where civilians dared to venture outside as government troops patrolled. But just a few hours after this photo was taken, Islamic State fighters attacked an Iraqi Army field base nearby, killing soldiers, destroying their armored vehicles and almost immediately posting a YouTube video triumphantly showing their accomplishment. After that, access for photographers was severely curtailed by the army, and journalists quickly went from having a seat to this very critical battle to struggling to get any information at all. Ambulances carrying those gravely injured from sniper fire, artillery, mortars and mines are driven out of Mosul in a steady flow en route to hospitals in nearby Erbil. When fighting is heavy, dozens of injured people arrive at the hospitals every hour. Field hospitals inside Mosul have few supplies, so victims must be evacuated to where they can be treated. Some do not survive the journey. The emergency vehicles offered me one of the most reliable indications of how the battle was going, and a chance to document the results. The government has been trying to consolidate its gains, first in the outer provincial villages, and now in suburbs and city districts ever closer to the city center. But the Islamic State had a long time to prepare for this battle, and its fighters are skilled and taking full advantage of their underground network of tunnels throughout the region. A long and difficult fight lies ahead for Iraqi forces trying to liberate Mosul, like this lone federal policeman on a still very dangerous and shifting front line. | 0 |
598 | As Second Avenue Subway Opens, a Train Delay Ends in (Happy) Tears - The New York Times | Emma G. Fitzsimmons | Finally. The Second Avenue subway opened in New York City on Sunday, with thousands of riders flooding into its polished stations to witness a piece of history nearly a century in the making. They descended beneath the streets of the Upper East Side of Manhattan to board Q trains bound for Coney Island in Brooklyn. They cheered. Their eyes filled with tears. They snapped selfies in front of colorful mosaics lining the walls of the stations. It was the first day of 2017, and it felt like a new day for a city that for so long struggled to build this sorely needed subway line. In a rare display of unbridled optimism from hardened New Yorkers, they arrived with huge grins and wide eyes, taking in the bells and whistles at three new stations. “I was very choked up,” Betsy Morris, 70, said as she rode the first train to leave the 96th Street station, at noon. “How do you explain something that you never thought would happen? It’s going to change the way everybody lives as far as commuting goes. ” It was a major moment for New York’s sprawling transit system after decades of failed efforts to bring the line to one of the few corners of Manhattan the subway did not reach. The opening of the first segment of the line — an extension of the Q train to 96th Street — promises to lighten the crush of passengers on the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 trains along Lexington Avenue, the nation’s most overcrowded subway line, which had been the only line on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. When the stations opened shortly before noon, they were quickly filled with giddy riders both young and old, and strollers, suitcases and dogs — all familiar sights across the system. But for all the excitement, the line, with just three new stops, is much more modest than the ambitious route running the length of Manhattan that was once envisioned. It serves a relatively affluent and not very diverse part of the city, which has more than eight and a half million people and many and minority residents who live far from a subway line. With the subway reaching its highest ridership levels since 1948, much of the aging system is plagued by crowding and delays, even as subway and bus fares are expected to rise again in March. Still, there was reason to cheer. The opening of a new subway line is a rare occasion in the United States and comes at a time of mounting concern about the deteriorating state of the nation’s infrastructure, from its roadways and bridges to its public transit systems. Few new subway stations have opened in recent years, even as expansive subway networks have sprouted in Asia, and most American cities never built any in the first place. The major subways in the Northeast — in New York, Washington and Boston — are grappling with old equipment and funding shortfalls, with Washington experiencing a near meltdown over safety problems. With mounting bills for basic maintenance, these subways have largely failed to grow. So the arrival of the Second Avenue subway, which was first proposed in the 1920s, was a notable achievement for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s vast network of subways, buses and commuter railroads. The first phase of the project took nearly a decade to build and cost about $4. 4 billion. With the opening, the map of the city’s loved and loathed subway adds three new stations, bringing the total to 472 — the most of any subway in the world. A station that opened at Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s Far West Side in 2015 was the city’s first new station in a . On Sunday, New Yorkers were mesmerized by the artwork adorning the walls. At the 72nd Street stop, Sumana Harihareswara stopped to gaze at a mosaic of a woman of South Asian descent dressed in a burgundy sari, looking at her cellphone. Ms. Harihareswara was overcome with emotion. “I don’t think I’ve ever come across subway art before that makes me feel so seen,” she said through tears. “This woman could be my aunt she could be my cousin. ” She and a stranger exchanged a knowing glance. “Representation matters,” they agreed. Ms. Harihareswara, a longtime transit enthusiast from Astoria, Queens, said she was struck by the diversity portrayed in the mosaics, including a mural of a gay couple holding hands. “There is no feeling quite like seeing yourself cemented into the infrastructure of New York,” Ms. Harihareswara said. After decades of aborted efforts to build the Second Avenue line, and at least three groundbreakings in the 1970s, construction on the current segment began in 2007. The line was originally projected to open in 2013, but subway officials pushed the deadline to the end of 2016 many years ago. