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700 | Gorsuch: Scalia A ’Lion of the Law’ - Judges Should Look to What Law Demands, Not What They Prefer - Breitbart | Ian Hanchett | After the announcement of his nomination to the US Supreme Court on Tuesday, Judge Neil Gorsuch praised former Justice Antonin Scalia as a “lion of the law. ” And stated, “it is for Congress and not the courts to write new laws. It is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people’s representatives. A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge, stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands. ” Gorsuch said, “I pledge that if I am confirmed, I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great country. ” Gorsuch then talked about his experience on the bench, saying that he’s been inspired by the judges he worked with who he has watched “fearlessly tending to the rule of law, enforcing the promises of our Constitution, and living out daily their judicial oaths to administer justice equally to rich and poor alike, following the law as they find it and without respect to their personal political beliefs. I think of them tonight. Of course, the Supreme Court’s work is vital not just to a region of the country, but to the whole, vital to the protection of people’s liberties under law, and to the continuity of our Constitution, the greatest charter of human liberty the world has ever known. ” He further said former Justices Antonin Scalia and Robert Jackson were “towering judges” and Scalia was “a lion of the law. ” He also praised Justice Byron White, who he worked for, as “one of the smartest and most courageous men I’ve ever known. ” Gorsuch also praised Justice Kennedy, who he clerked for, as a man who taught him “so much. ” Gorsuch further stated, “[W]hen we judges don our robes, it doesn’t make us any smarter, but it does serve as a reminder of what’s expected of us: impartiality and independence, collegiality, and courage. As this process now moves to the Senate, I look forward [to] speaking with members from both sides of the aisle, to answering their questions, and to hearing their concerns. I consider the United States Senate the greatest deliberative body in the world, and I respect the important role the constitution affords it in the confirmation of our judges. I respect, too, the fact that in our legal order, it is for Congress and not the courts to write new laws. It is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people’s representatives. A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge, stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands. ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 0 |
701 | NC State Provides Students with Post-Election Comfort Food, Therapy | EdJenner | In a campus-wide email to students, North Carolina (NC) State University chancellor Randy Woodson announced that grieving students would be provided with resources such as “conversation spaces” and “comfort” food such as | 1 |
702 | Iraqi Troops Push Further into Mosul; 202 Killed Across Iraq | Margaret Griffis | Share This Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi again warned Turkey to avoid provoking conflict, after Turkey strengthened its forces in Silopi at the Iraqi border. In Mosul , counter-terrorism forces captured a state-owned television station building. Troops also reached the Judaidat al-Mufti neighborhood. At least 296 security personnel have been killed in the last week in Mosul. About 40,000 people have fled the city. Militants attempted to move 25,000 human shields out of Hammam al-Alil but were thwarted by strikes. Shalalat , Sharezad , and Twila were reported freed . At least 202 people were killed and 52 were wounded in recent violence: In Mosul , at least one soldier was killed and another was wounded . Militants killed 40 men believed to have been soldiers from Shura and Hammam al-Alil , and then they tossed the bodies into the Tigris River. | 1 |
703 | Pregnant Women Turn to Marijuana, Perhaps Harming Infants - The New York Times | Catherine Saint Louis | During her pregnancy, she never drank alcohol or had a cigarette. But nearly every day, Stacey, then 24, smoked marijuana. With her fiancé’s blessing, she began taking a few puffs in her first trimester to quell morning sickness before going to work at a sandwich shop. When sciatica made it unbearable to stand during her shifts, she discreetly vaped marijuana oil on her lunch break. “I wouldn’t necessarily say, ‘Go smoke a pound of pot when you’re pregnant,’” said Stacey, now a mother in Deltona, Fla. who asked that her full name be withheld because marijuana is illegal in Florida. “In moderation, it’s O. K. ” Many pregnant women, particularly younger ones, seem to agree, a recent federal survey shows. As states legalize marijuana or its medical use, expectant mothers are taking it up in increasing numbers — another example of the many ways in which acceptance of marijuana has outstripped scientific understanding of its effects on human health. Often pregnant women presume that cannabis has no consequences for developing infants. But preliminary research suggests otherwise: Marijuana’s main psychoactive ingredient — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — can cross the placenta to reach the fetus, experts say, potentially harming brain development, cognition and birth weight. THC can also be present in breast milk. “There is an increased perception of the safety of cannabis use, even in pregnancy, without data to say it’s actually safe,” said Dr. Torri Metz, an obstetrician at Denver Health Medical Center who specializes in pregnancies. Ten percent of her patients acknowledge recent marijuana use. In the federal survey, published online in December, almost 4 percent of said they had used marijuana in the past month in 2014, compared with 2. 4 percent in 2002. (By comparison, roughly 9 percent of pregnant women ages 18 to 44 acknowledge using alcohol in the previous month.) Young were particularly likely to turn to marijuana: Roughly 7. 5 percent of to said they had used pot in the past month in 2014, compared with 2 percent of women ages 26 to 44. Evidence on the effects of prenatal marijuana use is still limited and sometimes contradictory. Some of the most extensive data come from two sets of researchers, in Pittsburgh and in Ottawa, who have long studied children exposed to THC in the womb. In Pittsburgh, born to mothers who had smoked one joint or more daily in the first trimester showed a decreased ability to understand concepts in listening and reading. At age 10, children exposed to THC in utero were more impulsive than other children and less able to focus their attention. Most troubling, children of mothers who used marijuana heavily in the first trimester had lower scores in reading, math and spelling at age 14 than their peers. “Prenatal exposure can affect the adolescent pretty significantly,” said Dr. Lauren M. Jansson, the director of pediatrics at the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Several studies have found changes in the brains of fetuses, 18 to 22 weeks old, linked to maternal marijuana use. In male fetuses who were exposed, for instance, researchers have noted abnormal function of the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates emotion. “Even early in development, marijuana is changing critical circuits and neurotransmitting receptors,” said Dr. Yasmin Hurd, a neuroscientist and the director of the addiction center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan. “Those are important for regulation of emotions and reward, even motor function and cognition. ” It is already well documented that the developing brains of teenagers can be altered with regular marijuana use, even eventually reducing I. Q. “The effects are not dramatic, but that doesn’t mean they are not important,” said Jodi Gilman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who studies adolescent users of cannabis. “It could make the difference between getting an A and getting a B. ” “You could imagine that a similar subtle effect may be present in those who were exposed prenatally to marijuana,” she added. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both advise against prenatal cannabis use because of its links to cognitive impairment and academic underachievement. But many state and federal agencies avoid the topic. Of five federal agencies, only the National Institute on Drug Abuse had any information about prenatal marijuana use on its website as of last February, according to a study published online in December in the journal Substance Abuse. Only 10 state health departments did. Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered nothing. “I don’t think public health officials should be alarming people,” said Marian Jarlenski, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. “They just have to say, ‘There have been studies done, and there is some risk. ’” In a statement, C. D. C. officials expressed concern about memory and attention problems among children exposed to THC in utero. “While current evidence on health consequences is inconsistent, some studies have found risks associated with marijuana use during pregnancy, such as low birth weight or preterm birth,” the agency said. Dr. Marie McCormick, a pediatrician and the chairwoman of a new report on cannabis from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, said smoking cannabis “does confer, in terms of birth weight, the same risk as cigarettes. ” Some of the gathering evidence is reassuring. So far, prenatal cannabis exposure does not appear to be linked to obvious birth defects. “That’s why some providers and lay people alike think there’s no effect,” said Dr. Erica Wymore, a neonatologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. But she warned, “Just because they don’t have a major birth defect or overt withdrawal symptoms doesn’t mean the baby’s neurological development is not impacted. ” Most research in this area was done when the drug was far less potent. Marijuana had 12 percent THC in 2014, while in 1995 it was just 4 percent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “All those really good earlier studies on marijuana effects aren’t telling us what we need to know now about higher concentration levels,” said Therese Grant, an epidemiologist and director of the University of Washington’s fetal alcohol and drug unit. “We need to do a whole lot more research now. ” There are two additional problems with studies of maternal cannabis use. Research is often based on reports by pregnant women — instead of, say, tests of urine or the umbilical cord — and they consistently underreport their use. (Researchers know of underreporting because samples reveal discrepancies.) And pregnant women who roll joints also tend to smoke tobacco or drink alcohol it can be hard to tease out the risks of cannabis itself. Few realize that THC is stored in fat and therefore can linger in a mother’s body for weeks, if not months. It’s not known whether the fetus’s exposure is limited to the hours a woman feels high. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises clinicians to ask pregnant women about marijuana use and to urge them to quit. To find out whether that’s happening, Dr. Judy Chang, an at the University of Pittsburgh, and her colleagues recorded more than 450 first visits with pregnant patients. Medical staff were more likely to warn patients that child protective services might be called if they used marijuana, the researchers found, than to advise them of potential risks. When admitted to marijuana use, almost half of obstetric clinicians did not respond at all. Pregnant women aren’t eager to discuss it, either, because they are afraid of legal repercussions or a lecture. Depression, anxiety, stress, pain, nausea and vomiting were the most common reasons women reported using marijuana in a 2014 survey of mothers getting federal nutrition help in Colorado. Roughly 6 percent were pot users a third were pregnant. “Women are thinking of this as medical marijuana in that they are treating some condition,” said Elizabeth Nash, a policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute who researches substance abuse in pregnancy. “If you’re going to consider it like medicine,” she said, “then treat it like medicine and talk to your doctor about it. ” Stacey’s son just had his first birthday. He’s walking, talking and and she isn’t worried about his development. She still smokes pot — indeed, her son plays on a rug emblazoned with a marijuana leaf. But the severe cramps that plagued her before pregnancy are easing now. “I don’t have to smoke as much anymore,” she said. | 0 |
704 | null | RBR! | 330 American soldiers are causing the Russians to prepare for nuclear war???
BULLCRAP!
this is about getting the American public to start yammering about the potential for nuclear war so the president can reduce our number of nukes again
I really loathe President Obama but I absolutely hate ball-less Americans | 1 |
705 | Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election | [email protected] (Alexander Light) | . Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election The biggest collective losers of the campaign were the mainstream media. Some of course were worse t... Print Email http://humansarefree.com/2016/11/biggest-winners-and-losers-of-2016-us.html The biggest collective losers of the campaign were the mainstream media. Some of course were worse than others, but all of the old fashioned mainstream outlets were terrible. They operated on a basis of contempt for the honest concerns of ordinary people.They hid Hillary Clinton’s scandals from public view as though oblivious to the fact that in the internet age, the truth cannot be hidden nor suppressed by the failing media-industrial complex.Long before Donald Trump declared his candidacy, the systematic problems of mainstream media in the west were well known.The total deceit with which they cover international affairs, slandering countries which do not actively pursue neoliberal policies, was in full view. Their job is to report the facts and collect information. Instead they have acted like mad agitators for their pet geopolitical projects.As the mainstream media begins to collapse, so too are common misconceptions about war and peace. In 2003 when mainstream media still had a fairly stern grip on public consciousness, many were duped into believing Bush and Blair’s lies about Iraq. Thanks to new media, people in the west have a far better understanding of the realities in the Middle East than they did thirteen years ago. It explains why popular support for war in Syria and by extrapolation on Russia, something that the likes of Hillary Clinton have wildly campaigned for, remains deeply unpopular with ordinary people. The Biggest Winner After Donald Trump , the biggest winners were Julian Assange and Wikileaks . Wikileaks did what honest journalists ought to do, they publish information that is vital to the public interest without having a hidden agenda. Assange expressed his personal disdain for both Trump and Clinton and recently explained the scientific reasons why Wikileaks released damning information on Clinton and not Trump. In all he said he was fair minded and open minded.This remained the case despite Hillary and her supporters making death threats to Assange and Assange having his internet connection at the Ecuadorian Embassy in which he remains captive, cut off after the US State Department put pressure on the Government of Ecuador. But Assange persisted and leak after leak showed American voters and the wider world who Hillary Clinton actually is. It is a very different image from the sugar coated picture painted by the mainstream media. [Her allegiance to the Rothschilds and NWO master manipulator George Soros has also been confirmed , as well as her strong ties to Monsanto .]Wikileaks exposed how Hillary says one thing in public and other to her friends in Wall Street. Wikileaks exposed lie after lie, cover-up after cover-up. Julian Assange’s place in history as someone who has exposed the lies of politicians like Hillary Clinton is now assured. He is owed a debt of gratitude by all those who value truth and justice. By Adam Garrie (excerpt) Dear Friends, HumansAreFree is and will always be free to access and use. If you appreciate my work, please help me continue.
Stay updated via Email Newsletter: Related | 1 |
706 | Is Trump Psychic? Listen To His Words One Year Ago, Look At What JUST HAPPENED! | DSG | This is unbelievable! Donald Trump must be the next Nostradamus! One year ago, Donald Trump said something so profound that it is almost unbelievable. Take a look: #TRUMP was right again!
— Trump Super PAC (@TrumpSuperPAC) October 28, 2016
On August 29th, 2015, just after news broke that Huma Abedin’s husband, Anthony Weiner, had been sexting young women, again, Trump said something that has turned out to be both profound and prophetic.
“I only worry in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have close proximity to highly classified information.”
He has also said:
“Her No. 1 person, Huma Abedin, is married to Anthony Weiner, who’s a sleazeball and pervert,” Trump said, referring to the former New York congressman’s repeated scandals over lewd texts and direct Twitter messages he sent to other women. “I’m not saying that, that’s recorded history,” Trump continued. “I don’t like Huma going home at night and telling Anthony Weiner all of these secrets.”
Trump intuitively knew that Hillary’s top aide, Huma Abedin, was a massive liability.
Now look at what just happened today!
The New York Times reports:
The FBI 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.”
Let that sink in.
The FBI had closed the Hillary Clinton email investigation, and now has reopened it after finding emails on Anthony Wieners devices as part of a sexting scandal and investigation.
Trump was right about Huma and Wiener!
There are other scandals that intersect with this one, as well.
The pay-for-play questions that have been raised about the Clinton Foundation are in play, as Huma Abedin worked daily with the Clintons on countless issues.
Is this the issue that will take Hillary down for good?
Time will tell. | 1 |
707 | McCain: Trump’s Attacks on Press Are ’How Dictators Get Started’ - Breitbart | Pam Key | Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” while discussing President Donald Trump’s attacks on the press, Sen. John McCain ( ) said that was “how dictators get started. ” McCain said, “I hate the press. I hate you especially. But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It’s vital. If you want to preserve — I’m very serious now — if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started. ” He added, “They get started by suppressing free press. In other words, a consolidation of power when you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I’m not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 0 |
708 | JUDGMENT DAY: The One Reason Why Every Christian And Jew In America Should Vote For Donald Trump | Geoffrey Grider | JUDGMENT DAY: The One Reason Why Every Christian And Jew In America Should Vote For Donald Trump The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is a public law of the United States passed by the 104th Congress on October 23, 1995. It was passed for the purposes of initiating and funding the relocation of the Embassy of the United States in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 8, 2016 Jerusalem will be the portal through which God administers His Justice to a depraved world. Jerusalem will be His “burdensome stone” with which He judges the world.
“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” Proverbs 16:33 (KJV)
As Americans who love this country, it is absolutely crystal-clear who we should vote for. Only one candidate’s campaign slogan is Make America Great Again, only one candidate says that they will # DrainThe Swamp . I think you get the idea. But you can be a patriotic America and not be a Christian, right? Trump: It’s Time To Drain The Swamp In Washington, D.C – Five-Point Plan For Ethics Reform So is the a compelling, overarching reason why a Bible believing Christian should vote for Donald Trump? Yes, there is
Donald Trump has made as part of his platform a promise to move the American Embassy from its current location in Tel Aviv to its new location in Jerusalem. In fact, it was signed into law in 1995, read this:
The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is a public law of the United States passed by the 104th Congress on October 23, 1995. It was passed for the purposes of initiating and funding the relocation of the Embassy of the United States in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , no later than May 31, 1999, and attempted to withhold 50 percent of the funds appropriated to the State Department specifically for “Acquisition and Maintenance of Buildings Abroad” as allocated in fiscal year 1999 until the United States Embassy in Jerusalem had officially opened. The act also called for Jerusalem to remain an undivided city and for it to be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel. Israel’s declared capital is Jerusalem, but this is not internationally recognized, pending final status talks in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict . The United States has withheld recognition of the city as Israel’s capital. The proposed law was adopted by the Senate (93–5),and the House (374–37).
Contained in the Jerusalem Embassy Act is a prophecy bombshell , perhaps when you skimmed through it just now you missed so let me break it out for you, ready?
“…called for Jerusalem to remain an undivided city and for it to be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel.
Now please pause at this juncture and think about what that means for a Bible believer. Do you know why the Palestinians have, for 20 years, refused to accept the so-called Two State Solution ? Because the Two State Solution does not give Jerusalem to Palestine, it gives it to its rightful owner, Israel. The Battle of Armageddon will be fought over who will gain control of, not just Israel in general, but the rights to Jerusalem in particular! The word “Jerusalem” appears 811 times in your King James Bible, think that God places a lot of importance on it?
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.” Zechariah 12:2 (KJV)
God says if you go against His city of Jerusalem that it will mean “lights out” for you. Jerusalem will be the portal through which God administers His Justice to a depraved world. Jerusalem will be His “burdensome stone” with which He judges the world.
“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:3 (KJV) NTEB PRESENTS: Donald Trump, Jerusalem and Bible Prophecy
We just launched a YouTube channel for Bible teaching and prophecy, and here is our very first video of our radio show on Donald Trump and Jerusalem. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here , thank you!
Bible believers, let’s be honest. God is not really so much concerned with any election in any nation so much as He is with His nation of Israel and its capital city of Jerusalem. That’s where God’s passion is, that’s where His heart is. Genesis says that if you want God’s blessing, then bless His nation of Israel and bless His chosen people, the Jews.
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3 (KJV) Christian, do you need a reason from the Bible to vote for Donald Trump?
I just gave you two, very powerful and very Biblical reasons to vote for Donald Trump. He will move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and he will love Israel and God will bless us for that. Now, get up, put your “big boy” and “big girl” pants on, and go out and vote .
Not for the “lesser of two evils” as some erroneously assert, but for the only candidate that will fulfill Bible prophecy
Donald J. Trump. | 1 |
709 | The Only Coup Is a Stolen Election | Dave Hodges |
Wars and rumor of wars. There is no coup. What you are watching is a media distraction. Â The MSM is actually covering Hillary’s criminality for the very first time. Are you naive enough to believe the media has had a change of heart? Â Look at the timing. Most of the early balloting is done. The George Soros’ voting machines have been placed into 16 key states. Â Dead people have already early-voted. But the media would have you believe that Hillary cannot win. When the fake polls at ABC show Trump is now leading, you have to question your common sense if you think you are not being played. Â And getting the people to believe that Hillary cannot win because of the late exposure of her criminality, will keep the people from working hard to prevent it.
How can America be so stupid as to believe that the main stream media has had a change of heart? Chris Matthews endorsing Trump along with other main stream media outlets? Really? Was Santa Claus standing in the background laughing?
The criminal elite and their media pawns  have spent the entire election campaign vilifying Trump and now we are to believe that they have found Jesus and are suddenly supporting Trump?  For you farm boys, this is called playing possum.
If you don’t want to live under the biggest criminal to ever run for President, you must block out the media and their minions because if you don’t and Hillary steals this election, I will be saying I told you so. Â The only way Trump wins the election, is if the people vote in overwhelming numbers for him and no amount of election fraud can overcome a super majority. For the record, voting machine fraud is designed to flip a percentage of the vote. Â An overwhelming victory cannot be negated without it being painfully obvious to everyone. So, don’t get lulled into complacency. Keep working for Trump!!!!
Believe who you want America, but in 5 days, if you lose your focus in supporting Trump and start assuming a victory, you are going to hand the election to Soros and Clinton.
Here is the anti-dote to the MSM BS. which is contained in the following video.
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710 | СМИ: в России создадут систему для отслеживания приближающихся со стороны Солнца тел | RT на русском | Короткая ссылка 25 Совет РАН по космосу утвердил параметры проекта «Система обнаружения дневных астероидов» (СОДА), целью которого является мониторинг космических тел, приближающихся к Земле со стороны Солнца.
Бюджет, выделенный на научно-исследовательские работы по проекту СОДА составит 10 млн рублей, пишет газета «Известия. На научно-исследовательскую работу «СОДА-обнаружение»— математическое моделирование работы СОДА — будет выделено 2,5 млн рублей. Головным исполнителем назначен Институт астрономии РАН (ИНАСАН).
По данным издания, проект СОДА предусматривает строительство космического аппарата, который планирую отправить в одну из точек Лагранжа на расстоянии 1,5 миллиона километров от Земли. Телескоп, размещённый в аппарате, будет предупреждать о телах, которые направляются к Земле со стороны Солнца.
По словам научного руководителя ИНАСАН Бориса Шустова, необходимость в подобной системе стала ощущаться после падения метеорита «Челябинск» в 2013 году, которое показало, «что никакими наземными средствами невозможно обнаружить космическое тело, приближающееся к нам со стороны Солнца».
Ранее жители Бурятии и Иркутской области стали свидетелями падения болида. | 1 |
711 | 5 Things You Need to Know About the Blacked Out Dakota Access Pipeline Protests | The Anti-Media |
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 Pipeline. Due in part to independent media coverage of the ongoing standoff, the Sacred Stone camp has grown into a formidable opposition against the $3.8 billion, 1,200-mile long pipeline.
Due to misinformation coming from law-enforcement, political favoritism toward the pipeline builders, and the media’s blatant reluctance to report on the pipeline, it’s hard to tell truth from fiction. Anti-Media , along with our partners in the independent media and our embedded journalist at the opposition encampment, have been covering the unfolding standoff continuously. Here are five things you need to know.
1. Who is opposing the pipeline — and why
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is leading the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. They have been joined by the largest tribal coalition in over 100 years in their stand against the pipeline. The coalition is also comprised of activists, allies, and environmentalists, collectively known as “water protectors,” at the Sacred Stone Camp, an encampment close to the location where the pipeline is planned to cross the Missouri River in North Dakota. According to the Sacred Stone camp website , they are opposing the pipeline because “[t]he Dakota Access threatens everything from farming and drinking water to entire ecosystems, wildlife and food sources surrounding the Missouri.”
The Standing Rock Sioux also say the pipeline is violating treaty land , Sioux territory that was established many years ago by the federal government. “We will not allow Dakota Access to trespass on our treaty territory and destroy our medicines and our culture.”
The opposition to the pipeline spreads across several states and is not opposed solely by Native Americans. Farmers, ranchers, and landowners are also opposed to the pipeline. Many of them have had their land taken from them against their will and given to the pipeline via eminent domain.
2. The U.S. government and the pipeline corporation are continuing a long tradition of disrespecting Native Americans
The United States has a very bad reputation for treating Native Americans, the original inhabitants of this land, as less than human. In many instances in the past, the land where Native Americans lived was deemed to be of higher value than the Natives’ lives.
Such has been the case in North Dakota — not only now, but in the past as well. According to The Atlantic :
“The land beneath the pipeline was accorded to Sioux peoples by the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. Eleven years later, the U.S. government incited and won the Great Sioux War, and ‘renegotiated’ a new treaty with the Sioux under threat of starvation. In that document, the tribe ceded much of the Laramie land, including the Black Hills of South Dakota, where many whites believed there to be gold.”
After the federal government relegated the Sioux people to the “Great Sioux Reservation” in 1851 , the treaty was re-written and “renegotiated” by force whenever resources were discovered or when the U.S. government wanted land. Essentially, the Sioux people were victims of U.S.-sanctioned murder, and their land was stolen because gold was discovered on it.
Fast forward to 2016 and the Sioux people are once again making a stand on land that was once — and still is , according to the tribe — theirs. How is the government reacting to this stand? By brutally arresting the Native American water protectors for trespassing . If that is not a miscarriage of justice, I don’t know what is.
Further, Energy Transfer Partners, the company pulling the strings behind the DAPL, has deep pockets, and its lobbyists have cozied up to federal, state, and local governments with jurisdiction over the pipeline route. This could explain why the company began its construction of the pipeline on Army Corps of Engineers land without even securing an easement , which is required by law. Dakota Access LLC, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, has also used the strong-arm of government to force farmers and landowners to hand over their land to the pipeline against their will.
3. Violent acts are being carried out in North Dakota, but not by the water protectors
Violence is breaking out at the Dakota Access Protest site, but the protesters have nothing to do with it. Pipeline police, bolstered by the North Dakota National Guard and sheriffs imported from around the country, have turned the standoff into a war zone. Water protectors are regularly pepper sprayed, tear gassed, and violently arrested. Over the weekend, 127 people were detained in the biggest mass arrest to date.
Militarized police at the Dakota Access Pipeline site are decked out in riot gear, armed with military grade weapons, use armored cars or MRAPs with snipers on top of them, and have regularly used LRADs, a type of mass crowd dispersal weapon that uses a high pitched noise to hurt people’s ears — sometimes permanently .
Early reports of protesters being armed and violent have proven to be instances of misinformation spread by law enforcement apparently seeking to demonize the opposition. No credible reports of violence by the protesters have been confirmed or prosecuted. Nearly all arrests stem from trespassing charges or crimes of journalism.
When protesters initially began using civil disobedience to physically shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline site, they were confronted violently by security guards from British mercenary firm G4S. The mercs sicced dogs and used pepper spray on the protesters in an assault that went viral and helped catalyze even more support for the water protectors.
4. Independent media is under attack at the Dakota Access Pipeline — and the corporate media is ignoring it
Independent media’s broadcasts over the Internet are basically the only reason people around the country and the world now know about the struggle at Standing Rock. Unfortunately, journalists are not immune to the police crackdowns in North Dakota. Dozens of journalists have now been arrested, and an arrest warrant was issued for high-profile journalist Amy Goodman. One independent media outlet, Unicorn Riot , saw four of their journalists arrested in one day in North Dakota. One filmmaker is facing up to 45 years in prison for filming acts of civil disobedience against the pipeline.
Anti-Media ’s journalist on the ground, Derrick Broze, was tased by law enforcement while covering the protests on Thursday as this article was being written.
Meanwhile, the national corporate media ignored the battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline as long as they could. For months, despite the DAPL emergence into the national narrative, ABC and NBC refused to air any coverage about it. A woman was arrested for protesting the pipeline on her own farm after Dakota Access LLC gained access to it against her will via eminent domain — yet there was still no corporate media coverage on the incident.
5. How you can help the opposition
Now that you see what water protectors are up against in North Dakota, here’s what you can do to help.
Get yourself to the Sacred Stone Camp. The water protectors need reinforcements as people are regularly arrested. The bigger the stand, the more likely the pipeline’s construction will be halted. Here’s how to get there . Send supplies or donations. Water protectors need your help with supplies and funding. Go to this link to send supplies. Go to this link to donate to the cause. Support independent journalists that risk arrest to bring you the news from the front lines. Follow Sacred Stone Camp on Facebook. Share this article. For 10 more ways to get involved, click here . Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
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Contributed by The Anti-Media of theantimedia.org .
The “Anti” in our name does not mean we are against the media, we are simply against the current mainstream paradigm. The current media, influenced by the industrial complex, is a top-down authoritarian system of distribution—the opposite of what Anti-Media aims to be. At Anti-Media, we want to offer a new paradigm—a bottom-up approach for real and diverse reporting. We seek to establish a space where the people are the journalists and a venue where independent journalism moves forward on a larger and more truthful scale. | 1 |
712 | Germany: Iraqi Asylum-Seeker Convicted of Raping Chinese Students | Breitbart London | BERLIN (AP) — A German court has convicted a Iraqi man of raping two Chinese college students in the western city of Bochum. [The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that the court sentenced the man to 11 years in prison. The defendant, who wasn’t identified by name, acknowledged in court that he assaulted the women in August and November last year. DNA evidence linked him to both crimes. The defendant came to Germany as an more than a year ago with his wife and children. The victims, who were 21 and 27 years old at the time, had been studying at Bochum university. The case was one of several that fanned a national debate in Germany about how to respond to a rise in violent crimes committed by migrants. | 0 |
713 | Teenage Boy KNOCKS OUT His Classmate For Assaulting Their Female Teacher In The FACE- And It’s EPIC! | shelby andrews | 0 comments
Not a lot of teenage boys would go out of their selfish ways to stand up for a teacher like this. He stood up for his teacher when his peer punched her in the face. This young man is certainly respectable!
A shocking video has emerged showing the moment a protective student knocked out a classmate who had just attacked their female teacher. The footage shows that the teacher was trying to break up a fight between two students – one in a red hoodie and one in a black hoodie – when the boy in the red turns around and hits her in the face. The teacher, dressed in white and wearing glasses, appears to fall to the ground after being hit, and then leaves the classroom.
Then, a third student comes in and punches the boy in head, sending him straight down to the ground. The third student is heard saying: ‘Watch the f— out, you just hit the fucking teacher.’ He then adds: ‘Chill your s—, you just hit the f—ing teacher, you don’t f—ing do that. Who the f— do you think you are?’
The teacher then reappears in the room, and appears relatively unscathed. She tells the group to stop fighting and separate.‘He just f—ing hit you, that’s not cool,’ says the boy that came to her defense.‘It’s not cool,’ the teacher replies. It is unclear where the video was filmed or what school was involved, however the clip was spreading quickly on social media on Wednesday after appearing on the website LiveLeak. Some viewers questioned whether the boy in red may have mistakenly hit the teacher, believing she were the other one of the students. However others said he clearly meant to hit the woman.
Shout out to the boy for standing up for what is right! Related Items | 1 |
714 | What Does it Take to Bring Hillary Clinton to Justice? | Pepe Escobar | What Does it Take to Bring Hillary Clinton to Justice?
By Pepe Escobar
RT " - Virtually the whole planet holds its collective breath at the prospect of Hillary Clinton possibly becoming the next President of the United States (POTUS).
Hows that humanly possible, as the (daily) Bonfire of The Scandals relentlessly fed by WikiLeaks revelations and now converging FBI investigations - can now be seen from interstellar space? Its possible because Hillary Clinton, slouching through a paroxysm of manufactured hysteria, is supported by virtually the whole US establishment, a consensual neocon/neoliberalcon War Party/Wall Street/corporate media axis.
But History has a tendency to show us theres always a straw that breaks the camels back.
This could be it as revealed by WikiLeaks ; March 2, 2015, the day when John Podesta wrote, we are going to have to dump all those emails.
That happened to be the exact same day it was revealed Hillary Clinton had used a personal email server as Secretary of State.
Yet this reveals only part of the puzzle. Theres got to be a response to Podestas email which WikiLeaks may, or may not, leak in the next few days before the election. If the back and forth clearly shows intent (to mislead), then weve got a 100 percent smoking gun: the whole Clinton (cash) machine narrative according to which Hillary just deleted "personal" emails crumbles like the ultimate House of Cards.
Moreover, that would unveil what was from the start the privileged Clinton machine strategy: to thwart the subsequent internal State Dept. and FBI investigations.
As far as the Clinton machine is concerned, an interlocking influence peddling pile up is the norm. John Podesta also happens to be the founder of the Center for American Progress a George Soros operation and prime recruiting ground for Obama administration officials, including US Treasury operatives who decided which elite Too Big To Fail (TBTF) financial giants would be spared after the 2008 crisis. DCLeaks.com , for its part, has connected Soros Open Society foundations to global funding rackets directly leading to subversion of governments and outright regime change (obviously sparing Clinton Foundation donors.)
Exceptional bananas, anyone? The perfectly timed slow drip of WikiLeaks revelations, for the Clinton machine, feels like a sophisticated form of Chinese torture. To alleviate the pain, the relentless standard spin has been to change the subject, blame the messenger, and attribute it all to evil Russian hacking when the real source for the leaks might have come straight from the belly of the (Washington) beast.
At the Valdai discussion club last week, it took President Putin only a few sentences to debunk the whole Clinton machine narrative with a bang:
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 peoples choice? America is not some kind of banana republic, after all, but is a great power. Do correct me if I am wrong.
Reality, though, continues to insist on offering multiple, overlapping banana republic instances, configuring a giant black hole of transparency.
Anthropologist Janine Wedel has been one of the few in Clinton-linked US mainstream media acknowledging how Bill Clinton, while Hillary was Secretary of State, perfected his version of philantro-capitalism (actually a money laundering pay to play racket), a practice by no means confined to the Clintons.
And the racket prospered with inbuilt nuggets, such as Hillary being perfectly aware that prime Clinton Foundation donors Qatar and Saudi Arabia were also financing ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.
Huma, the Fall Princess Now, less than a week before the election, we have come to the crucial juncture where the WikiLeaks revelations are merging with the FBI investigations - all three of them.
Exhibit A is this WikiLeaks bombshell ; Peter Kadzik, whos now in charge of the Department of Justice (DOJ) probe into the 650,000 emails found on the laptop shared by Clintons right-hand woman Huma Abedin and her estranged, pervert husband Anthony Wiener, is a Clinton asset.
Not only Kadzik was an attorney for Marc Rich when he was pardoned by Bill Clinton; Podesta as also revealed by WikiLeaks - thanked Kadzik for keeping him out of jail ; and it was Kadzik who gave Podesta a secret heads up on the Clinton email investigation.
The Clinton machine, starring a self-described virtuous Madonna, is actually a pretty nasty business. Huma and her familys close connections to Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood are legendary (that includes her brother Hassan, who works for Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi). Podesta, by the way, is a handsomely remunerated lobbyist for Saudi Arabia in Washington; thats part of the Clinton Foundation connection.
Yet now, with Huma in the spotlight still maintaining she didnt know all those emails were in her and Wieners laptop - its no wonder Hillary has instantly downgraded her, publicly, to one of my aides . She used to be Hillarys ersatz daughter ; now shes being framed as The Fall Princess.
And that brings us to the intersection of those three FBI investigations; on Hillarys Subterranean Email Server (in theory closed by FBIs Comey last summer); on the Clinton Foundation; and on Wieners sexting of minors. The FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for over a year now. Lets try to cut a long story short.
Follow the evidence Last July, the DOJ under Clinton/Obama asset Loretta Lynch - decided not to prosecute anyone on Emailgate. And yet FBI director Comey who nonetheless stressed Hillarys extreme carelessness turbo-charged his no-denial mode on another investigation, as in the FBI sought to refocus the Clinton Foundation probe.
Soon we had Clinton Foundation FBI investigators trying to get access to all the emails turned over in the Emailgate investigation. The East District of New York refused it. Very important point; up to 2015, guess who was the US attorney at the East District; Clinton/Obama asset Lynch.
Enter an extra layer of legalese. Less than two months ago, the Clinton Foundation FBI investigators discovered they could not have access to any Emailgate material that was connected to immunity agreements.
But then, roughly a month ago, another FBI team captured the by now famous laptop shared by Huma and Wiener - using a warrant allowing only a probe on Weiners sexting of a 15-year-old girl. Subsequently they found Huma Abedin emails at all her accounts from [email protected] to the crucial [email protected] . This meant not only that Huma was forwarding State Dept. emails to her private accounts, but also that Hillary was sending emails from the secret clintonemail.com to Huma at yahoo.com.
No one knew for sure, but some of these emails might be duplicates of those the Clinton Foundation FBI investigators could not access because of the pesky immunity agreements.
Whats established by now is that the metadata in the Huma/Wiener laptop was duly examined. Now picture both teams of FBI investigators Clinton Foundation and pervert Wiener comparing notes. And then they decide Humas emails are relevant.
Key questions apply; and the most pressing is how the emails were deemed relevant if the investigators could only examine the metadata. What matters is that Comey certainly was made aware of the content of the emails a potential game-changer. Thats why one of my sources insists his decision to go public came from above.
The other key question now is whether the DOJ via Kadzik? - will once again thwart another investigation, this time on the Clinton Foundation. Senior, serious FBI agents wont take that massive euphemism kindly.
The FBI has been on the Clinton Foundation for over a year. Now, arguably, they are loaded with evidence and they wont quit. Winning the presidency now seems to be the least of Hillary Clintons Bonfire of Scandals problems.
Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. | 1 |
715 | ICE Rounds Up 44 Criminal Aliens in Texas Capital | Bob Price | AUSTIN, Texas — Enforcement actions underway in Texas as part of the nationwide Operation Cross Check have landed 44 criminal aliens in federal detention this week. [Following news about criminal aliens being arrested in Austin, Texas, by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Breitbart Texas reached out to the local ICE spokesperson to learn if the arrests were part of an ongoing operation. While the ICE spokesperson would not confirm or deny the operation, U. S. Representative Joaquin Castro confirmed the arrests underway in Austin and throughout South and Central Texas are part of Operation Crosscheck. “I have been informed by ICE that the agency’s San Antonio field office has launched a targeted operation in South and Central Texas as part of Operation Cross Check,” Castro said in a written statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “I am asking ICE to clarify whether these individuals are in fact dangerous, violent threats to our communities, and not people who are here peacefully raising families and contributing to our state. I will continue to monitor this situation. ” ICE Spokesperson Adelina Pruneda would not release any details about the criminal aliens being arrested, or any possible operation in progress when contacted by Breitbart Texas. She did confirm that one ICE officer was injured in Austin while attempting to take a criminal alien into custody. The alien’s family allegedly attempted to intervene in the arrest. The officer received minor injuries in the scuffle. He was transported to a local emergency clinic where he was treated and released. The roundup of criminal aliens has sparked protests in the Capital City. One twitter user posted a video from an overnight protest march: Happening now downtown #Austin activists march and protest against #ICE raids that surged heading into the weekend pic. twitter. — FIELHOUSTON (@FIELHouston) February 11, 2017, More than 2, 000 criminal aliens were rounded up during Operation Crosscheck in 2015. 1, 000 of the captured criminal aliens were targeted because they had felony convictions. Those range from voluntary manslaughter, child pornography, robbery, kidnapping and rape. of those captured were known gang members, while were convicted sex offenders. President Donald Trump stated, during his campaign for president, that he would prioritize the arrest and deportation of criminal aliens. However, ICE roundup operations of this nature are regularly scheduled during the first part of the year. The Mexican consul general in San Antonio claimed that Operation Crosscheck is underway in six different states, the Austin reported. ICE agents have arrested 44 criminal aliens in the past two days. Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX. | 0 |
716 | The Election: Of Hate, Grief, and a New Story | WakingTimes | Waking Times
Normal is coming unhinged. For the last eight years it has been possible for most people (at least in the relatively privileged classes) to believe that society is sound, that the system, though creaky, basically works, and that the progressive deterioration of everything from ecology to economy is a temporary deviation from the evolutionary imperative of progress.
A Clinton Presidency would have offered four more years of that pretense. A woman President following a black President would have meant to many that things are getting better. It would have obscured the reality of continued neoliberal economics, imperial wars, and resource extraction behind a veil of faux-progressive feminism. Now that we have, in the words of my friend Kelly Brogan , rejected a wolf in sheep’s clothing in favor of a wolf in wolf’s clothing, that illusion will be impossible to maintain.
The wolf, Donald Trump (and I’m not sure he’d be offended by that moniker) will not provide the usual sugarcoating on the poison pills the policy elites have foisted on us for the last forty years. The prison-industrial complex, the endless wars, the surveillance state, the pipelines, the nuclear weapons expansion were easier for liberals to swallow when they came with a dose, albeit grudging, of LGBTQ rights under an African-American President.
I am willing to suspend my judgement of Trump and (very skeptically) hold the possibility that he will disrupt the elite policy consensus of free trade and military confrontation – major themes of his campaign. One might always hope for miracles. However, because he apparently lacks any robust political ideology of his own, it is more likely that he will fill his cabinet with neocon war hawks, Wall Street insiders, and corporate reavers, trampling the wellbeing of the working class whites who elected him while providing them their own sugar-coating of social conservatism.
The social and environmental horrors likely to be committed under President Trump are likely to incite massive civil disobedience and possibly disorder. For Clinton supporters, many of whom were halfhearted to begin with, the Trump administration could mark the end of their loyalty to our present institutions of government. For Trump supporters, the initial celebration will collide with gritty reality when Trump proves as unable or unwilling as his predecessors to challenge the entrenched systems that continually degrade their lives: global finance capital, the deep state, and their programming ideologies. Add to this the likelihood of a major economic crisis, and the public’s frayed loyalty to the existing system could snap.
We are entering a time of great uncertainty. Institutions so enduring as to seem identical to reality itself may lose their legitimacy and dissolve. It may seem that the world is falling apart. For many, that process started on election night, when Trump’s victory provoked incredulity, shock, even vertigo. “I can’t believe this is happening!”
At such moments, it is a normal response to find someone to blame, as if identifying fault could restore the lost normality, and to lash out in anger. Hate and blame are convenient ways of making meaning out of a bewildering situation. Anyone who disputes the blame narrative may receive more hostility than the opponents themselves, as in wartime when pacifists are more reviled than the enemy.
Racism and misogyny are devastatingly real in this country, but to blame bigotry and sexism for voters’ repudiation of the Establishment is to deny the validity of their deep sense of betrayal and alienation. The vast majority of Trump voters were expressing extreme dissatisfaction with the system in the way most readily available to them. (See here , here , here , here ) Millions of Obama voters voted for Trump (six states who went for Obama twice switched to Trump). Did they suddenly become racists in the last four years? The blame-the-racists (the fools, the yokels…) narrative generates a clear demarcation between good (us) and evil (them), but it does violence to the truth. It also obscures an important root of racism – anger displaced away from an oppressive system and its elites and onto other victims of that system. Finally, it employs the same dehumanization of the other that is the essence of racism and the precondition for war. Such is the cost of preserving a dying story. That is one reason why paroxysms of violence so often accompany a culture-defining story’s demise.