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat who effectively controls the authority, pressed officials to meet the December 2016 deadline even as concerns grew that the subway would not be ready in time. Still, the agency made the deadline — just barely — with a lavish inaugural ride on New Year’s Eve for a collection of dignitaries that culminated in a midnight toast. Although many New Yorkers believe the city runs the subways, it is actually the governor who appoints the authority’s chairman and holds considerable sway over the agency. Mr. Cuomo has capitalized on the Second Avenue opening to raise his national profile, overshadowing his frequent nemesis Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who attended the inaugural ride on Saturday but was not given a speaking slot. Despite general good will over the opening, some transit advocates expressed concerns over the high cost of the project and questioned whether officials would move aggressively to extend the line to 125th Street in East Harlem as planned. On Sunday morning, Mr. Cuomo arrived at the 96th Street station with the authority’s chairman, Thomas F. Prendergast, to join the first trip for regular riders, who cheered as the train pulled out of the station. Then Mr. Cuomo’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Rest assured: I’m not driving the train,” he joked. The first day of service was smooth, although there were a few hiccups. Around 3 p. m. there were delays on the Q line because of a train with mechanical problems at the City Hall station. About an hour earlier, the elevator at the new 86th Street stop had begun to malfunction, stranding passengers above and below ground. Strollers were wheeled onto steep escalators. Parents became upset. Jill Tallmer, 62, and her mother, Margot Tallmer, 91, contemplated visiting another day. “We’ve been waiting for 10 years, or more, to ride,” the younger Ms. Tallmer said while standing with her mother, a lifelong New Yorker who is in a wheelchair. “Hopefully, it’s almost ready for us. ” It was not, and they left after a few minutes. At the 72nd Street station, George Braith, a jazz saxophonist, was being mobbed by an eager pack of veritable paparazzi. The reason for his newfound celebrity: His likeness is featured in a mosaic there. “Would you look at that guy?” Mr. Braith, 77, said. “Pretty handsome fellow if you ask me. ” He is one of several local celebrities portrayed in the artwork, including chef Daniel Boulud. In Mr. Braith’s mosaic, he is clad in a slick red blazer and carrying his signature Braithophone, alto and soprano saxophones melded into one. Taking the instrument from his suitcase, he obliged the crowd with a brief tune. “Are you famous?” a asked, seeing the hubbub. “In the jazz world,” Mr. Braith replied. The man shook his head and said, “Well, you’re immortalized as far as I’m concerned. ” Another celebrant, Ian Ma, 15, lives in Sheepshead Bay, a waterfront neighborhood in southern Brooklyn that is nowhere near the new subway line. But he has been enchanted by trains since he started rolling toy models on the floor as a child, he said, and he cajoled his parents into giving him a ride. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this train my whole life,” he said, seemingly speaking for many others. | 0 |
599 | 71-Year-Old Cher Dons See-Through Top and Nipple Pasties at Billboard Awards | Lucas Nolan | Pop icon Cher left little to the imagination while performing some of her biggest hits at Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards, the singer’s first awards show concert in 15 years. [The icon performed her smash hits “Believe” and “If I Could Turn Back Time” Sunday night before accepting the ceremony’s Icon Award for her career in the music industry. The and danced on stage wearing a silver diamante dress, with her chest covered up by nipple pasties. The sparkling dress, which consisted of multiple hanging diamond strips, barely covered the singers chest and groin area. She later returned to the stage in a black catsuit and a large wig, a throwback to her early 80s look. “So, I wanted to do what I do since I was 4 years old, and I’ve been doing it for 53 years,” Cher said in accepting the Icon Award. “That is not an applause thing, I’m 71 yesterday! And I can do a plank, okay? Just saying. ” The singer steered clear of politics in her acceptance speech, focusing instead on the advice she received when she was younger and on something her mother told her before she became famous, that she would never be the “smartest,” the “prettiest,” or the “most talented,” but she would be “special. ” “I think luck has so much to do with with my success,” she continued. “I think it was mostly luck and a little bit of something thrown in. ” Cher’s outfit drew plenty of commentary on social media and on television, including on Good Morning Britain, where host Piers Morgan said he was not a fan. “At what point do Cher’s outfits become inappropriate? She’s 70,” he said. “That one in particular, come on, Cher, for goodness’ sake, love. ” Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart. com | 0 |
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