The dissolution of the old order that is now officially in progress is going to intensify. That presents a tremendous opportunity and danger, because when normal falls apart the ensuing vacuum draws in formerly unthinkable ideas from the margins. Unthinkable ideas range from rounding up the Muslims in concentration camps, to dismantling the military-industrial complex and closing down overseas military bases. They range from nationwide stop-and-frisk to replacing criminal punishment with restorative justice. Anything becomes possible with the collapse of dominant institutions. When the animating force behind these new ideas is hate or fear, all manner of fascistic and totalitarian nightmares can ensue, whether enacted by existing powers or those that arise in revolution against them.
That is why, as we enter a period of intensifying disorder, it is important to introduce a different kind of force to animate the structures that might appear after the old ones crumble. I would call it love if it weren’t for the risk of triggering your New Age bullshit detector, and besides, how does one practically bring love into the world in the realm of politics? So let’s start with empathy. Politically, empathy is akin to solidarity, born of the understanding that we are all in this together. In what together? For starters, we are in the uncertainty together.
We are exiting an old story that explained to us the way of the world and our place in it. Some may cling to it all the more desperately as it dissolves, looking perhaps to Donald Trump to restore it, but their savior has not the power to bring back the dead. Neither would Clinton have been able to preserve America as we’d known it for too much longer. We as a society are entering a space between stories, in which everything that had seemed so real, true, right, and permanent comes into doubt. For a while, segments of society have remained insulated from this breakdown (whether by fortune, talent, or privilege), living in a bubble as the containing economic and ecological systems deteriorate. But not for much longer. Not even the elites are immune to this doubt. They grasp at straws of past glories and obsolete strategies; they create perfunctory and unconvincing shibboleths (Putin!), wandering aimlessly from “doctrine” to “doctrine” – and they have no idea what to do. Their haplessness and half-heartedness was plain to see in this election, their disbelief in their own propaganda, their cynicism. When even the custodians of the story no longer believe the story, you know its days are numbered. It is a shell with no engine, running on habit and momentum.
We are entering a space between stories. After various retrograde versions of a new story rise and fall and we enter a period of true unknowing, an authentic next story will emerge. What would it take for it to embody love, compassion, and interbeing? I see its lineaments in those marginal structures and practices that we call holistic, alternative, regenerative, and restorative. All of them source from empathy, the result of the compassionate inquiry: What is it like to be you?
It is time now to bring this question and the empathy it arouses into our political discourse as a new animating force. If you are appalled at the election outcome and feel the call of hate, perhaps try asking yourself, “What is it like to be a Trump supporter?” Ask it not with a patronizing condescension, but for real, looking underneath the caricature of misogynist and bigot to find the real person.
Even if the person you face IS a misogynist or bigot, ask, “Is this who they are, really?” Ask what confluence of circumstances, social, economic, and biographical, may have brought them there. You may still not know how to engage them, but at least you will not be on the warpath automatically. We hate what we fear, and we fear what we do not know. So let’s stop making our opponents invisible behind a caricature of evil.
We’ve got to stop acting out hate. I see no less of it in the liberal media than I do in the right-wing. It is just better disguised, hiding beneath pseudo-psychological epithets and dehumanizing ideological labels. Exercising it, we create more of it. What is beneath the hate? My acupuncturist Sarah Fields wrote to me, “Hate is just a bodyguard for grief. When people lose the hate, they are forced to deal with the pain beneath.”
I think the pain beneath is fundamentally the same pain that animates misogyny and racism – hate in a different form. Please stop thinking you are better than these people! We are all victims of the same world-dominating machine, suffering different mutations of the same wound of separation. Something hurts in there. We live in a civilization that has robbed nearly all of us of deep community, intimate connection with nature, unconditional love, freedom to explore the kingdom of childhood, and so much more. The acute trauma endured by the incarcerated, the abused, the raped, the trafficked, the starved, the murdered, and the dispossessed does not exempt the perpetrators. They feel it in mirror image, adding damage to their souls atop the damage that compels them to violence. Thus it is that suicide is the leading cause of death in the U.S. military. Thus it is that addiction is rampant among the police. Thus it is that depression is epidemic in the upper middle class. We are all in this together.
Something hurts in there. Can you feel it? We are all in this together. One earth, one tribe, one people.
We have entertained teachings like these long enough in our spiritual retreats, meditations, and prayers. Can we take them now into the political world and create an eye of compassion inside the political hate vortex? It is time to do it, time to up our game. It is time to stop feeding hate. Next time you post on line, check your words to see if they smuggle in some form of hate: dehumanization, snark, belittling, derision.., some invitation to us versus them. Notice how it feels kind of good to do that, like getting a fix. And notice what hurts underneath, and how it doesn’t feel good, not really. Maybe it is time to stop.
This does not mean to withdraw from political conversation, but to rewrite its vocabulary. It is to speak hard truths with love. It is to offer acute political analysis that doesn’t carry the implicit message of “Aren’t those people horrible?” Such analysis is rare. Usually, those evangelizing compassion do not write about politics, and sometimes they veer into passivity. We need to confront an unjust, ecocidal system. Each time we do we will receive an invitation to give in to the dark side and hate “the deplorables.” We must not shy away from those confrontations. Instead, we can engage them empowered by the inner mantra that my friend Pancho Ramos-Stierle uses in confrontations with his jailers: “Brother, your soul is too beautiful to be doing this work.” If we can stare hate in the face and never waver from that knowledge, we will access inexhaustible tools of creative engagement, and hold a compelling invitation to the haters to fulfill their beauty. About the Author | 1 |
717 | Hillary has a question about Michelle Obama; Can you help her out? | Sarah D. | — Jim Kearney (@JimboDKearney) October 27, 2016
As Twitchy told you , Hillary Clinton is so popular and beloved and popular that at her rally today, she turned the stage over to Michelle Obama. Now, you may wonder why Hillary would be giving Michelle the spotlight at her own rally, but as it turns out, there’s a very simple explanation: Michelle Obama is just so gosh-darn inspiring! “Seriously, is there anyone more inspiring than Michelle Obama?” —Hillary
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 27, 2016
Seriously, you guys. I get liking Michelle Obama, even admiring her. But the notion she's off the charts inspiring is lost on me. https://t.co/TdGvODBQUu
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) October 27, 2016
Don’t worry — it’s lost on a lot of other people, too: @JonahNRO @bennyjohnson can we honestly ask why she's inspiring at all? What has she done that my wife couldn't have given FLOTUS assets?
— Todd Lemmon (@toddlemmon) October 27, 2016 . @JonahNRO Michelle being the "most inspiring person ever" is like Clinton being the "most qualified candidate ever"
— Andrew Chouinard (@alchouin) October 27, 2016
Did someone wipe Hillary’s memory clean? Like, with a cloth? @JonahNRO @bennyjohnson the bar has been set really low this year
— John Allen (@JohnTAllen) October 27, 2016
OK, fair enough. But still. It’s not very hard to come up with a list of people more inspiring than Michelle Obama. @HillaryClinton yeah … how about the troops? | 1 |
718 | Keith Vaz, British Lawmaker, Quits Senior Post Amid Sex and Drug Scandal - The New York Times | Stephen Castle | LONDON — Caught in what appeared to be a classic British newspaper exposé, an opposition lawmaker on Tuesday relinquished leadership of an influential parliamentary committee over allegations that he paid for the services of prostitutes and offered to buy drugs for them. Two days after The Sunday Mirror published a report about the encounter involving the lawmaker, Keith Vaz, a prominent member of the Labour Party and a former minister for Europe, Mr. Vaz said it was “in the best interest” of the Home Affairs Select Committee, which he led, for its work to be “conducted without any distractions whatsoever. ” “I am genuinely sorry that recent events make it impossible for this to happen if I remain chair,” Mr. Vaz said in a statement. After the allegations were published on Sunday, Mr. Vaz argued that it was “deeply disturbing that a national newspaper should have paid individuals to have acted in this way,” adding that he would refer the report to his lawyers. Britain’s freewheeling tabloid press has been more restrained in recent times, after scandals over telephone hacking that led to an inquiry into ethical standards at the country’s newspapers. The Sunday Mirror sought to justify its report by pointing to the political responsibilities of Mr. Vaz, suggesting that his conduct had compromised his ability to fulfill his duties. As chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons, he enjoyed a prominent role in oversight of the Home Office, the department that controls Britain’s policy on, among other things, drugs and prostitution. Even before his announcement on Tuesday, some politicians had suggested that his resignation was inevitable. John Whittingdale, who served as culture secretary under former Prime Minister David Cameron, said on Sunday that he understood that Mr. Vaz would relinquish his leadership of the committee. “Given the areas of which the committee is responsible, that does seem to me to be a sensible course of action,” Mr. Whittingdale told Sky News. According to The Sunday Mirror, Mr. Vaz, who is a married father of two, met with two men, identified by the tabloid as prostitutes, on Aug. 27 at an apartment in London. Before meeting with them, Mr. Vaz texted one of the men and asked him to bring poppers, a class of chemicals called alkyl nitrites that can be inhaled for a quick high or to enhance sexual pleasure, although the paper reported that Mr. Vaz had said that he did not use the drug himself. Mr. Vaz also discussed paying for cocaine but said he would not consume it, the paper reported. In Parliament, Mr. Vaz has argued against including poppers in a list of banned substances. During the encounter, Mr. Vaz told the men that his name was Jim and that he was a salesman for industrial washing machines, The Sunday Mirror reported, but one of the escorts recognized the lawmaker from his television appearances. | 0 |
719 | Comment on Sunday Devotional: The whole Universe is as a grain by Sunday Devotional: The whole Universe is as a grain — Fellowship of the Minds | kommonsentsjane | Sunday Devotional: The whole Universe is as a grain — Fellowship of the Minds | kommonsentsjane | Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent. For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? But you spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things! Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD! New map of the Universe
Here’s a video on 3,000 scientists and professors with Ph.D.s who became believers of Creation, based on evidence, not faith. Some examples are Duane Gish, Cornell U. researcher with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from U.C. Berkeley; Henry Morris, Ph.D., professor of Hydraulic Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Pull quotes from the video, spoken by Dr. Jerry Bergman, co-author of the book Persuaded by the Evidence :
1:09 mark: “The book basically summarizes accounts of why people became creationists . . . . So many people believe that creationists are . . . just born that way or raised that way . . . . We want to show that many people became creationists because of the scientific evidence. In fact, many people in the book, including myself, became creationists by the evidence, not because we were raised this way.”
6:55 mark: “In fact, when I was an atheist, we used to often call these, what they call theistic evolutionists, ‘useful idiots’ . . . and that term was heard over and over again. They felt they’re [theistic evolutionists] useful for now. Once we convince the world of Darwinism . . . then there’ll be no need for religion, and they [theistic evolutionists] in essence are digging their own grave.”
8:07 mark: “Many [of the 3,000 scientists and professors in the book] stress very strongly that I would not be a Christian today if it was not for my study of evolution and my realization that evolution is not supportable by the science. And therefore they became creationists, and then they became Christians.”
8:54 mark: “I began to question atheism for a number of reasons. One reason was a lot of the scholarship that atheists did, I realized due to a lot of reading, was just not valid. Like the claims about Galileo and Bruno, and the claims that the Church executed many, many scientists because of their science. I realized that these claims are just not true, they’re just false. So I became disillusioned with atheist scholarship. And the next step was, indeed, is there any evidence for evolution because a major reason why many people are atheists is because they are convinced we do not need a Creator to account for the origin of life and the Universe. This is a foundational doctrine of atheism. So I decided, ‘Well, if this is not true, if evolution is not valid, then that negates the reason why many people are atheists.'”
11:28 mark: The evolutionary progression from ape to man that’s “commonly presented” is “either faked or they are distorted or the evidence is very unpersuasive for what they call a monkey or primate into man.”
11:48 mark: “Dogmatic evolution, I find, is interfering with science . . . because you are looking at the world with very distorted glasses. You’re not looking at what’s there; you’re looking at what you want to see there . . . . You must not force the facts into an evolutionary interpretation, and this all too often is done.”
An example of science forcing the facts into an evolutionary interpretation is pseudogenes and junk DNA. 12:33 mark: “It was said for a long time that . . . 95% of the DNA is junk, it has no function . . . . I said all we can say now is we don’t know that it has a function . . . . Over and over I argued with colleagues about this. Now it’s widely recognized that much, if not most, possibly almost all of this so-called junk DNA now we know has a function. Much of it has a regulatory function.” Helix Nebula , dubbed “Eye of God,” in the constellation Aquarius, 700 light years from Earth.
May the peace and love of Jesus Christ our Lord be with you!
~Eowyn | 1 |
720 | Donald Trump, Syria, Emperor Akihito: Your Morning Briefing - The New York Times | Charles McDermid | Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • With the stroke of a pen, President Trump formally abandoned the Partnership, a drastic reversal of decades of trade policy that removes a counterweight to China’s economic might. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Mr. Trump said, calling the withdrawal “a great thing for the American worker. ” Mr. Trump also ordered a hiring freeze for federal workers outside the military, and reinstituted a bar on aid to health providers abroad who offer counseling abortion as a option. Senators are nearing confirmation votes for Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas to lead the C. I. A. and Rex W. Tillerson for secretary of state, in a cabinet more white and male than any since that of Ronald Reagan. _____ • The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave his first official briefing, two days after angrily berating reporters and making false claims about the size of Trump’s inauguration crowd that one of his team defended as “alternative facts. ” Our reporters offered analysis of the marathon session, which you can see here, along with the full video. One of our correspondents observed that “Spicer’s plan for getting back on the right side of the press appears to be to stand here and answer every question possible. ” _____ • Japan is a step closer to allowing Emperor Akihito of Japan to abdicate. A government panel’s support for a provision clears the way for the governing Liberal Democratic Party to propose a measure applying only to the emperor, which is expected in April. _____ • South Korea’s political crisis took on a cultural dimension after revelations that thousands of artists deemed unfriendly by the government of the impeached president, Park had been blacklisted from various programs. Critics of the country’s intensely hierarchical power structure found new ammunition in the problems facing Samsung over its multibillion dollar losses on the Galaxy Note 7. But record earnings in its chip business helped drive operating profits sharply up. Separately, the cancellation of three concerts in China to be given by Sumi Jo, the famed South Korean soprano, above, heightened suspicions of Chinese payback over Seoul’s decision to deploy a U. S. system to counter North Korea’s growing military capabilities. _____ • The Times has started a weekly email that explains the ideas and context behind major world events. You can sign up for The Interpreter here. _____ • Britain’s government, awaiting today’s Supreme Court ruling on Parliament’s role in Brexit plans, unveiled a new economic approach that emphasizes business and government coordination and cooperation instead of . • Hugo Barra, the Google veteran at the top of China’s struggling smartphone Xiaomi, is returning to Silicon Valley. • At least 14 activists and workers have been detained since labor unrest began last month in Bangladesh, source of much of the world’s clothing. • Alibaba announces quarterly earnings, offering a gauge of how much the growth of its Singles’ Day business has slowed. • The U. S. Congressional Budget Office releases its annual Budget and Economic Outlook, with projections to 2027, and President Trump meets with the leaders of GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. • The dollar weakened. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. • Tornadoes and thunderstorms killed at least 18 people the U. S. states of Georgia and Mississippi, with damage also reported in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. [The New York Times] • Multinational talks to end Syria’s war got off to a rough start in Astana, Kazakhstan. A government negotiator referred to the Syrian opposition as “armed terrorist groups,” and the rebels called the government “a bloody despotic regime. ” [The New York Times] • China tightened its Great Firewall, requiring government approval for all cable and VPN services. [South China Morning Post] • California got drenching rains — along with flooding, damaging winds and mudslides. [The New York Times] • Lawmakers in India’s state of Tamil Nadu adopted an emergency law to reverse a ban on jallikattu, an ancient sport, after days of protests that turned violent on Monday. [The New York Times] • The police in Brisbane, Australia, are investigating the death of actor who was shot during the filming of a music video using firearms as props. [ABC] • A investigation Pandora led police to thousands of archaeological artifacts and other artworks looted from countries by a trafficking network. [The New York Times] • In Bangladesh, textbook revisions sought by Islamic scholars have alarmed secular intellectuals, who warn against accommodating any shift toward radical Islam. [The New York Times] • A monthly roundup of China’s best photojournalism. [ChinaFile] • Insomnia keep you tossing and turning last night? Online therapy could make a difference. • Marriage may help you survive a stroke: Social relationships can have immediate and lasting consequences on health. • Recipe of the day: Try this carrot and red lentil ragout over rice, and turn any leftovers into soup. • The author of “Shanghai Grand,” a book celebrating the glamorous Paris of the Orient on the eve of World War II, visits another side of the city: its “alleyway homes. ” You can too, in our latest 360 video. • From gorillas to gibbons, a new study has found an alarming decline in the world’s primates that threatens more than half of their species with extinction. • Oscar nominations are due today, so get ready to join the office pool. Here’s our complete coverage of the season. Super Bowl history was made 35 years ago today when John Madden, the former N. F. L. coach and TV commentator, drew diagrams on a screen for viewers watching the 49ers beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI. The tool he used is now a staple of sports and weather broadcasts. The Telestrator was invented by Leonard Reiffel, a former NASA scientist and onetime colleague of the astronomer Carl Sagan. Mr. Reiffel developed the tool for a children’s science show he hosted in Chicago. He successfully pitched the technology to the sports and weather departments. Networks in New York took notice, and after the 1982 Super Bowl, CBS ordered four of the devices, Mr. Reiffel said. At first, a pen was used to draw on one of Mr. Reiffel’s handmade, wooden consoles. Today, tablets are typically used. For his work, the National Academy of Arts and Sciences honored Mr. Reiffel with an Emmy in 2004. His mother coined the name Telestrator, which was slightly catchier than Mr. Reiffel’s description: a “superimposed dynamic television display system. ” _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings. What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes. com. | 0 |
721 | HELL HAS FROZEN OVER! Michelle Obama Just Made A Hillary-Destroying Move On Twitter | IHTT | 0 comments Can this really be happening? Michelle Obama has been campaigning for Hillary Clinton for some time. She touts Hillary’s accomplishments while denouncing Donald Trump as a misogynist and all-around scumbag. Just five days ago, the First Lady Of The United States and Hillary Clinton appeared together on stage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They held hands, they worked the crowd. Michelle presented a rousing statement: âThere are some folks out there who are commenting that it is unprecedented for a sitting first lady to be so actively engaged in a presidential campaign, and that may be true,â said Mrs. Obama, a reluctant campaigner who has nevertheless emerged in recent weeks as Mrs. Clintonâs most compelling surrogate. âBut what is also true is that this is truly an unprecedented election, and thatâs why Iâm out here,â Mrs. Obama added, arguing that Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, was working to discourage people in the crowd from voting by making âthis election so dirty and ugly that we donât want any part of it.â What a difference a few days makes. Only a few moments ago, Michelle Obama made an earth shattering move on Twitter. Multiple outlets are reporting that Michelle deleted all references of Hillary from her Twitter feed, and all Tweets from the last three years. Yesterday @donnabrazile removed picture of Hilary from her profile. Today @FLOTUS and @MichelleObama removed all tweets mentioning Hillary. pic.twitter.com/e8Ebc53tlu
â DJ Weiner đşđ¸ (@jeitoapp) November 1, 2016
5.5 million followers and no longer a mention of Hillary Clinton?
Are Michelle Obama and the Democrats distancing themselves from the embattled Democrat nominee?
It sure looks like it.
Remaining close to Hillary Clinton, with 650,000 insider emails reported to be exposed seems to be risky business.
Let’s not forget: WikiLeaks and Anonymous have not weighed in yet in they blockbuster ways that they have promised.
Of course, it could be a technical error or coincidence.
After all, Democrats are good at deleting things. | 1 |
722 | FLYNN: Critics Call Nuclear Scientist Miss USA ’Dumb’ After She Disses Feminism and Calls Health Care a ’Privilege’ - Breitbart | Daniel J. Flynn | Kara McCullough made the Miss USA pageant great again — just not in the way the contest’s organizers intended. [Twenty months after Donald Trump sold the contest to the pageant made every effort to separate itself from its former owner — a move not lost on the media covering the event. The Associated Press, for instance, reported: “The pageant included a field of five new immigrants who spoke on air about the importance of diversity — as if to refute US President Donald Trump’s less than welcoming stand toward some immigrants and refugees. ” McCullough, an born in Italy, looked the part but refused to play it this weekend. Miss D. C. rejected feminism for equality. “So as a woman scientist in the government, I’d like to lately transpose the word ‘feminism’ to ‘equalism,’” she explained. “I don’t really want to consider myself — try not to consider myself like this you know, like, ‘Oh, I don’t really care about men.’ But one thing I’m going to say, though, is women, we are just as equal as men when it comes to opportunity in the workplace. ” She further ran afoul of the politically correct when she described health care as an earned “privilege” rather than an awarded “right. ” She told her questioners, “I’m definitely going to say it’s a privilege. As a government employee, I am granted health care. And I see firsthand that for one to have health care, you need to have jobs. ” She won the judges but lost the judgmental. Calling the Miss USA’s answers “dumb” and “ill informed,” the appropriately named Linda Stasi of the New York Daily News charged that “McCullough did all women a disservice with her remarks on healthcare, but she did more damage with her dismissal of feminism. ” Other cultural commissars carped. It’s incredibly sad that in 2017, a woman is striving to occupy a position of influence no understanding of what feminism is. #MissUSA, — courtney (@seecourttweet) May 15, 2017, Dear #kara mccullough You are sadly mistaken. Everyone has a right to healthcare. Maybe you should be stripped of yours. The ACA helps many! — Kizzy (@TrulyKizzo) May 15, 2017, Happy to see a woman of color crowned Miss USA two years in a row, but Kara McCullough has some problematic views on healthcare and feminism, — mama cass (@_femalien) May 15, 2017, It’s a beauty pageant. The job requirements don’t call for a nuclear scientist. But it helps that Miss USA works a nuclear scientist. | 0 |
723 | Hampshire College Student Accused of Assaulting Basketball Player for Wearing Hair Braids, Claims ’Cultural Appropriation’ - Breitbart | Tom Ciccotta | A Hampshire College student allegedly assaulted a member of the Central Maine Community College girl’s basketball team over concerns that one of their players had “culturally appropriated” a hairstyle. [Hampshire College student Carmen Figueroa ordered members of the Central Maine Community College girls basketball team to remove braids from their hair, claiming that their use of the hairstyle is “cultural appropriation. ” According to The Daily Hampshire Gazette, Figueroa allegedly assaulted the girls after they refused to comply with her demand that they remove their braids: When the players did not comply and began to leave the building, Figueroa allegedly initiated a fight towards one of the players. At the same time, another unknown Hampshire College student pulled the hair of a visiting women’s basketball player causing her to fall to the ground, according to court documents. Figueroa was charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after an altercation that erupted over her concerns about the hairstyle sported by some members of the basketball team. Figueroa denies all charges. Oxford Reference defines cultural appropriation as the “taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance. ” “Overall, the topic of dispute on whether or not a white woman can wear braids is a very tricky blurred line — since cultural appropriation (CA) changes as our cultures blend and mesh it’s difficult to make a contention on whether or not braids are CA,” Madison Campbell, the Young Americans for Liberty President at Hampshire College, told the online campus watchdog site Campus Reform. “However, regardless of whether or not the hairstyle worn by the plaintiff is CA, it is completely wrong to victimize and brutally attack another individual for their hair. ” “I do not condone the violence brought on from this Hampshire student, and believe if the defendant had problems with the hairstyle that they should have expressed their opinion verbally rather than abusively,” Campbell added. This incident is similar an incident caught on video at San Francisco State University in which a white student with dreadlocks was confronted by a black student in March last year. Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about education and social justice for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart. com | 0 |
724 | The Obamamometer’s Toxic Legacy: The Rule of Lawlessness | Jerri-Lynn Scofield |
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends most of her time in India and other parts of Asia researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as writes occasional travel pieces for The National .
All right, all right. I can’t take it any more. Yesterday I read a Facebook post that blamed the current US electoral predicament on the “pointless” 22nd Amendment. For those of you without a US Constitution handy, the 22nd Amendment is the one that limits US presidents to serving two terms.
That Facebook post implies that without the 22nd Amendment we’d get to see a third term for the Obamamometer . That risible suggestion, combined with the incessant legacy-burnishing that he’s indulged in– at least until he realized that HRC might be in trouble and started to hit the campaign trail in earnest– made me realize the time for shredding aspects of that legacy is way overdue.
When the Obamamometer finally settles on what he’ll do next– whether that would be run a sports team, become a venture capitalist, found a new religion, cure cancer, or merely hob nob with the global elite and play lots of golf, I’m sure he’ll make a fine job job of it– just as he’s done with his Presidency. Over the next couple of months, I intend to post occasionally on this legacy: but rather than burnishing that record, I’ll indulge in a bit of legacy busting.
First up, the rule of law and corporate crime.
The Holder Doctrine
Federal prosecutors, and regulatory agencies, have turned into toothless tigers when it comes to prosecuting C-suite types, and pursuing corporations seriously, for economic crimes. Both financial institutions and their management got virtually a free pass for their activities that led to the Great Recession. And not only for those, but for subsequent foreclosure abuses, LIBOR and other market manipulations, money laundering, tax scams, and doing business contrary to US sanctions policy. Yet to date, not a single C-suite type has been indicted.
It’s not just financial institutions that’ve received a free pass. Big Pharma, for example, has also been lucky, as have companies that have engaged in creative tax minimization strategies (Apple, anyone?). And if looked at from the perspective of legal topics, rather than corporate actors, entire areas of law– antitrust, for example– are not really relevant anymore.
You don’t have to take my word for it. No less a source than the NY Times’ DealBook column– not a venue, incidentally, renowned for its trenchant, timely critiques of either Wall Street or other corporate behavior– in September lamented, Law Enforcement ‘Not Winning’ War on White Collar Crime . I wrote about this article in a September post and so won’t rehash all the arguments I made then here. But a few points are in order.
The lack of enforcement not only means that the guilty don’t pay. It also determines what corporate strategies get pursued, which business models are developed or rejected, what attitudes corporations take to risk, and how resources get allocated to name just a few consequences. And as I’ll discuss below, it also shapes how attorneys practice law, and the impact their advice carries in deterring certain types of corporate behavior.
I never thought I’d be nostalgic for President George W. Bush’s Department of Justice (DoJ). Now, I’m well aware of the scandal that ensued over Attorney General Alfred Gonzales imposing ideological litmus tests on assistant US attornies. Nonetheless, in the wake of the collapse of the dotcom bubble, the Bush DoJ actually enforced the law. It prosecuted cases and claimed scalps. Companies such as Adelphi, Enron and WorldCom all saw top-level management prosecuted, and malefactors sent to jail.
Change We Can’t Believe In
Those who voted for Hope and Change in 2008 certainly got the change part– at least with respect to the DoJ. But when we look at the DoJ’s enforcement priorities and the track record that followed, it’s perhaps not the change they were hoping for. The Obamamometer’s first Attorney General, Eric Holder, outlined and followed what came to be known as the Holder doctrine.
Allow me to quote from my September post:
[Under the Holder doctrine the DoJ eschewed corporate charges against companies and executives, instead opting for negotiated settlements (often imposing de minimis, slap-on-the wrist penalties that were significantly undersized compared to the magnitude of damage done, especially by TBTF banks and other financial predators, to name just a few).
The DoJ under Obama’s second AG, Loretta Lynch, originally followed the Holder doctrine, until that was superseded when Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates authored a memo outlining a new approach in September 2015. Under this approach, the DoJ intended to increase accountability for corporate wrongdoing, and this included an increased focus on pursuing criminal charges against responsible individuals. The DoJ sought to drive a legal wedge between individuals and the corporations for whom they worked by only allowing corporations to receive “cooperation credit” that would reduce their potential exposure (including penalties) if the corporation cooperates in surrendering as early as possible comprehensive detailed information concerning the individual misconduct.
There’s much more in a similar vein in that earlier post, for those with an interest. But the bottom line for purposes of this post is what has this supposed policy shift, from Holder’s doctrine to Yates’s memo, meant in practice. The short answer: bupkis. We’re still waiting for the more robust enforcement approach the Yates memo supposedly heralded to kick in. As an attorney I know who specializes in white collar defense work summed it up to me, “The DoJ’s walking a new walk, and talking a new talk, but nothing’s really changed.”
In fact, in only two areas have we seen the DoJ take a muscular approach toward enforcement during the Obamamometer’s administration, insider trading, and offenses under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Insider Trading
US Attorney for the southern district of New York Preet Bharara has compiled an undefeated string of convictions for insider trading (some of which may be at risk of being overturned due to some appellate decisions, which are beyond the scope of this post). But as I wrote last month in The SEC Fiddles While the System Burns: Insider Trading Enforcement As Securities Law Theater , focusing on insider trading as an enforcement priority constitutes a form of securities law theater. Scare prosecutorial resources are expended on insider trading abuses, rather than being deployed to investigate, punish, and (hopefully) deter, far more serious systemic problems.
The insider trading focus provides the illusion that the DoJ is doing something about high-level cheating. Yet it has little broader deterrent effect on stymieing the wider corporate scams that misallocate resources and erode confidence in the integrity of the system. Insider trading enforcement is usually directed at individuals, and doesn’t implicate wider considerations of corporate strategy or policy. Prosecuting insider traders maintains the myth that the greatest threats to US capitalism are individual bad corporate actors, rather than anything more sweeping or systemic. Catch the bad actors, fine them or throw them in jail, and never think about any deeper problems.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Another area highlighted as an enforcement priority is bribery and foreign corruption, with prosecutions undertaken under authority of the FCPA. Allow me to quote from a speech made by assistant attorney general Leslie R. Caldwell last week:
The effects of foreign corruption are not just felt overseas. In today’s global economy, the negative effects of foreign corruption flow back to the United States. American companies are harmed by global corruption when they are denied the ability to compete in a fair and transparent marketplace. Instead of being rewarded for their efficiency, innovation and honest business practices, U.S. companies suffer at the hands of corrupt governments and lose out to corrupt competitors.
….
This is why the fight against international corruption has been, and continues to be, a core priority of the Department of Justice. It has been a core priority for the Criminal Division, and our commitment to the fight against foreign bribery is reflected in our robust enforcement record in this area, which includes charges against corporations and individuals alike from all over the world. Since 2009, the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section has convicted more than 65 individuals in [FCPA] and FCPA-related cases, and resolved criminal cases against more than 65 companies with penalties and forfeiture of approximately $4.5 billion.
Sounds reasonable, right? I mean, after all, no one would come right out in favor of more international corruption?
But when we unpack it, we butt up against a few problems. First, to quote my contact the white collar defence specialist again. The lack of an effective DoJ deterrent has enormously complicated his practice and his ability to get his clients to understand and act on prudent legal advice. “What I’ve seen happening more and more in the last couple of years is the chairs of audit committees of major companies openly mocking the DoJ’s enforcement capability.” This leads the companies to pursue courses of action that they wouldn’t dare to undertake if they worried that the DoJ would aggressively pursue securities law violations.
Where does this leave their lawyers? Well, it often means that they must either moderate their advice, or risk losing their clients. Clients who want to do something will resist their impulses and continue to listen to what they hear as their lawyers crying wolf only for so long. Eventually, the less scrupulous among them are going to ignore the contrary advice, or get another lawyer. The lack of effective enforcement at the DoJ hinders the efforts of the best, most prudent, and most ethical members of the legal profession to practice law as we would want them to.
So, what happens instead? Well, the most scrupulous of them will continue to give what they regard as sound legal advice (even if what some privately call the Department of Jokes does not enforce the law in a way that lends credence to that approach). But that means they often have to develop new areas of expertise when their clients beat a path away from their doors. “We have to act sometimes as shoe salesmen, flogging competence in FCPA violations, that occur in subsidiaries or with foreign suppliers,” says my white collar defense specialist contact. “This work leads us to countries and legal systems we don’t know well, to uncover chickenshit violations that occur far from home.” Far better, he believes, would be for the DoJ to focus on law-breaking that occurs in the United States, as that could be effectively deterred by the agency refocusing its enforcement priorities. Now that would be a legacy we could all believe in.
Bottom Line
On the contrary, one persistent legacy of the Obamamometer is to say one thing and then do another. The DoJ has recently signalled its intention to get tougher on white collar crime. But so far, there’s been no follow through on the rhetoric. Instead, we see federal prosecutors either turning a blind eye to major problems, or conducting various forms of enforcement theater– much sound and fury, but in the end, signifying nothing.
Some legacy! | 1 |
725 | null | Josh | And cops wonder why they get no respect. Stupid fucker | 1 |
726 | For Simone Manuel, Gold Ripples Beyond the Pool - The New York Times | Karen Crouse | RIO DE JANEIRO — Simone Manuel woke up Friday morning to confirmation that her victory in the freestyle a few hours earlier had not been a dream. The proof was perhaps more surreal than Thursday night’s payoff: Instagram posts from LeBron James and Serena Williams. Manuel’s friend and fellow trailblazer Lia Neal had forwarded the messages after stumbling across them on Twitter. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I wish I could see her reaction right now,’” Neal said. “She doesn’t need to hear from anyone else. Those are like her two favorite athletes. ” Manuel’s popularity got an emphatic spike after she became the first woman to win an individual swimming event at the Olympics. Manuel, a Texan, shared the gold medal with Penny Oleksiak, who also made history, becoming the youngest gold medalist from Canada. James wrote that he watched the race with his daughter. Williams posted a picture of Manuel and Simone Biles, who won the gymnastics gold medal, and called them “amazing. ” One mother posted a photograph on Twitter of her exuberant young black daughter posing in front of a television screen that showed Manuel being interviewed. By early Friday evening, it had more than 12, 000 likes. “I saw that picture,” Neal said. “I retweeted it. I was tearing up again. ” The top of the medals podium at Olympic Aquatics Stadium was crowded Thursday night, and not because there were medalists for the first time in the Olympics since 2000, when Anthony Ervin, whose father is and American Indian, tied his teammate Gary Hall Jr. in the 50 freestyle. Standing on the podium with her, Manuel said, were Neal, Ervin, Maritza Correira, Cullen Jones and all the black swimmers whose success shaped Manuel’s dreams. “This medal is not just for me, it’s for some of the that have come before me, have been inspirations and mentors to me,” Manuel said. In 2012, Neal became the second woman to make a United States Olympic swim team, after Correia in 2004. Neal was 17 and a rising senior in high school. Neal and Correia earned medals as members of 4x100 freestyle relays in their first Olympics. Correia won a silver, Neal a bronze. On Saturday, Neal raced in the morning heat for the American 4x100 relay team, which later took the silver. Neal, a rising senior at Stanford who grew up in Brooklyn, was asked which medal she considers more precious, her silver or the gold that Manuel earned in an upset. “I think Simone’s gold,” Neal said. “I just felt more when she touched the wall and saw that she won. I knew exactly what went into winning that gold medal. ” Neal feels a sisterly bond to Manuel, who is one year behind her at Stanford. In the to the Olympics, they often felt as if people saw their stories as being only skin deep. On the way to becoming the first two black women to grace the same United States Olympic swimming team, Neal and Manuel often compared notes after news media interviews. To their growing frustration, race was often discussed more than their races. “We talk about it and acknowledge that other people talk about it,” Neal said, “but we’re like ‘O. K. we’re here, like everyone else here we’re training toward winning, toward representing their country in the best way possible. History comes along with that. ” She added, “It’s cool because we’re not seeking to make history or change lives, we’re just doing what we love. ” Neal sat with Manuel roughly two hours before Thursday’s final. They listened to music, including the song “1, 2 Step” by Ciara and Missy Elliott. Neal’s parting words were “Pipe It Up,” from Migos. Neal said she was shaking before Manuel’s race and started crying during the last 10 meters when it dawned on her that Manuel might win. The prerace favorites were Cate Campbell of Australia, who lowered the world record to 52. 08 in July, and her sister, Bronte, who had clocked a 52. 58 in April. Manuel posted a 53. 32 in the heats, a 53. 11 in the semifinals and a 52. 70 in the final. “I was super surprised,” Manuel said after the race. “I don’t think there was a definitive point where I thought I had the race. ” How shocking was the outcome? Sarah Sjostrom, the Swede who finished third, said, “Penny and the American girl winning, I think that was the biggest surprise of the meet. ” (Never mind that “the American girl” had finished sixth, four places behind Sjostrom, in the freestyle final at last summer’s World Championships in Kazan, Russia). After Manuel finished giving interviews in the mixed zone, she fell into the arms of Neal and another Stanford teammate, Maya DiRado. “She was just bawling,” Neal said. “She was like: ‘I’m so happy you guys are my teammates. I couldn’t have done this without you guys. I love you. ’” Manuel’s sentiments meant the world to Neal, who was disappointed when she did not qualify for these Games in an individual event. “Why I broke down in tears and why I felt so much emotion when she won was because I was there with her every step of the way,” Neal said. “I knew exactly what it took to get to that point and win a gold medal firsthand. ” How long will it take for swimming in the United States to become colorblind? Is one gold enough to change the questions Manuel and Neal face? “I think this definitely catapults us many steps forward,” Neal said, adding, “I think just that one medal will bring so many different people into the sport and inspire so many different people. ” Manuel, who on Friday qualified for Saturday’s freestyle final, said she looked forward to the day when she is known simply as a champion. After the 100 final, she said, “I would like there to be a day where there are more of us and it’s not Simone, the black swimmer, because the title ‘black swimmer’ makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal or I’m not supposed to be able to break records. ” | 0 |
727 | Rand Paul: Polls Showing Hillary Ahead Are ‘Designed To Suppress Turnout’ | null | Email
Wednesday on 800 WVHU radio’s “The Tom Roten Morning Show,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said polls showing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton with a lead over Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump were “designed to suppress turnout.”
Paul said “You know, I think sometimes polling is done to dampen election turnout. So when Trump says the thing’s rigged, I’m not sure exactly what he means and I’m not sure I always agree with him. But I do think that when we say over and over someone can’t win, that is a form of rigging in the sense that it is designed to suppress turnout.”
He added, “The polls are put out, you know to make it either look closer than it is or to make it look like Democrats have a better chance. And I think it’s done by design to try to dampen turnout.” | 1 |
728 | How Voting Machines Are Programmed In Order To Steal Elections | pcr3 | How Voting Machines Are Programmed In Order To Steal Elections
Americans are being told by “experts” (read “Hillary supporters”) that election fraud in the US is rare. They are also being misinformed that voting fraud would be detected. The fact of the matter is, as has now been proven, that no vast conspiracy is required. One person suffices to have the machine count the votes as desired. Once the vote is recorded the code erases the elements that would reveal the fraud.
The entire purpose of the presstitutes reporting a non-existent Hillary lead is to create in advance acceptance that she won, thereby discrediting in advance any challenge to the rigged outcome.
https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/biggest-election-fraud-in-history-discovered-in-the-united-states/
The post How Voting Machines Are Programmed In Order To Steal Elections appeared first on PaulCraigRoberts.org . | 1 |
729 | Redrawing the tree of life: Scientists discover new bacteria groups, stunning microbial diversity underground | stevew | Phys.org Mon, 24 Oct 2016 All the known major bacterial groups are represented by wedges in this circular ‘tree of life.’ The bigger wedges are more diverse groups. Green wedges are groups that have not been genomically sampled at the Rifle site –everything else has. Black wedges are previously identified bacteria groups that have also been found at Rifle. Purple wedges are groups discovered at Rifle and announced last year. Red wedges are new groups discovered in this study. Colored dots represent important metabolic processes the new groups help mediate.
One of the most detailed genomic studies of any ecosystem to date has revealed an underground world of stunning microbial diversity, and added dozens of new branches to the tree of life.
The bacterial bonanza comes from scientists who reconstructed the genomes of more than 2,500 microbes from sediment and groundwater samples collected at an aquifer in Colorado. The effort was led by researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley. DNA sequencing was performed at the Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility.
As reported online October 24 in the journal Nature Communications , the scientists netted genomes from 80 percent of all known bacterial phyla, a remarkable degree of biological diversity at one location. They also discovered 47 new phylum-level bacterial groups , naming many of them after influential microbiologists and other scientists. And they learned new insights about how microbial communities work together to drive processes that are critical to the planet’s climate and life everywhere, such as the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
These findings shed light on one of Earth’s most important and least understood realms of life. The subterranean world hosts up to one-fifth of all biomass, but it remains a mystery.
“We didn’t expect to find this incredible microbial diversity. But then again, we know little about the roles of subsurface microbes in biogeochemical processes, and more broadly, we don’t really know what’s down there,” says Jill Banfield, a Senior Faculty Scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division and a UC Berkeley professor in the departments of Earth and Planetary Science, and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
UC Berkeley’s Karthik Anantharaman, the first author of the paper, adds, “To better understand what subsurface microbes are up to, our approach is to access their entire genomes. This enabled us to discover a greater interdependency among microbes than we’ve seen before.”
The research is part of a Berkeley Lab-led project called Sustainable Systems Scientific Focus Area 2.0, which is developing a predictive understanding of terrestrial environments from the genome to the watershed scale. The project’s field research takes place at a research site near the town of Rifle, Colorado, where for the past several years scientists have conducted experiments designed to stimulate populations of subterranean microbes that are naturally present in very low numbers.
The scientists sent soil and water samples from these experiments to the Joint Genome Institute for terabase-scale metagenomic sequencing. This high-throughput method isolates and purifies DNA from environmental samples, and then sequences one trillion base pairs of DNA at a time. Next, the scientists used bioinformatics tools developed in Banfield’s lab to analyze the data.
Their approach has redrawn the tree of life. Between the 47 new bacterial groups reported in this work, and 35 new groups published last year (also found at the Rifle site), Banfield’s team has doubled the number of known bacterial groups.
With discovery comes naming rights. The scientists named many of the new bacteria groups after Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley researchers. For example, there’s Candidatus Andersenbacteria, after phylochip inventor Gary Andersen, and there’s Candidatus Doudnabacteria, after CRISPR genome-editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna. “Berkeley now dominates the tree of life as it does the periodic table,” Banfield says, in a nod to the sixteen elements discovered at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley.
Another big outcome is a deeper understanding of the roles subsurface microbes play in globally important carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles . This information will help to better represent these cycles in predictive models such as climate simulations.
The scientists conducted metabolic analyses of 36 percent of the organisms detected in the aquifer system. They focused on a phenomenon called metabolic handoff, which essentially means one microbe’s waste is another microbe’s food. It’s known from lab studies that handoffs are needed in certain reactions, but these interconnected networks are widespread and vastly more complex in the real world.
To understand why it’s important to represent metabolic handoffs as accurately as possible in models, consider nitrate, a groundwater contaminant from fertilizers. Subsurface microbes are the primary driver in reducing nitrate to harmless nitrogen gas. There are four steps in this denitrification process, and the third step creates nitrous oxide—one of the most potent greenhouse gases. The process breaks down if microbes that carry out the fourth step are inactive when a pulse of nitrate enters the system.
“If microbes aren’t there to accept the nitrous oxide handoff, then the greenhouse gas escapes into the atmosphere,” says Anantharaman.
The scientists found the carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles are all driven by metabolic handoffs that require an unexpectedly high degree of interdependence among microbes. The vast majority of microorganisms can’t fully reduce a compound on their own. It takes a team. There are also backup microbes ready to perform a handoff if first-string microbes are unavailable.
“The combination of high microbial diversity and interconnections through metabolic handoffs likely results in high ecosystem resilience ,” says Banfield. | 1 |
730 | Trump And Putin: 'We Will Destroy ISIS Once And For All!' | Arnold Monteverde ([email protected]) | Over the past few months, relations between the United States and the Russian Federation have sunk to their lowest levels since the Cold War with bitter insults and threats being thrown around on both sides of the divide. However, the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States seems to have brought some change to this dangerous situation.
Trump and Putin vow to fight Islamic State together
The president -elect and the Russian President Vladimir Putin have confirmed that they have had a healthy and productive conversation regarding relations between the countries and their shared purpose in tackling global terrorism. The telephone call was instigated by Putin who wanted to express his congratulations to Trump after he took the top job in American politics. During the conversation, Putin is reported to have said that he is ready to pick up a dialogue with officials from the United States “by mutual respect, non-intervention into each other’s internal affairs”.
The two men agreed during their brief telephone call that they would lay the groundwork to bring in a new era of Russia-American cooperation. According to a source, Putin and Trump have agreed to “work to channel bilateral relationships into constructive cooperation, to combine efforts to tackle international terrorism and extremism, and to continue contact by telephone and to work towards meeting in person” .
Trump’s office continued with this optimism and placatory stance saying: "President-elect Trump noted to President Putin that he is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia."
In a follow-up statement, a Kremlin spokesperson said that the United States and Russia were planning to work together in both trade and economics as well as the threat posed by international terrorist organizations such as Islamic State. The fight against Islamic State may prove to be of essential importance in the coming months as top Islamic State commanders have already expressed their intention to exploit Donald Trump’s outspoken opinions on ordinary Muslims. Islamic commander Abu Omar Khorasani has said that Trump’s words have played directly into the hands of the terrorist organization. He said; "This guy is a complete maniac. His utter hate towards Muslims will make our job much easier because we can recruit thousands."
Disclose TV SOURCE | 1 |
731 | Russia may run out of patience and respond to USA's rudeness | null | Russia may run out of patience and respond to USA's rudeness 28.10.2016 AP photo Russian President Putin said at the meeting of the Valdai Club in Sochi that Washington has not been able to distinguish between terrorists and moderate opposition in Syria, despite many promises to do so. As a result, the truce was terminated, and the White House accuses the Kremlin of all mortal sins. "This is simply a disgrace. We behave with restraint and we do not respond in such a rude way to our partners, but everything has its limits. We may respond," Putin warned. Pravda.Ru asked an expert opinion about the possible development of events from specialist on US-Russia relations, Victor Olevich. "How can Putin respond?" "Russia has a whole arsenal of potential responses. At the moment, Russia is keeping a pause in the Syrian Arab Republic. The Russian Federation is not using its full military capability to resolve the Syrian crisis. "If the United States continues to engage in further provocations against Russia and Russian interests , then, of course, Moscow will take more active measures to counter what remains, in fact, a terrorist threat in Syria." Print version Font Size "Putin mentioned during his speech that "our personal agreements with the US president did not work." He added that there were forces in Washington that did their best not to let them work. What kind of forces are they?" "First of all, this is the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies: the CIA and some others that have, indeed, made every effort to bury the agreements between Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry that they had reached in Geneva. "As you know, a few days after the agreement on Syria between Moscow and Washington was reached, the US military accidentally bombed one of the most combat-ready Syrian military bases near Deir ez-Zor. The bombing continued for an hour. Up to 80 Syrian military men were killed, and many more were injured. Of course, one could not talk about any agreements afterwards. "Moreover, when Russia raised the issue at the UN Security Council, US Representative Samantha Power reacted very sharply, and, indeed, in a rude way. A few days later, a humanitarian convoy in Aleppo was attacked, and the United States and their Western allies presented totally unsubstantiated and groundless accusations against Russia again. "It was clear that Pentagon chief Ashton Carter, a number of American generals and the CIA were not interested in a joint struggle against the terrorist threat in Syria. Jabhat en-Nusra serves as a reserve of the United States that the country uses when necessary to topple Syrian President Assad. "These non-constructive forces in the United States want to see Hillary Clinton as president to have a more aggressive approach both to Russia and to the settlement of the Syrian crisis." Pravda.Ru Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru US gets ready for war with Russia because of Assad | 1 |
732 | PHOTO: Game Camera Catches Glimpse Of Possible 3-Antlered Buck | V Saxena | Hillary Camp Caught on Camera Telling Tiny Crowd What to Cheer for
The archer’s opportunity finally arrived on Oct. 8, when he went out to the field to hunt for prey .
“When the deer came out, there were about 10 deer in the field,” he said. “I was sitting there and a 4-point came out and walked right underneath me and went in the bean field. About a minute later, (the 12-point buck) came out and walked right underneath my stand.
Without a moment to lose, Stubblefield fired a shot.
“He ran about 80 yards and just dropped,” Stubblefield said. “It was so dry, when he took off it looked like a smoke trail. He ran right out in the bean field and crashed. It looked like a bomb went off it was so dusty.”
R.I.P. to the unnamed buck, though clearly he will not be forgotten anytime soon.
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733 | Turkey’s Relations With Europe Sink Amid Quarrel With Netherlands - The New York Times | Patrick Kingsley and Alissa J. Rubin | ISTANBUL — Turkey’s quarrel with Europe worsened over the weekend after the Turkish president accused the Dutch government of Nazism, and Turkish politicians were barred or disinvited from events in two European countries, amid tensions ahead of a tight referendum on a new Turkish Constitution. Having criticized German officials for barring their Turkish counterparts from campaign events this month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned his ire on the Netherlands after the Dutch stopped the Turkish foreign minister from landing there for a rally on Saturday, and then escorted the Turkish family minister out of the country early on Sunday, citing risks to public order and security. It was an unusually strong reaction from the Dutch, who have generally taken an open stance toward diverse points of view, but who are in the midst of an election campaign in which immigration and integration are major topics. “When those incidents began, I said those are fascistic measures,” Mr. Erdogan said in a speech on Sunday afternoon. “I said Nazism had risen from the dead. And then I added: I thought Nazism was over, but I was wrong. ” The remarks from Turkey inflamed tensions among the Turkish community in the Netherlands, who protested in Rotterdam until the early hours of Sunday, when they were dispersed by police officers wielding batons and water cannons. The police arrested 12 people, and seven were injured, including a policeman, whose hand was broken. Though Turkish law technically bars the practice, Turkish ministers are touring Europe to persuade the Continent’s sizable Turkish diaspora to vote yes to an expansion of Mr. Erdogan’s powers, amid fears that the “no” campaign may hold the edge in the April referendum. But this campaign has collided with closely fought local elections in the Netherlands and France, where politicians have sought political capital from stoking tensions with the Turks. The push for votes also comes at a time of increased European alarm over Turkey’s democratic backslide and rising concerns over immigration and integration. The Dutch government said it refused to allow the Turkish foreign minister’s plane to land after the Turkish government publicly called on “Dutch nationals of Turkish origin to turn out in great numbers. ” The two countries were negotiating over finding a smaller venue like the Turkish Consulate to hold the meeting, but “before these talks had been concluded,” Turkey “publicly threatened the Netherlands with sanctions” making a “reasonable compromise” impossible, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. Elsewhere in Europe, the Danish prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, canceled a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Binali Yildirim, in protest of Turkey’s “rhetorical attacks. ” In Sweden, a lawmaker from Mr. Erdogan’s party, Mehdi Eker, rearranged a campaign event after the meeting’s initial hosts backed out for safety reasons. In France, two candidates, François Fillon and Marine Le Pen, criticized the decision to allow the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to proceed with a rally in France. Switzerland and Austria have previously made it clear that Mr. Erdogan’s campaign is unwelcome there. In the Netherlands, both the conservative prime minister, Mark Rutte, and his opponent, Geert Wilders, hoped to benefit from the dispute, though it was not immediately clear if either would see appreciable gains. The election is on Wednesday, and while it was Mr. Wilders who first elevated the issue publicly, Mr. Rutte could get credit for barring the Turkish ministers. “Rutte now has premier bonus,” said Bianca Pander, a political strategist at BKB, which works on campaign strategy, referring to his status as prime minister. “He can now show what leadership means. ” He is also benefiting from nearly constant news media coverage on the issue. “Rutte is in the picture now: He’s on every TV show, and on every newspaper,” Ms. Pander said. Mr. Rutte said the pejoratives leveled at the Dutch were “bizarre” and that the “Turkish republic is moving in the wrong direction for a democracy. ” In response, Mr. Erdogan accused the Dutch government of playing to a domestic audience by blocking his ministers. “Holland, if you are sacrificing relations because of the election on Wednesday, you will pay the price,” Mr. Erdogan said Sunday. Inside Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, too, was accused of trying to curry favor with the country’s voters. With the referendum result in doubt, some of the president’s critics argued that he was manufacturing fights with Europe to win the support of nationalists in Turkey who were undecided about whether to back the expansion of his mandate. “Turkish foreign policy today — whatever it is, wherever it is, from Syria all the way to the Netherlands and Germany — is related to the domestic political agenda,” said Cengiz Candar, a veteran Turkish columnist and academic. “There is no Turkish foreign policy now,” Mr. Candar added in a telephone interview. “Turkish foreign policy is related to Mr. Erdogan’s referendum campaign. ” But others supported Mr. Erdogan’s stance. The leader of the main Turkish opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is against the proposed Constitution, called on Mr. Erdogan to suspend relations with the Netherlands. A small crowd of protesters gathered outside the Dutch Consulate in Istanbul, while an unknown intruder briefly managed to replace the consulate’s Dutch flag with a Turkish one. In a province west of the city, another crowd of protesters squeezed a series of oranges, in a theatrical gesture apparently intended to insult the Dutch, whose national color is orange. Arriving back in Turkey after her deportation, the Turkish family minister, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, accused the Netherlands of hypocrisy for claiming to stand up for human rights while restricting her own. “We faced a very inhumane, unethical treatment,” she said at Istanbul’s main airport, according to Anadolu Agency, a news wire. “We had a really very painful night in Holland, which talks about democracy, freedoms, freedom of speech. ” In addition to targeting wavering members of Mr. Erdogan’s own party, some analysts said the Turkish government’s movements in Europe were particularly aimed at supporters of the country’s largest nationalist movement, the Nationalist Movement Party, which is known in Turkey as the M. H. P. The M. H. P. has traditionally been wary of Mr. Erdogan, but its leadership now supports giving him more power, in the private expectation that its own cadres will subsequently be rewarded with more influence. While an estimated three million German residents are of Turkish origin, as well as about 400, 000 Dutch residents, the number of people in Germany and the Netherlands who are eligible to vote in the Turkish elections is far lower, said Alexander Clarkson, a specialist on the Turkish diaspora at King’s College London. Mr. Erdogan’s recent gestures were therefore primarily targeted at the M. H. P. ’s rank and file in Turkey, many of whom are skeptical of their leadership’s alliance with Mr. Erdogan, Mr. Clarkson said. “The audience isn’t really the diaspora the audience is at home,” Mr. Clarkson said of the government’s stance toward the Netherlands and Germany. The heated language helps achieve this goal, Mr. Clarkson said, since “it enables Erdogan and the A. K. P. to say: We are out there protecting the rights of Turks abroad. ” The A. K. P. is an acronym for Mr. Erdogan’s group, the Justice and Development Party. Mr. Erdogan was accused of hypocrisy for criticizing Europe’s perceived authoritarianism while overseeing a sweeping crackdown on dissent in his country. Since a failed coup in July, Mr. Erdogan’s government has ruled mostly by decree, allowing it to suspend or fire more than 120, 000 government employees, and arrest an estimated 45, 000 people suspected of being dissidents or rebels. The detainees come from a broad section of public life and include soldiers, police officers, teachers, judges, academics, journalists and lawmakers. “He is the president of a country,” Mr. Candar said of Mr. Erdogan, “where more than 150 journalists, writers, columnists, opinion makers are in prison. And the leaders of the caucus in the Turkish Parliament” — as well as 12 other members of Parliament who belong to it — “are also in prison. ” Turkey, Mr. Candar argued, “has transformed into a republic of fear. ” | 0 |
734 | WikiLeaks Documents Reveal United Nations Interest In UFOs [VIDEO] | Madeline | Click Here To Learn More About Alexandra's Personalized Essences Psychic Protection Click Here for More Information on Psychic Protection! Implant Removal Series Click here to listen to the IRP and SA/DNA Process Read The Testimonials Click Here To Read What Others Are Experiencing! Copyright © 2012 by Galactic Connection. All Rights Reserved.
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735 | Blue State Blues: The Deliberate Politicization of Intimacy | Joel B. Pollak | One of the more interesting lessons Democrats may learn in their newfound enthusiasm for George Orwell’s Nineteen — which is a critique of socialism, but never mind — is the way that totalitarian societies destroy intimate relationships. [In the dystopian future envisioned by Orwell, children betray their parents to the Thought Police, and sex is discouraged because it creates relationships outside the state. A secret love is the most revolutionary act — and, ultimately, a futile one. Today, in the United States, we are witnesses to — and participants in — the destruction of friendships and relationships over political disputes that rage uncontrollably on social media, carry over into the workplace, and even continue into the home. A few weeks ago, a poll revealed that 39% of Americans had argued about politics with friends and family, and had “stopped talking to a family member or friend because of the election. ” True, 40% of respondents said they had not had those kinds of arguments, but that may also be because Americans are increasingly withdrawing into political camps. It is fashionable, especially in Washington, to blame these divisions on an increasingly partisan media. And that is partly true. Orwell observed — separately, in 1944 — that modern innovations in communication and travel had inspired new ways to divide people, rather than bringing the world together. Of radio, for example, he observed: “It is nonsense to say that the radio puts people in touch with foreign countries … each national radio is a sort of totalitarian world of its own, braying propaganda night and day to people who can listen to nothing else. ” The same is true of social media and domestic politics today. Theoretically, Facebook and Twitter ought to make it easier for us to communicate with, and understand, people with different views. In practice, they encourage us to huddle with people and sever relations with the other side. Twitter is the most brutal of social media platforms, because it allows people to bash each other from behind pseudonyms and avatars. But Facebook is even more damaging, because it takes associations — families, schools, towns — and exposes them to the ravages of intense political debate. On Twitter, we form alliances with strangers who agree with us on Facebook, we discover the opposing political views of people with whom we may have shared close lifelong connections. Social media platforms are increasingly important sources of news. And so the new political divisions in the world of journalism are filtering into our social media, which in turn exacerbates those media divisions in a seemingly endless feedback loop. But the media are not solely responsible. The deliberate politicization of intimacy began with a specific campaign — namely, President Barack Obama’s 2008 run, which used social media technology to drive a political message. Obama told his supporters explicitly to approach their neighbors and “argue with them, and get in their face. ” His surrogates took that approach even further. Hollywood celebrity Sarah Silverman encouraged Obama’s Jewish supporters to travel to Florida and tell their ostensibly racist grandparents to vote for him. Later, once Obama was in office, the supposedly Rock the Vote organization told young people to withhold sex from partners who refused to support Obamacare. The politicization of intimacy has been a Democratic campaign strategy ever since. And after the 2016 election, it has only continued. Anecdotally, conservative acquantances report that their (understandably) frustrated and (irrationally) fearful liberal Facebook friends have tried to hold them personally responsible for every perceived misstep by President Donald Trump. As much as conservatives disliked Barack Obama and his policies, that kind of behavior seemed far less common. Just recently, a friend posted on Facebook: “I got blocked by a liberal tonight. My brother. ” This quiet dissolution of American social life should worry us, for the simple reason that the intimate connections among neighbors, family, and friends are the glue that holds our otherwise individualistic society together. Alexis de Tocqueville noted in Democracy in America, nearly 200 years ago, that our system functions because of the overlapping associations we form with one another. Those are at risk. Fifteen years ago, Americans were deeply divided over the results of the 2000 presidential election and the Florida recount. It took the horrific events of September 11th, 2001 to bring the nation together. One hopes it does not take a similar event this time. This week, in addressing Congress, President Trump united the nation in applauding and comforting the widow of a fallen Navy SEAL. It was a rare moment of unity, a reminder that we can — and must — renew what we still hold in common. 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 |
736 | Clare Hollingworth, Reporter Who Broke News of World War II, Dies at 105 - The New York Times | Margalit Fox | From a single gust of wind, Clare Hollingworth reaped the journalistic scoop of the century. Ms. Hollingworth, the undisputed doyenne of war correspondents, who died on Tuesday in Hong Kong at 105, was less than a week into her first job, as a reporter for the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, on that windy day in 1939. Driving alone on the road from Gleiwitz, then in Germany, to Katowice, in Poland — a distance of less than 20 miles — she watched as the wind lifted a piece of the tarpaulin that had been erected on the German side to screen the valley below from view. Through the opening, Ms. Hollingworth saw, she later wrote, “large numbers of troops, literally hundreds of tanks, armored cars and field guns” concealed in the valley. She knew then that Germany was poised for a major military incursion. Hastening back across the border to the Polish side, she telephoned her editor with the news, a world exclusive. The date was Aug. 28, 1939, and her article, published the next day, would become, as the British paper The Guardian wrote in 2015, “probably the greatest scoop of modern times. ” On Sept. 1, Hitler’s forces invaded Poland, marking the start of World War II. For the next four decades, Ms. Hollingworth (who over the years contributed articles to The Telegraph, The Guardian, The International Herald Tribune and The Wall Street Journal) covered World War II from Eastern Europe, the Balkans and North Africa the Greek and Algerian civil wars hostilities between Arabs and Jews in the waning days of the British mandate in Palestine and the Vietnam War, among other conflicts. Often under fire, occasionally arrested and possessed of such a keen nose for covert information that from time to time she was accused of being a spy — both by local governments and by the British — Ms. Hollingworth was friend, or foe, to seemingly everyone in a position of power in the world at midcentury. She obtained the first interview with Mohammed Reza Pahlavi after he became the shah of Iran in 1941, and what was very likely among the last, after he was deposed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. In 1965, wanting to cover hostilities between India and Pakistan but discovering that reporters were barred from the front, she simply secured permission from an old acquaintance, Indira Gandhi, who was then India’s minister of information and broadcasting. Ms. Hollingworth was also one of the first Western journalists to report regularly from China, opening The Telegraph’s Beijing bureau in 1973. Her other major scoops included a 1963 article for The Guardian in which she cautiously identified the British intelligence agent Kim Philby as the “third man” in the ring of Soviet spies then known to include the Englishmen Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess. Another was a 1968 article for The Telegraph in which she reported the United States’ incipient plans for peace talks with Vietnam. (The talks opened in Paris later that year and were concluded in 1973.) Ms. Hollingworth was never so happy, she often said, as when she was roaming the world equipped with little more than a toothbrush, a typewriter and, if need be, a revolver. Embedded long before the term was applied to journalists, she slept in trucks and in trenches, at times buried up to her neck in sand for warmth on cold desert nights. She once held off an armed Algerian policeman by threatening to hit him about the head with a shoe. Had her eyesight not begun to fail some 20 years ago, it was a life, Ms. Hollingworth made clear, that she would gladly have continued to the end of her days. “I must admit that I enjoy being in a war,” she told The Telegraph in 2011, on the eve of her 100th birthday. In 1989, though nearly 80 and nominally retired, Ms. Hollingworth, attired in a safari suit, her working uniform of choice for 60 years, was spotted in Tiananmen Square shinnying up a lamppost for a bird’ view of the government’s violent crackdown against civilian protesters. She periodically slept on the floor of her home in Hong Kong well into her 90s, just to keep from going soft. Through all her travels, with all their attendant rigors, there was only one thing, Ms. Hollingworth said, that she truly could not abide. “I do not mind not washing for a week or more,” she wrote, “but I do hate getting fleas in my hair. ” Her Graham Greene existence, with its typewriter, revolver and most particularly its fleas, was a far cry from the life her conventional, British parents had envisioned for her — one of quiet propriety, dutiful wifehood, charity balls and hunting. Clare Hollingworth was born on Oct. 10, 1911, in Knighton in central England, outside Leicester. As a child, she enjoyed touring the historic battlefields of England and France with her father, who ran the family’s boot and shoe factory. At her parents’ insistence, the young Ms. Hollingworth attended domestic science college in Leicester, an experience that did nothing to make the prospect of hearth and home attractive. (“Although it is useful to be able to make an omelet,” she later wrote, “my domestic science training caused me to hate having anything to do with housework. ”) Partly in deference to her upbringing, she became engaged “to a suitable young man,” though she soon broke off the engagement and further scandalized her parents by announcing her intention to become a journalist. “My mother thought journalism frightfully low, like a trade,” Ms. Hollingworth said in the 2011 interview with The Telegraph. “She didn’t believe anything journalists wrote and thought they were only fit for the tradesmen’s entrance. ” In the 1930s, Ms. Hollingworth attended the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London and afterward studied at the University of Zagreb, then in Yugoslavia. Working for the League of Nations Union, a peace and social justice group established in Britain in 1918, she was dispatched to Warsaw. There, in early 1939, she aided thousands of refugees from the Sudetenland — the region of Czechoslovakia that had been annexed by the Nazis in October 1938 — arranging travel documents that would let them cross into Poland. She wrote about their plight for small publications in Britain. The Telegraph learned of Ms. Hollingworth’s work in Poland, and on Aug. 25, 1939, while she was visiting London, it hired her as a correspondent. Assigned to cover the prelude to war in the region, she flew to Warsaw the next day. From Warsaw she traveled to Katowice, commandeering an official car from the British consul general there. It was in that car, Union Jack boldly flying, that she drove over the border, past astonished Nazi guards and into Germany on Aug. 28. Ms. Hollingworth’s scoop comprised two parts. The first was her story of Aug. 29, about the advent of war. The second was her report on the start of the war itself. Awakened by explosions at dawn on Sept. 1, Ms. Hollingworth, from her quarters in Katowice, saw German bombers overhead and the flash of artillery fire in the distance. She telephoned a friend at the British Embassy in Warsaw. “The war has begun!” she cried. “Are you sure, old girl?” he said. Her published article notwithstanding, Ms. Hollingworth later wrote, British officialdom persisted in thinking that war remained weeks away. She held the receiver out the window as German tanks roared outside. The embassy was persuaded and soon, too, was her editor. Ms. Hollingworth’s article on the start of hostilities appeared in The Telegraph the next day. Her work from this period is unbylined — few reporters were accorded bylines then — a state of affairs she pronounced as being for the best: It simultaneously spared her parents familial anxiety and social indignity. What followed was more than 40 years of chasing danger, for it was in the most dangerous places, Ms. Hollingworth often said, that the best stories lay. Traveling with British troops in North Africa, she was buried in the sands for the night when she awoke to the sounds of a German reconnaissance party. “A sneeze would have brought death to us all,” she later wrote. She held her breath in the darkness, and the party passed unseeing. In Vietnam, a sniper’s bullet narrowly missed her head. Ms. Hollingworth’s first husband, Vandeleur Robinson, whom she married in 1936, divorced her for desertion 15 years later. (“When I’m on a story, I’m on a story — to hell with husband, family, anyone else,” she told The Guardian in 2004.) Her second husband, Geoffrey Hoare, a journalist whom she married in the early 1950s, died in 1965. Her death was confirmed by Patrick Garrett, her grandnephew and her biographer. Her survivors include a stepdaughter, Hilary Sandre. Over time, some members of the British press grew alienated by what they saw as Ms. Hollingworth’s imperious manner. “Ms. Hollingworth’s snobberies are very tiring, her cozy relations with British embassies irritating,” the English journalist Robert Fisk wrote, reviewing her 1990 memoir, “Front Line. ” But she remained a widely admired, even venerated, figure, a recipient of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and a perennial fixture at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong, where she had made her home since the early 1980s. Her other books include “The Three Weeks’ War in Poland” (1940) “There’s a German Just Behind Me” (1942) “The Arabs and the West” (1952) and “Mao and the Men Against Him” (1985). As Ms. Hollingworth made clear in later interviews, though there was no dearth of wars to accompany her old age, she did not truly expect to be called upon to cover them. Yet to the end of her life she slept with her passport and a pair of shoes within easy reach, just in case. | 0 |
737 | North Miami Police Officers Shoot Man Aiding Patient With Autism - The New York Times | Niraj Chokshi | A black man said the police in North Miami, Fla. shot him on Monday as he tried to help a patient with autism who had run away from the group home where he works. The man, Charles Kinsey, 47, who identified himself as a caretaker of the patient, was on a city street with the patient when officers arrived, a lawyer for Mr. Kinsey said. When the officers drew their weapons, Mr. Kinsey told them there was no need for firearms, lay down in the middle of the street and tried to explain what had happened, the lawyer said. The video shows him trying to calm the patient, urging him to sit and to lie down. “All he has is a toy truck — a toy truck,” Mr. Kinsey said, according to video obtained by the Miami television station WSVN. “I am a behavior therapist at a group home,” he added. But then an officer opened fire, striking Mr. Kinsey in the leg. The North Miami police did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment on Thursday. The North Miami police chief, Gary Eugene, who held a news conference on Thursday, said an investigation would be led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Chief Eugene said, “The law requires us to gather every fact and resolve every question. ” No gun was recovered at the scene, he added. On Friday, North Miami leaders identified the officer as Jonathan Aledda, a member of the SWAT team, and said he had been placed on administrative leave without pay, according to The Miami Herald. Another officer was also placed on leave for allegedly giving misleading statements during the inquiry. In a preliminary statement Tuesday, the North Miami Police Department said officers had responded to a call about “an armed male suspect threatening suicide. ” “Arriving officers attempted to negotiate with the two men on the scene, one of whom was later identified as suffering from autism,” the statement said. “At some point during the negotiation, one of the responding officers discharged his weapon. The video shows Mr. Kinsey in a and shorts with his back on the ground and his hands in the air. Seated next to him on a street is another man, who Mr. Kinsey says is the patient he was trying to help. Mr. Kinsey tried to defuse the situation, his lawyer, Hilton Napoleon, said. “He asked the police officer, ‘Why did you shoot me?’ He told my client, ‘I don’t know,’” Mr. Napoleon said. Clint Bower, the president and chief executive of MACtown Inc. where Mr. Kinsey works, expressed frustration at how the police responded, but praised Mr. Kinsey for his actions. “Needless to say, after viewing the video, my employee Charles Kinsey, behavioral support professional, is a hero. He saved the young man with autism from being shot,” Mr. Bower said in an email on Wednesday. “He put his own life at risk, which is evident in the video. ” Mr. Napoleon said he met with city officials on Wednesday and had discussed the possibility of a settlement. Whatever the resolution, he said, the city should start by censuring the officer. “The best thing that the City of North Miami can do is come out and condemn the officer,” he said. . In a statement on Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said: “We have to stem the tide of violence, both nationwide and here in Florida. It starts with holding people accountable for their actions. There must be a thorough and independent investigation into this shooting that covers both whether officers violated internal use of deadly force policies and whether criminal charges should be brought. ” | 0 |
738 | The Path to Total Dictatorship: America's Shadow Government and Its Silent Coup | informationclearinghouse.info | The Path to Total Dictatorship: America's Shadow Government and Its Silent Coup
By John W. Whitehead Today the path to total dictatorship in the U.S. can be laid by strictly legal means, unseen and unheard by Congress, the President, or the people . Outwardly we have a Constitutional government. We have operating within our government and political system a well-organized political-action group in this country, determined to destroy our Constitution and establish a one-party state . The important point to remember about this group is not its ideology but its organization It operates secretly, silently, continuously to transform our Government . This group is answerable neither to the President, the Congress, nor the courts. It is practically irremovable.
Senator William Jenner, 1954 speech
Unaffected by elections. Unaltered by populist movements. Beyond the reach of the law.
Say hello to Americas shadow government.
A corporatized, militarized, entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are, in essence, running the country, this shadow government represents the hidden face of a government that has no respect for the freedom of its citizenry.
No matter which candidate wins the presidential election, this shadow government is here to stay. Indeed, as recent documents by the FBI reveal, this shadow government also referred to as The 7th Floor Group may well have played a part in who will win the White House this year.
To be precise, however, the future president will actually inherit not one but two shadow governments.
The first shadow government, referred to as COG or Continuity of Government, is made up of unelected individuals who have been appointed to run the government in the event of a catastrophe. COG is a phantom menace waiting for the right circumstancesa terrorist attack, a natural disaster, an economic meltdownto bring it out of the shadows, where it operates even now. When and if COG takes over, the police state will transition to martial law.
Yet it is the second shadow government also referred to as the Deep Statethat poses the greater threat to freedom right now. Comprised of unelected government bureaucrats, corporations, contractors, paper-pushers, and button-pushers who are actually calling the shots behind the scenes, this government within a government is the real reason we the people have no real control over our government.
The Deep State, which operates according to its own compass heading regardless of who is formally in power, makes a mockery of elections and the entire concept of a representative government.
So who or what is the Deep State?
Its the militarized police, which have joined forces with state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to establish themselves as a standing army. Its the fusion centers and spy agencies that have created a surveillance state and turned all of us into suspects. Its the courthouses and prisons that have allowed corporate profits to take precedence over due process and justice. Its the military empire with its private contractors and defense industry that is bankrupting the nation. Its the private sector with its 854,000 contract personnel with top-secret clearances, a number greater than that of top-secret-cleared civilian employees of the government. Its what former congressional staffer Mike Lofgren refers to as a hybrid of national security and law enforcement agencies : the Department of Defense, the State Department, Homeland Security, the CIA, the Justice Department, the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President via the National Security Council, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a handful of vital federal trial courts, and members of the defense and intelligence committees.
Its every facet of a government that is no longer friendly to freedom and is working overtime to trample the Constitution underfoot and render the citizenry powerless in the face of the governments power grabs, corruption and abusive tactics.
These are the key players that drive the shadow government.
This is the hidden face of the American police state that will continue long past Election Day.
Just consider some of the key programs and policies advanced by the shadow government that will continue no matter who occupies the Oval Office.
Domestic surveillance.
No matter who wins the presidential popularity contest, the National Security Agency (NSA), with its $10.8 billion black ops annual budget, will continue to spy on every person in the United States who uses a computer or phone. Thus, on any given day, whether youre walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior. Local police have been outfitted with a litany of surveillance gear, from license plate readers and cell phone tracking devices to biometric data recorders. Technology now makes it possible for the police to scan passersby in order to detect the contents of their pockets, purses, briefcases, etc. Full-body scanners, which perform virtual strip-searches of Americans traveling by plane, have gone mobile, with roving police vans that peer into vehicles and buildings alikeincluding homes. Coupled with the nations growing network of real-time surveillance cameras and facial recognition software, soon there really will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
Global spying.
The NSAs massive surveillance network, what the Washington Post refers to as a $500 billion espionage empire , will continue to span the globe and target every single person on the planet who uses a phone or a computer. The NSAs Echelon program intercepts and analyzes virtually every phone call, fax and email message sent anywhere in the world. In addition to carrying out domestic surveillance on peaceful political groups such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace and several religious groups, Echelon has also been a keystone in the governments attempts at political and corporate espionage .
Roving TSA searches.
The American taxpayer will continue to get ripped off by government agencies in the dubious name of national security. One of the greatest culprits when it comes to swindling taxpayers has been the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), with its questionable deployment of and complete mismanagement of millions of dollars worth of airport full-body X-ray scanners, punitive patdowns by TSA agents and thefts of travelers valuables. Considered essential to national security, TSA programs will continue in airports and at transportation hubs around the country.
USA Patriot Act, NDAA.
Americas so-called war on terror, which it has relentlessly pursued since 9/11, will continue to chip away at our freedoms, unravel our Constitution and transform our nation into a battlefield, thanks in large part to such subversive legislation as the USA Patriot Act and National Defense Authorization Act. These laws completely circumvent the rule of law and the rights of American citizens. In so doing, they re-orient our legal landscape in such a way as to ensure that martial law, rather than the U.S. Constitution, is the map by which we navigate life in the United States. These laws will continue to be enforced no matter who gets elected.
Militarized police state.
Thanks to federal grant programs allowing the Pentagon to transfer surplus military supplies and weapons to local law enforcement agencies without charge, police forces will continue to be transformed from peace officers into heavily armed extensions of the military, complete with jackboots, helmets, shields, batons, pepper-spray, stun guns, assault rifles, body armor, miniature tanks and weaponized drones. Having been given the green light to probe, poke, pinch, taser, search, seize, strip and generally manhandle anyone they see fit in almost any circumstance, all with the general blessing of the courts, Americas law enforcement officials, no longer mere servants of the people entrusted with keeping the peace, will continue to keep the masses corralled, controlled, and treated like suspects and enemies rather than citizens.
SWAT team raids.
With more than 80,000 SWAT team raids carried out every year on unsuspecting Americans by local police for relatively routine police matters and federal agencies laying claim to their own law enforcement divisions, the incidence of botched raids and related casualties will continue to rise. Nationwide, SWAT teams will continue to be employed to address an astonishingly trivial array of criminal activity or mere community nuisances including angry dogs, domestic disputes, improper paperwork filed by an orchid farmer, and misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Domestic drones. The domestic use of drones will continue unabated. As mandated by Congress, there will be 30,000 drones crisscrossing the skies of America by 2020, all part of an industry that could be worth as much as $30 billion per year. These machines, which will be equipped with weapons, will be able to record all activities, using video feeds, heat sensors and radar. An Inspector General report revealed that the Dept. of Justice has already spent nearly $4 million on drones domestically, largely for use by the FBI , with grants for another $1.26 million so police departments and nonprofits can acquire their own drones.
School-to-prison pipeline.
The paradigm of abject compliance to the state will continue to be taught by example in the schools, through school lockdowns where police and drug-sniffing dogs enter the classroom, and zero tolerance policies that punish all offenses equally and result in young people being expelled for childish behavior. School districts will continue to team up with law enforcement to create a schoolhouse to jailhouse track by imposing a double dose of punishment: suspension or expulsion from school, accompanied by an arrest by the police and a trip to juvenile court.
Overcriminalization.
The government bureaucracy will continue to churn out laws, statutes, codes and regulations that reinforce its powers and value systems and those of the police state and its corporate allies, rendering the rest of us petty criminals. The average American now unknowingly commits three felonies a day, thanks to this overabundance of vague laws that render otherwise innocent activity illegal. Consequently, small farmers who dare to make unpasteurized goat cheese and share it with members of their community will continue to have their farms raided.
Privatized Prisons.
States will continue to outsource prisons to private corporations, resulting in a cash cow whereby mega-corporations imprison Americans in private prisons in order to make a profit. In exchange for corporations buying and managing public prisons across the country at a supposed savings to the states, the states have to agree to maintain a 90% occupancy rate in the privately run prisons for at least 20 years.
Endless wars.
Americas expanding military empire will continue to bleed the country dry at a rate of more than $15 billion a month (or $20 million an hour). The Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety. Yet what most Americans fail to recognize is that these ongoing wars have little to do with keeping the country safe and everything to do with enriching the military industrial complex at taxpayer expense.
Are you getting the message yet?
The next president, much like the current president and his predecessors, will be little more than a figurehead, a puppet to entertain and distract the populace from whats really going on.
As Lofgren reveals, this state within a state, concealed behind the one that is visible at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue , is a hybrid entity of public and private institutions ruling the country according to consistent patterns in season and out, connected to, but only intermittently controlled by, the visible state whose leaders we choose.
The Deep State not only holds the nations capital in thrall, but it also controls Wall Street (which supplies the cash that keeps the political machine quiescent and operating as a diversionary marionette theater) and Silicon Valley.
This is fascism in its most covert form, hiding behind public agencies and private companies to carry out its dirty deeds.
It is a marriage between government bureaucrats and corporate fat cats.
As Lofgren concludes:
[T]he Deep State is so heavily entrenched, so well protected by surveillance, firepower, money and its ability to co-opt resistance that it is almost impervious to change If there is anything the Deep State requires it is silent, uninterrupted cash flow and the confidence that things will go on as they have in the past. It is even willing to tolerate a degree of gridlock: Partisan mud wrestling over cultural issues may be a useful distraction from its agenda.
In other words, as I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People , as long as government officialselected and unelected alikeare allowed to operate beyond the reach of the Constitution, the courts and the citizenry, the threat to our freedoms remains undiminished.
So the next time you find yourselves despondent over the 2016 presidential candidates, remember that its just a puppet show intended to distract you from the silent coup being carried out by Americas shadow government.
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People (SelectBooks, 2015) is available online at www.amazon.com. Whitehead can be contacted at [email protected] . Publication Guidelines / Reprint Permission: https://www.rutherford.org | 1 |
739 | Americans given historic opportunity to tell Donald Trump to go fuck himself | null | Tuesday 8 November 2016 by Gary Stanton Americans given historic opportunity to tell Donald Trump to go fuck himself
Americans are today being given a once in a lifetime opportunity to tell Donald Trump to go fuck himself.
According to experts, today’s vote is less an opportunity to select the leader of the free world, so much as the chance to remind Donald Trump what an arsehole they all think he is.
Democratic countries around the globe are today united in telling Americans they have a unique chance to show the world that they have the ability to guide a leading nation in the direction of societal harmony, equality for all, and telling racists to go fuck themselves.
US political expert, Chuck Williams, told us, “Setting the persuasive policy arguments made by the candidates to one side, the United States will wake on Wednesday morning to either of two plausible realities.
“One in which the downcast misogynist billionaire leader has been roundly told to fuck the fuck off, or another in which he enjoys a prolonged, ill-tempered orgasm on the Fox News network.”
Williams urged Americans to imagine a forward-looking country in which Donald Trump isn’t constantly forced to appear on the news in order to defend himself against accusation after inevitable accusation of improper behaviour, both privately and professionally.
He concluded, “You can either offer a number of quiet ‘fuck you’s at him many, many times over the next four years, or you can give him one enormous one today.
“Choose wisely.” Get the best NewsThump stories in your mailbox every Friday, for FREE! There are currently | 1 |
740 | Efforts to Curb Police Abuses Have Mixed Record, and Uncertain Future - The New York Times | Shaila Dewan and Richard A. Oppel Jr. | Looking to the federal government to rein in police excesses can be an exercise in managed expectations. On Friday, Chicago agreed to revamp its police department after the Justice Department found routine use of excessive force, and the mayor said he would negotiate a settlement, known as a consent decree. But that is no guarantee of results — and not just because the man most likely to be the next attorney general has said he is skeptical of such endeavors. Attempts to force change in police departments have met with mixed success even under the Obama administration, which made police reform a signature issue. It has opened 25 investigations into law enforcement agencies over issues like excessive force, racial bias and poor supervision, issuing reports choking with outrage. Los Angeles, which was under a consent decree for 11 years, is regarded as one of the great success stories. “Los Angeles is a different place today because of the consent decree and the leadership of the department,” said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington think tank. In Detroit, which emerged from a consent decree last year, officer shootings and warrantless arrests have declined significantly. But Pittsburgh, the target of the first consent decree based on a Justice Department finding of a “pattern and practice” of misconduct, later backslid after changes in leadership, said Samuel Walker, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. And while Miami reduced police shootings to zero for 20 months after a federal investigation in 2002 that was later closed with no settlement, the Justice Department in 2013 reinvestigated and found a pattern of excessive force with firearms, underscoring some experts’ view that consent decrees or other settlements are needed for enduring improvements. Last year, Miami settled the 2013 inquiry by agreeing to improve supervision, training and internal investigations. The “pattern and practice” approach developed after the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles in 1991 forced a period of national introspection over how to curb misconduct if individual officers could not be held accountable. A jury’s decision not to convict the four officers charged in the attack on Mr. King incited deadly riots. Since the early attempts, Mr. Walker said, consent decrees have evolved to be more sophisticated and comprehensive. “The general pattern is that there is some backsliding on some issues,” he said, “but I don’t think there’s a case where a department has completely collapsed back to where it was before. ” Still, Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama and the nominee for attorney general under Donald J. Trump, called them “dangerous,” writing in 2008 that they “constitute an end run around the democratic process. ” At his confirmation hearing this past week, he softened that critique, saying there were some circumstances that legitimately demanded consent decrees and that those already in place would be enforced. But, Mr. Sessions said, lawsuits could unfairly target whole police departments for the misdeeds of a few bad actors. “These lawsuits undermine the respect for police officers and create an impression that the entire department is not doing their work consistent with fidelity to law and fairness,” he said. His critique did not extend to how well consent decrees actually work. But experts say that even systemic changes, like greater oversight of officers’ use of force, can be slow to yield results. “They change the ‘inputs’ through training, record keeping, community involvement and other internal reforms, but the inputs don’t necessarily translate into changes in ‘outputs’ including racial disparities, use of force, or other constitutional issues,” wrote Jeff Fagan, a Columbia University law professor, in an email. “The results have been quite variable. ” Consent decrees can span years and many of the Obama administration’s key settlements have just begun, including those in Cleveland and Albuquerque. So it would be premature to assess their success. Some reform advocates have expressed fears that the Trump administration will fail to investigate police departments or enforce consent decrees, robbing them of what they view as a crucial lever to compel change. Even some police chiefs might mourn a retreat from consent decrees. Baltimore’s police commissioner, Kevin Davis, has said that a consent decree would aid community relations. Charles H. Ramsey, who as Washington’s police chief invited the Justice Department to review his department, said, “The DOJ gives legitimacy to the changes that you’re making. ” Chiefs may want consent decrees in order to insulate them from political and union opposition to change, as well as make it easier to demand money to pay for reforms. Mr. Sessions wrote in his critique of consent decrees in 2008 that he is aware of that strategy. “Such decrees are particularly offensive when certain governmental agencies secretly delight in being sued because they hope a settlement will be reached resulting in the agency receiving more money,” he wrote. “Thus, the taxpayers ultimately fund the settlement enacted through this undemocratic process. ” | 0 |
741 | Did This Just Signal A Major Bottom In Gold & Silver? | King World News | 30 Views November 18, 2016 GOLD , KWN King World News
With continued weakness in the precious metals markets, did this major divergence just trigger a bottom in gold and silver?
The gold and silver markets are now showing a huge divergence which may prove to be a key in terms of seeing the bottom of this correction in the metals. Below we see that the price of gold (GLD used as a proxy) is hitting new lows (see chart below).
At the same time, the price of silver is also hitting new lows (see chart below). Unlocking The Key: Here Is The Major Divergence
Meanwhile, the HUI (Gold Mining Index) is diverging by trading above recent lows (see chart below).
And the XAU (Gold Mining Index) is also diverging by trading above its recent lows (see chart below).
KWN also spoke with one of the top mining CEO’s today and he said, “The selling in the mining stocks is looking very tired right now and they are just looking for an excuse to rally.”… IMPORTANT… To find out which company is set to become one of the highest grade producing gold mines on the planet CLICK HERE OR BELOW: Sponsored
The divergence in the HUI and XAU mining indexes vs gold and silver is a major clue that a bottom may be forming. If the miners can hold above the recent lows that will give the signal that the correction has now officially come to an end and the uptrend in gold, silver, and the mining shares will resume. I t will be very interesting to see if this divergence did in fact mark a bottom in gold and silver in the days ahead.
Look At These Markets Seeing Massive Waterfall Declines As Chaotic Global Trading Continues | 1 |
742 | Hey Ho, It’s Old: England Embraces Punk Rock 40 Years Later - The New York Times | Christopher D. Shea | BLACKPOOL, England — “Ramones forever!” C. J. Ramone yelled to a tightly packed crowd at the Rebellion Festival here earlier this month, and a little roar rippled through a sea of mohawks, spikes — and more than a few balding heads. It was 40 years ago this summer that the Ramones flew to London and played a July 4 concert at the Roundhouse in Camden, an event that many cite as the moment that punk rock first took flight in Britain. A month earlier, a London group called the Sex Pistols had played a gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. It has been said that there were only a few dozen people in attendance, but every one went out and started a band. “I’ve said this quote before, but I’ll say it again,” Steve Diggle of the Buzzcocks said in a recent interview over a pint of Guinness in London. “If Jesus was born in Bethlehem, British punk was born in Manchester at that gig. ” The anniversary of that summer is being celebrated in Punk London, a citywide, yearlong series of exhibitions, talks and concerts supported by the mayor’s office and the National Lottery. Proving, perhaps, that punk’s rebellious spirit hasn’t yet receded into rock’s history books, this institutional endorsement of an movement has drawn skepticism, a little bit of ridicule and even some mild acts of resistance. “We heard our song on BBC News,” as part of the anniversary celebrations, Noel Martin, 61, of the band Menace, which formed in the said outside the Blackpool festival grounds. The song, “G. L. C. ,” which stood for Greater London Council, took aim at the city government, whose conservative members had called for a ban on punk concerts. “BBC banned that song 40 years ago, how come they’re playing it now?” In March, Joe Corré, the son of the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols manager, Malcolm McLaren, vowed to burn 5 million pounds, or about $6. 46 million, worth of punk memorabilia to protest what he saw as the of the movement. (The event, which is planned for this fall, was promptly added by a City Hall staff member to the Punk London website). In July, the singer Viv Albertine of the band the Slits visited the British Library for a talk connected to Punk London. While there, she stopped by the institution’s punk history exhibition to scrawl over the names of prominent female punk artists in permanent marker onto to the show’s signage. “What about the women! !” she wrote on a sign, crossing out the names of male punk groups and replacing them with acts like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Spex. The concerts of the summer of ’76 proved a crucible: In the months that followed, punk broke into public consciousness across Britain. The Clash, the Buzzcocks and the Damned gained nationwide attention. And the Sex Pistols became tabloid sensations, both for their wild behavior and their lyrics, particularly for “God Save the Queen,” an screed that suggested the queen was the head of a “fascist regime. ” The reaction from the news media was swift: Sex Pistols tracks, including “Queen” and “Anarchy in the U. K.,” were banned from the BBC, and, after reports that band members had spit on and yelled at staff at Heathrow Airport, the Pistols were dropped from their record label, EMI. The Sex Pistols dissolved in spectacular fashion months later, but the Ramones soldiered on for another 20 years (C. J. Ramone joined the band in the late ’80s). Fans and musicians at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, a resort town on the Irish Sea, noted the incongruity of the establishment’s embracing of punk rock, but they said the British punk scene was vibrant and even growing. “We go to gigs every week here, Manchester, Birmingham,” Graham Norris, 51, a fan of punk, said over a hot dog on the first day of the festival. “There’s lots of good bands coming through, a lot of them,” said Mr. Norris, who carried a cane and had a single synthetic green dreadlock threaded onto his last wisp of natural hair. “Maybe their dads were punks, maybe their mothers were punks and they’ve picked up on it. ” This festival’s lineup reflected that intergenerational spirit: Early bands like Agnostic Front and the Buzzcocks split the bill with newer acts like Youth Man and Angry Itch. Outside the main venue, a group of young punk fans gathered on a stoop, smoking and swigging from liquor bottles. One young musician, Connor MacPherson, 18, whose band the Antiseptics played at Punk Weekender, a concert series held at the Roundhouse in July to commemorate the anniversary of the Ramones concert, said that the punk spirit was particularly relevant now that conservatives control Britain’s government. Describing himself as a “socialist with anarchist tendencies,” Mr. MacPherson got a rousing response from the others when he lobbed a shot at David Cameron, the former prime minister. “We have got a government that doesn’t care about the youth, that doesn’t care about the people,” he said. “We need punk more than ever — we need punk more than they needed it in 1977. ” Nella Bellinzoni, 62, was selling bags and sweaters in the halls of the festival. With blue hair sprayed vertical and reaching about a foot above her head (she said it took her around one and a half cans of hair spray and three hours to achieve the look) Ms. Bellinzoni, who described herself as an “old punk, from the beginning,” expressed a sunny vision of punk’s future. “It’s getting more and more stronger,” Ms. Bellinzoni, a native of Italy who lives near Blackpool, said. “All the kids, when their father or mother was punk, then they’re punk as well. ” One duo was Simon Reynolds, 50, who took a train from London to Blackpool and his son, Oscar. Mr. Reynolds, who started listening to punk in the early ’80s, said he thought that the movement had cleaned up its act somewhat since the early years and grown a “conscience. ” Oscar, with spiky green hair and a advertising the punk band Gnarwolves, said he became interested in punk about eight years ago, through skateboarding and through his father. He said that he appreciated the sympathy for the working classes, and also that he liked that the music was different from what his friends listened to. Asked whether he ever felt strange dabbling in the same music scene as his father, he looked briefly incredulous. “No, no,” he said with a chuckle, before his face got serious and he added, “My dad’s rad. ” | 0 |
743 | Canoes Reek of Genocide, Theft and White Privilege, Says Canadian Professor | Henry Wolff | Lukas Mikelionis, Heat Street, October 24, 2016
{snip} According to Misao Dean, Professor of English at the University of Victoria, the canoe can be a symbol of colonialism, imperialism and genocide due to history. She also accused the canoers of cultural appropriation because they are primarily white men and have a privileged place in society.
In a radio interview for CBC Radio , which wasn’t picked up by the Internet until several months later, she claimed “we have a whole set of narratives that make the canoe into a kind of morally untouchable symbol, something that seems natural, that seems ordinary, and seems to promote values that we ascribe to.”
“But I think if you look a little further that narrative obscures or erases another narrative–and that narrative is about, to be blunt, it’s about theft and genocide”, the professor said.
{snip}
“It’s not a coincidence that it was white men of a certain age . . . Certainly the majority of wilderness canoers are people who have a very privileged place in society. They’re frequently highly educated people. They’re almost completely white,” she said.
CBC Radio host Jim Brown then asked a question: “Should we look at the canoe as a non-controversial symbol or should we look at it as a symbol of colonialism?”
To which the academic replied: “Absolutely a symbol of colonialism. It seems to me that this narrative we tell ourselves about the canoe about how canoeing makes us in touch with nature, how canoeing makes us in some way guiltless of the terrible things that the Canadian government and Canadians in general did to First Nations people.”
{snip}
Either way, somebody should break the news to Canada’s woke Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about this. It’s 2016, after all. Thrilled to let you know we’re going to need another seat in our canoe: Sophie is pregnant! #threeisthenewtwo pic.twitter.com/gm76BwAe4p | 1 |
744 | Illegal Immigrant Advocates Pledge to Resist Deportation Under Trump | Warren Mass | Email
Following the surprisingly strong electoral victory of Donald Trump to the White House in this year’s presidential election, a spokesperson for a group founded to revive the rejected 2007 DREAM Atct — which would have granted amnesty to minors illegally in the United States — pledged to resist mass deportation of illegal aliens. The spokesperson also called Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel "agents of racism.”
In a statement quoted by the Washington Times , Cristina Jimenez, co-founder of United We Dream (which describes itself as “the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation”) said: “Immigrants are declaring a state of urgency and resilience. Over the coming weeks, our families and community members will need to tap into the incredible strength that brought us to this country and which we use to survive.”
In her statement, Jimenez not only expressed dismay at the election of Trump but also castigated the agents of the federal agencies charged with protecting our borders.
“All people with love in our hearts are angered and disappointed tonight and pledge to resist mass deportation,” she said. “ICE and CBP have proven themselves to be agents of racism and agents of hate.”
Both the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) and the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council — the two unions that represent Border Patrol and ICE agents, respectively, had announced endorsements of Trump during the presidential campaign.
We reported in our article last April that the NBPC’s leaders — including Brandon Judd, the union’s president; Kenneth Palinkas, its past president; Shawn Moran; the union’s vice president; and Chris Cabrera, a spokesperson for the NBPC’s Rio Grande Valley council — have all been vocal in criticizing the Obama administration’s lack of enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.
The NBPC issued a press release on March 30 that stated part of the reason for its endorsement of Trump: Mr. Trump is correct when he says immigration wouldn’t be at the forefront of this presidential campaign if months ago he hadn’t made some bold and necessary statements. And when the withering media storm ensued he did not back down one iota. That tells you the measure of a man. When the so-called experts said he was too brash and outspoken, and that he would fade away, they were proven wrong. We are confident they will be proven wrong again in November when he becomes President of the United States.
The union representing the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and staff, the ICE Council, endorsed Trump last September. Their endorsement statement noted: Donald Trump reached out to us for a meeting, sat down with me to discuss his goals for enforcement, and pledged to support ICE officers, our nation’s laws and our members. In his immigration policy, he has outlined core policies needed to restore immigration security— including support for increased interior enforcement and border security, an end to Sanctuary Cities, an end to catch-and-release, mandatory detainers, and the canceling of executive amnesty and non-enforcement directives.
A notice on the United We Dream website stated that when the DREAM Act failed to get 60 votes in the Senate in 2007, a “group of DREAMers, organizers, and advocates came together to reflect on the DREAM Act campaign and talk about building a movement and organization that would not hinge on votes in Congress.”
President Obama, frustrated that the DREAM Act (the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) had repeatedly failed to pass, had already decided to bypass Congress by creating the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program to allow youth who had brought into the country illegally by their parents as children immigrants to work legally in the United States.
Critics of DACA have pointed out that the program is a means to circumvent Congress and grant amnesty to those who reside here illegally.
The DACA program was created in 2012 via policy memo by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. In 2014, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson further expanded the DACA program by removing its age cap and extending the work authorization to three years. Subsequently a group of states challenged this executive action in the case of State of Texas, et al v United States, et al.
The DACA program was brought to a halt after U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas responded to the plaintiff states by issuing an order of temporary injunction to block the federal government from implementing the Obama administration’s policy memorandums that expanded DACA and implemented the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program.
The Obama administration appealed Hanen’s ruing in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. After the court issued a tied 8-8 decision on the appeal, Hanen’s injunction was allowed to stand.
With the election of Donald Trump, it is expected that the new president will issue an executive order of his own to reverse those issued by Obama administration officials to create DACA. It is the anticipation of this move that has groups such as United We Dream worried.
Related articles: | 1 |
745 | CDC Scientist Confirms Donald Trump is Right About Vaccines and Autism | [email protected] (Alexander Light) | . CDC Scientist Confirms Donald Trump is Right About Vaccines and Autism Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy, including the vaccine debate. In a series of tweets and ... http://humansarefree.com/2016/11/cdc-scientist-confirms-donald-trump-is.html Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy, including the vaccine debate. In a series of tweets and interviews over the past few years, the presidential candidate has stated that he strongly believes that there is a link between "monstrous" vaccines and autism . He has suggested that delivering vaccines in smaller doses over time could reduce autism rates among U.S. children. Despite being cast to the lunatic fringe by the mainstream media for his remarks, CDC scientist Dr. William Thompson has confirmed Trump's suspicions — namely, that autism is real .Congressman Bill Posey from Florida helped expose the corruption of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) . He recently read a statement on the House floor written by CDC scientist Dr. William Thompson.In the statement, Dr. Thompson admitted to omitting data from a study which showed that autism rates were higher among African American boys who received the MMR vaccination before the age of three.(1) "Regardless of the subject matter, parents making decisions about their children's health deserve to have the best information available to them. "They should be able to count on federal agencies to tell them the truth. For these reasons, I bring the following matter to the House floor," Posey stated.(2) He then proceeded to read the statement provided by Dr. Thompson. The statement pertained to a 2004 study published in the journal Pediatrics. The doctor revealed that he and his colleagues intentionally destroyed data in the study which showed that African American MMR-vaccinated boys under the age of three had for autism. According to the whistleblower, the CDC held a meeting of scientists to discuss whether they should destroy the evidence. The authors decided to scrap their findings. Fortunately, Dr. Thompson saved computer files and hard copies of the omitted data for legal reasons.(3) "Mr. Speaker, I believe it is our duty to insure that the documents that Dr. Thompson are not ignored. Therefore I will provide them to members of Congress and the House Committees upon request. "Considering the nature of the whistleblower's documents as well as the involvement of the CDC, a hearing and a thorough investigation is warranted," Posey concluded.(2) Because the report pertains to vaccines, the mainstream media continues to ignore these revelations. Meanwhile, they continue to parade Donald Trump as a kook for suggesting that there is a link The double standard boggles the mind and sickens the stomach.Trump hasn't backed down from the vaccine debate despite the mainstream media's backlash against his remarks. In 2015, he appeared on the conservative radio host Laura Ingraham's show stating: "I've known people that had totally magnificent children, functioning a hundred percent, everything beautiful, smart as a whip, and they go for this shot and get this shot of this massive dose, of everything at one time, and they end up with horrible autism."(4) In addition, Trump stated on a Fox News television program in 2012: "I've seen people where they have a perfectly healthy child, and they go for the vaccinations and a month later the child is no longer healthy."(5) Trump made similar remarks in a series of tweets in 2014, after a CDC report revealed that autism rates in U.S. children had increased by 30 percent in the last two years.(6)The CDC report that coincided with Trump's tweets did not actually state what caused the spike in autism rates. Given Dr. Thompson's recent testimony, however, it's easy to think of at least one possibility. By S. Johnson | 1 |
746 | Breitbart News Daily: Draining the Swamp - Breitbart | Breitbart News | On the Friday edition of Breitbart News Daily, broadcast live on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 from 6AM to 9AM Eastern, Breitbart London Raheem Kassam will continue our discussion of Donald Trump’s policy agenda and the confirmation hearings for his nominees. [Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin will discuss Gen. James Mattis’ confirmation hearing and David Shulkin’s nomination for VA Secretary. Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots will discuss Speaker Paul Ryan’s CNN town hall. Former RNC Chair and Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele will discuss President Obama’s legacy. Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff will discuss Trump’s efforts to separate himself from his business interests and his promise to “drain the swamp” in D. C. Mercedes and Matt Schlapp, the Chairman of the American Conservative Union, will preview this year’s CPAC conference. Live from London, Rome, and Jerusalem, Breitbart correspondents will provide updates on the latest international news. Breitbart News Daily is the first live, conservative radio enterprise to air seven days a week. SiriusXM Vice President for news and talk Dave Gorab called the show “the conservative news show of record. ” Follow Breitbart News on Twitter for live updates during the show. Listeners may call into the show at: . | 0 |
747 | Trump: The Media’s Frankenstein Monster | Jared Taylor | The monster they created is running amok. Credit: VDare.
These two things happened the day after Donald Trump won the election: First, a Washington Post reporter named Peter Holley called the American Renaissance office to ask–in dead seriousness–whether anyone from the Trump team had called us for policy advice. Second, Gloria Gonzalez-Garcia, a Mexican-American explained to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram what a Trump victory meant: “We were getting the message, ‘If you are not white, you don’t belong here.’ ”
So what’s the connection? Let’s start with the Post ’s Mr. Holley . [ ] He is a professional newsman who attended Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. He calls himself an “experienced reporter with a talent for uncovering compelling stories that other people overlook.” It’s his job to find out and report what is going on–and he seriously thought the victorious Trump team would check in with me for instructions.
He’s not alone. The same day, a journalist from the biggest newspaper in Latin America– Folha de S. Paulo – wanted to know if I had telephoned my friend Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory. I told her I have never met him and don’t have his number.
What we have here is a stupefying delusion: that Donald Trump is a secret “white supremacist,” who dances to the tune of the Alt-Right. This delusion has two sources: ignorance and maliciousness . People like Peter Holley are so deeply marinated in liberal ignorance that they can’t tell the difference between American nationalism and racial nationalism–between the desire to put American interests first and white racial consciousness.
As I have explained elsewhere , the maliciousness involved looking for racial dissidents who supported Donald Trump and then arguing that since “racists” backed him, Trump must be a “racist,” too. When Mr. Trump didn’t denounce David Duke and “white supremacy” fiercely enough to suit them, they claimed this was proof he is a secret sympathizer. They were wrong. He just doesn’t like being pushed around by journalists who hates him.
The pro-Hillary media therefore created a Frankenstein monster–an imaginary Donald Trump who secretly wants to make America white again. They called him a bigot, a xenophobe, a fascist, a threat to democracy and, of course, the new Hitler. They hoped this would frighten enough voters into the Hillary camp to stop Mr. Trump, but it didn’t work. And now they are stuck with a Frankenstein president elect who, they are convinced, comes running to me for policy tips.
Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid issued an idiotic press release that included these lines:
White nationalists, Vladimir Putin and ISIS are celebrating Donald Trump’s victory, while innocent, law-abiding Americans are wracked with fear–especially African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Muslim Americans, LGBT Americans and Asian Americans.
It is because she has heard so many Frankenstein stories that poor Gloria in Fort Worth–a US citizen–thinks the real Trump message is that non-whites don’t belong in America.
And she’s hardly alone.
Jason Perez (right) a university student in Hawaii, writes that “the next four years will be a living nightmare for all Hispanic Americans.” Mercedes Rosales , a high school senior in Homestead, Florida, says Mr. Trump “just wants to get rid of Mexicans, or Latinos.” Maria Perez , also of Homestead, says, “Because of the example of Donald Trump . . . now they can look at you and see you are an immigrant and kill you.” Mary Rabago , a Hispanic journalist living in Arizona, explains the election results: “Hate won.”
The Muslim reaction is just as nutty. Asaad Alabdulaziz, an Iraqi who recently became a US citizen , asks, “Do I have to go back?” Sahar Aziz , a professor at the Texas A&M University, says that “the general mood I am seeing among Muslims is concern that a Trump presidency will be open season on them.”
No one–not once in the campaign–ever talked about deporting law-abiding legal residents. So where did people get these deranged ideas? Obviously, from media caricatures. Hispanics are no doubt getting lurid stuff from the Spanish-language press as well. Telesur , a consortium based in Venezuela, reports that under a Trump presidency, “the rights of black and brown people, immigrants and women will suffer serious setbacks.”
People like Peter Holley–who created the caricature and believe in it–are on such hair-trigger alert for “racism” that they can’t conceive of a non-racial American nationalism that expresses itself in the ideas that helped Donald Trump win: Illegal immigrants should stay out. Illegals who are here should go home. There should be no sanctuary cities. Birth-right citizenship is crazy. Muslims are potentially troublesome. Legal immigration should be cut.
There is nothing inherently racial about any of these ideas, and they appeal to millions of Americans who don’t think in racial terms. But current dogma demands that we thrill to the idea that every brown-skinned newcomer–whether he has a job or even speaks English–is a precious addition to our “greatest strength,” which is diversity. Anyone who supports policies that have the effect of slowing the march of diversity is a “racist,” and might as well be a dedicated AmRen reader or even a member of the Ku Klux Klan. That’s why Peter Holley thinks Donald Trump wants my advice.
The notion that Mr. Trump will hurt blacks is especially wrong, but it follows the usual sloppy liberal thinking: If you want to send home illegals it can only be because you hate Hispanics, which means you hate blacks, women, homosexuals, and Jews. Donald Trump wanted Confederate flags taken down in the South, is “fine” with affirmative action , and he blasted Justice Antonin Scalia’s critique of race preferences in universities. And only the most fevered imagination could have prompted the Salon headline: “ I Am a Gay Jew in Trump’s America. And I Am Afraid for My Life .” Mr. Trump’s close professional and family connections to Jews are well known .
It is the widely circulated fantasies about Donald-Trump-the-racist that explain why Mexican-Americans and Muslims who are US citizens are reportedly crying themselves to sleep at night, and why there are violent anti-Trump demonstrations all over the country. Just as reckless anti-police reporting paved the way for the murders of policemen , frothing press coverage of Donald Trump has sent thousands of ignoramuses into the streets to smash store windows and attack cops.
The papers are now full of breathless reports of Trump supporters calling blacks “ni**er” and tearing hijabs off Muslim women. Some of these attacks were faked , but some are no doubt real. What do they reflect? What Donald Trump wants or what the Frankenstein wants? If loutish whites are telling Hispanics “we’ll deport you,” who gave them the idea that a modern-day Hitler is about to move into the White House?
The Trump-is-a-racist idea is so firmly planted in the minds of Hillary supporters that nothing can dislodge it. But they don’t even understand what they, themselves, mean by it.
Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones called me after the election to talk about the Alt-Right. I explained to him how the media have painted a dishonest picture of Donald Trump, and he conceded that he was beginning to realize that using his favorite word–“racist”–to describe the president elect and people like me might be a mistake. I congratulated him on this intellectual breakthrough, and then asked what Donald Trump has ever said or done that was “racist,” whatever that word means.
“Oh, there are so many, I don’t know where to begin.”
“Then just tell me one.”
There was a brief silence. “He retweeted an image of himself as Pepe the frog.”
“What? Is that the best you can do? You’re really straining.”
“Yes, I guess I’m straining.”
Mr. Harkinson later brought up Mr. Trump’s suggestion that Judge Gonazlo Curiel’s Mexican ancestry meant he could not try the Trump University case fairly. I pointed out that Judge Curiel is a member of La Raza [the race] Lawyers, which gave Mr. Trump grounds to doubt his impartiality. “Besides,” I said, “if a white police officer is in an altercation with a black criminal and ends up shooting him, you’d be the first to say the officer was biased on account of his race.”
“Not the first.”
“Then the second.”
We live in a world of malicious fantasy. If members of that priestly class known as journalists–everyone knows they are sternly objective–call someone a “racist” that’s what he is. And once you’re a “racist,” you might as well be a sexist, xenophobe, anti-Semite, homophobe, and who knows what else. This is what we get when reporters slant the news and then believe what they read in the papers. And the media can’t understand why no one trusts them anymore.
Jared Taylor [ Email him ] is editor of American Renaissance and the author of Paved With Good Intentions: The Failure of Race Relations in Contemporary America . (For Peter Brimelow’s review, click here .) His most recent book is White Identity . (Reprinted from VDare.com by permission of author or representative) | 1 |
748 | Watch: Tony Romo Says Goodbye to Dallas Cowboys in Instagram Video - Breitbart | Trent Baker | Thanks for everything cowboy nation. @candiceromo, A post shared by Tony Romo (@tony. romo) on Mar 9, 2017 at 12:56pm PST, With the Dallas Cowboys set to part ways with quarterback Tony Romo, either via trade or release, the posted a goodbye video on his Instagram page with Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are ” playing in the background. “I just wanted to come to tell you it’s been a crazy 48 hours here,” Romo says. “Me and my family felt the outpouring of support and love from all of you. It’s been overwhelming and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I wanted to say thank you and we have a lot to think about here going forward. ” Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | 0 |
749 | Globalism: A Far-Right Conspiracy Theory Buoyed by Trump - The New York Times | Liam Stack | Donald J. Trump’s election victory was powered in part by forceful opposition to what he described as an economic and political system rigged against the American people for the benefit of shadowy forces in the news media, the banks and the government. Trump and his allies often describe that system with one word: globalism. It is a word that conjures many images, none of them good: shuttered factories, unchecked immigration and a distant cabal that, believers say, controls the economy and the media. Analysts who track extremist groups in the United States have expressed alarm at the use of the word by the . They say it carries multiple meanings — from benign to sinister — and often serves as a “dog whistle” for racist, and antigovernment conspiracy theorists. “Globalism is a principle driver for the fears that animate the radical right in the United States,” said Ryan Lenz, the editor of Hatewatch, a blog published by the Southern Poverty Law Center. “It is the enemy, ultimately. ” Globalism is often used as a synonym for globalization, the system of global economic interconnection that has been critiqued for decades by liberal groups like labor unions, environmental organizations and opponents of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But for the far right, the term encapsulates a conspiratorial worldview based on racism, xenophobia and according to Mark Pitcavage, a researcher at the League. Lauren Southern, a host on the Canadian media site Rebel Media, explicitly rejected its use as a synonym for globalization in a video she posted online in September. She said the word meant rule by autocrats — such as President Obama, former President George W. Bush and the United Nations — who value “the false flag of diversity” and “unchecked immigration from the third world. ” “Globalists almost always sneer down their nose at tradition, disdain national culture, laugh at religion and generally despise the West while holding a creepy affection for the third world,” she added. “They want open borders, cheap labor and antinationalism to benefit their business and political visions, and are all too willing to shaft the little people to achieve it. ” Breitbart News, the website run by Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s newly appointed chief White House strategist, frequently attacked globalism and “globalist elites” during Mr. Bannon’s tenure there. But no one may have done more to popularize the idea of a globalist conspiracy than Alex Jones, a radio host who commands an online audience of millions through his Infowars media empire. He has been called “the most prolific conspiracy theorist in contemporary America” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Among his claims: the Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Conn. was a hoax and the Sept. 11 terror attacks were an inside job. Mr. Jones posted his own definition of globalism to YouTube in 2014. In his trademark shout, he described it as a “global digital panopticon control system” engineered by shadowy corporate and political elites. He called it “the total form of slavery. ” The host, who has enthusiastically supported Mr. Trump, hailed the Republican as a “George ” historical figure. Mr. Trump, who appeared on his show last year, has in turn heaped praise upon Mr. Jones. “Your reputation is amazing,” Mr. Trump said. “I will not let you down. You will be very, very impressed, I hope. And I think we’ll be speaking a lot. ” So what is Mr. Trump talking about when he talks about globalism? His spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, provided a definition in an email before the election last week: groups in the United States began to refer to globalism at the end of the Cold War, when it replaced communism as an idea that was an danger to the nation, Mr. Pitcavage said. They have also referred to it as the New World Order, and soon they saw its tentacles everywhere. The shape of that conspiracy had distinctly overtones, in part because many of communism’s foes had historically seen communism as inextricably linked to Judaism, Mr. Pitcavage said. Members of the far right became fixated on prominent Jews like the businessman and philanthropist George Soros. Those conspiratorial beliefs were bolstered when former President George Bush celebrated the end of the Cold War in a 1991 speech by saying it was the dawn of a “new world order. ” His use of the phrase was taken as proof by many that a globalist conspiracy really was afoot. “It was very easy for them, especially because he was the one who said it, to take that ball and run with it,” Mr. Pitcavage said. “From that point on, the phrase became the short hand for that kind of globalism conspiracy theory. ” The term’s multiple meanings have made it a powerful political tool, and Mr. Trump’s and his allies’ frequent references to globalism have drawn in a wide and varied audience. “ is a very efficient net to unite disparate parts of the right” from the mainstream to the extreme, said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. Professor Levin called globalism “the defining folklore and narrative for the racist right” but said it had also “become a convenient boogeyman to explain the various declines that the United States is perceived to be in. ” Globalism was an important theme in the final weeks of Mr. Trump’s campaign, for example, when he told a rally in Florida in October that his opponent for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, had sat at the heart of a conspiracy with international bankers “to plot the destruction of U. S. sovereignty. ” The League criticized the speech for “evoking classic themes. ” Conspiratorial talk has continued after the election. Mr. Trump referred to a plot against him again last Thursday, when he complained on Twitter that protests were the work of the news media and paid protesters. Lou Dobbs, a Trump ally and host on Fox Business News, later accused Mr. Soros of “inciting riots. ” Many on the far right have celebrated Mr. Trump’s election victory as a momentous blow against the globalist conspiracy. Last Friday, Mr. Jones claimed on YouTube that Mr. Trump had called him personally to thank him and his audience for their support and to offer to appear on his show again soon. Ms. Hicks, the Trump campaign’s spokeswoman, did not reply to an email seeking comment late Sunday night. Mr. Jones then pivoted to what he thought was most important: the coming destruction of “the globalists that hijacked the country,” primarily the news media and international business people. Soon they would be destroyed once and for all, he suggested. “This is America battling back to restore humanity and to break the chains,” he said. “There’s not gonna be any détente. We know you’re scum, and we’re just here to let you know you’re scum. ” | 0 |
750 | Georgia Father Is Convicted of Murder in Toddler’s Death in Hot Car - The New York Times | Alan Blinder | ATLANTA — With local television programming interrupted and a camera trained on the defendant’s emotionless face, an father was convicted of murder on Monday for causing the death of his young son by deliberately leaving him in a hot car more than two years ago. A jury in southeast Georgia, where the case was tried because of intense pretrial publicity here, returned guilty verdicts against the man, Justin Ross Harris, 35, on eight counts, including malice murder and cruelty to children. Mr. Harris, who sometimes glanced downward as the verdict was read in Brunswick, could be sentenced to life in prison for the death of his son, Cooper. The verdict, announced on the jury’s fourth day of deliberations, ended the suspense of a trial that began on Oct. 3, and it capped nearly 29 months of sordid allegations and scrambled loyalties. The cause of Cooper’s death was undisputed — Mr. Harris left him in a Hyundai Tucson while he worked as a software engineer at Home Depot on June 18, 2014 — but it fell to jurors to decide whether he had been malicious or merely . The manner of Cooper’s death is a heartbreakingly familiar one: At least 39 children in the United States have died of “vehicular heatstroke” this year, according to statistics compiled by a San Jose State University researcher. But the case against Mr. Harris was striking because of the severity of the charges and the state’s argument that he was eager to end his responsibilities to his family. “This killer’s heart abandoned this child long before he died,” Charles P. Boring, an assistant district attorney, said during his closing argument. “This defendant’s heart abandoned this child when he left him to die a terrible death in that car. ” In a statement after the verdict, the district attorney’s office noted a message that Mr. Harris sent minutes before he left his vehicle, Cooper still in his car seat: “I love my son and all, but we both need escapes. ” But near the end of a trial in which Mr. Harris was vilified as a man with a compromised marriage, one of his lawyers, H. Maddox Kilgore, argued that moral failings did not make a motive for murder. “There is no evidence of any kind of hatred or bad feelings or anger,” Mr. Kilgore said. “Whatever term you want to come up with, any term you come up with, there’s no evidence that Ross expressed that toward his son. ” In the end, Mr. Harris was convicted on all eight counts for which he was indicted. Three of the charges were not connected to Cooper’s death and instead focused on Mr. Harris’s electronic communications with at least one underage girl. He will be sentenced next month. Although Mr. Harris’s former wife, Leanna Taylor, filed for divorce after Cooper’s death, she testified in her husband’s defense. Ms. Taylor’s lawyer, Lawrence J. Zimmerman, said she was “deeply disappointed” by the verdict. | 0 |
751 | Richard Bolles Dies at 90 Wrote ‘What Color Is Your Parachute?’ - The New York Times | Paul Vitello | Richard N. Bolles, a former Harvard physics major, Episcopal minister and career counselor whose own twisting vocational path led to his writing “What Color Is Your Parachute?” — the most popular ’s manual of the 1970s and beyond — died on Friday in San Ramon, Calif. He was 90. His son Gary said he died in San Ramon Regional Medical Center. Mr. Bolles lived nearby in Danville, Calif. Mr. Bolles (pronounced bowls) originally his manual in 1970 as a photocopied booklet for unemployed Protestant ministers. In 1972, he recast it to appeal to a wider audience and found an independent publisher in Berkeley, Calif. willing to print small batches so that it could be frequently updated. Since then, “Parachute” has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and has never been out of print. In 1995, the Library of Congress placed Mr. Bolles’s book squarely within the canon of classic American literature by including it, along with Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and the “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,” in “25 Books That Have Shaped Readers’ Lives,” a list compiled as part of a nationwide program. The book’s unconventional yet pragmatic advice, whimsical narrative style and vintage graphics — reminiscent of “The Whole Earth Catalog,” another survivors’ manual of the time — earned it respectful reviews for its reliable research and an early following among career counselors and personnel directors. It also found a fan base among attracted to Mr. Bolles’s homespun style — a fusion of boot camp rigor ( should spend at least 40 hours a week hunting) practical advice (“If you’re being interviewed over lunch, never — never — order a drink . .. Don’t . .. do . .. it! . .. Even if they do it”) and muted spirituality. was an art form, more like dating than like selling a used car, he told readers. “You may never understand why things sometimes work, and sometimes don’t,” he wrote. With that in mind, Mr. Bolles said, “What Color Is Your Parachute? ,” subtitled “A Practical Manual for and Career Changers,” was framed less as a guide to the job market than as a guide to help readers understand themselves — to help them figure out what they really liked doing so that they could find the job that would let them do it. “You need firm ground to stand on,” Mr. Bolles told an interviewer in 2000. “From there you can deal with the change. ” Mr. Bolles, an ordained Episcopal minister until 2004, when he left the ministry, said the title of his book came from an discussion he had in the 1960s with parishioners who were unhappy in their jobs. They would say they were thinking of bailing out. “And I always thought of an airplane when I heard that phrase,” he said. “So I would respond, ‘What color is your parachute?’ ” “Parachute” climbed rankings slowly but steadily throughout the decade. In 1979, it reached the New York Times list, where it remained for more than a decade, returning intermittently for years afterward. Mr. Bolles was well qualified to write a handbook on changing direction he had changed his own several times, from planning a career in the chemical industry to becoming a minister and then, at 41, experiencing being fired and enduring the anxiety of unemployment at a time when he and his wife then, the former Janet Price, had four small children. It had never entered his mind, though, that he would write a blockbuster. “I was just trying to help people be better prepared than I was when I was fired and started looking for a job,” he said in an interview for this obituary in 2014. Yet whether he knew it or not, Mr. Bolles had anticipated a sea change in the relationship between workers and employers in the United States, said Micki McGee, an associate professor of sociology at Fordham University and the author of “ Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life,” a 2005 examination of literature that includes an analysis of Mr. Bolles’s book. She said “Parachute” had come along at the beginning of a historic shift, when corporate strategies like outsourcing, subcontracting, downsizing and mergers were starting to erode traditional notions of job security. The idea that you could stay in one job for a lifetime began coming undone in the early 1970s, and “Parachute’s” perennial sales reflected, at least in part, this new reality. Mr. Bolles said he had come to acknowledge that connection over time, but, he added wryly, the success of “Parachute” had also reflected the fact that it was a pretty good book. Richard Nelson Bolles was born on March 19, 1927, in Milwaukee, the first of three children of Donald Clinton Bolles, an editor for The Associated Press, and the former Frances Fifield, a homemaker. His brother, Donald Jr. who followed his father into journalism, was killed in 1976 in Phoenix when a bomb detonated under his car. Don Bolles was then working as an investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic, and the killing was widely believed to be linked to a series of exposés he had been writing about corporate and organized crime in the state. The assassination resulted in the prosecution of one person but remained largely unsolved. After serving in the Navy at the tail end of World War II, Richard Bolles studied chemical engineering for two years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then transferred to Harvard, where he earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude with a major in physics. While still an undergraduate, he was moved by a sermon he heard one Sunday at church about a critical shortage of ministers. After graduation, instead of accepting a lucrative job offer in the chemical industry, he decided to become an Episcopal minister. He attended General Theological Seminary in New York, where he received a master’s degree in New Testament studies and was ordained in 1953. He served as a rector at several churches in northern New Jersey, including St. John’s in Passaic, where he often counseled teenagers on sex and drug use. After participating in the 1963 March on Washington led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he reached out to an church in Passaic and, with its pastor, the Rev. Avery Johnson, led the integration of their churches, despite the opposition of some parishioners. Mr. Bolles had been a clergyman for 18 years when a combination of budget problems and philosophical differences with superiors led to the elimination of his job and his dismissal in 1968 as a pastor at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the flagship church of the Episcopal Diocese of California. After six months of anxious searching, he landed a job in 1969 with United Ministries in Higher Education, an interdenominational church organization that had long been involved in recruiting and supporting college chaplains across the country. But college chaplains were increasingly being laid off, leaving Mr. Bolles a new mission: to help chaplains at campuses in seven Western states find new careers. That effort led him into research that inspired him to write the manual that evolved into “What Color Is Your Parachute?” Among his other books was “The Three Boxes of Life and How to Get Out of Them,” on balancing work and personal life. Besides his son Gary, he is survived by his wife, Marci Mendoza Bolles two other children from his first marriage, Stephen and Sharon Bolles and 10 grandchildren. A third son, Mark, died in 2012. In the 2014 interview, Mr. Bolles said he hoped his franchise would continue after he was gone. His son Gary, he said, had asked him about updating future editions of “Parachute” and finding other experts who might provide new advice. “I told him to make sure to find people who were funny, have a lightheartedness about them,” Mr. Bolles said. “When you are out of work and on the ropes, that is so important. ” | 0 |
752 | Stranahan: Steve Bannon Nailed It on the Media’s Fight Against Trump - Breitbart | Lee Stranahan | Donald Trump’s chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon delivered a powerhouse presentation along with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus at CPAC on Thursday, in which one of Bannon’s main messages was that the media’s daily war against the Trump administration will continue unabated. [As Bannon explained to the CPAC audience: [President Trump] is going to continue to press his agenda as economic conditions get better, as jobs get better, [and] they are going to continue to fight. If you think they are going to give you your country back without a fight, you are mistaken. Every day, it is going to be a fight. Bannon also clearly and bluntly stated the reason that the media onslaught will continue, saying, “The corporatist, globalist media is adamantly opposed to an economic nationalist agenda like Donald Trump has. ” Bannon’s message is solidly based in fact, and a deeper understanding of what he means by the “corporatist, globalist media” goes a long way toward explaining why the establishment media will be battling Trump tooth and nail. For one thing, the “corporatist, globalist media” is really a very small number of companies — something that Steve Bannon understands well given his background in both media and on Wall Street. As Business Insider reported five years ago, six corporations control 90% of the media in America, which puts a huge amount of power in the hands of a very few people. That number is down from 50 companies back in 1983. Who runs things? A ranking of the world’s largest media companies of 2015 says that Comcast Corporation is the largest media conglomerate in the U. S. with The Walt Disney Company, Century Fox, and Time Warner in the second, third, and fourth slots. The members of the media, the “opposition party at the back of the room,” are really just cogs in this machine — the foot soldiers who’ve been put through a rigorous program of indoctrination in journalism school. These members of the progressive left not only face corporate pressure to conform to certain narratives, but members of the modern American media have also been taught that they possess a moral superiority and are on a mission to help make the world a better place. This combination of corporate overlords and leftist propaganda is what allows the media to avoid the inherent contradictions in the system that they defend. It’s why the media can spread the message of “open societies” and a world based on “love, not hate” that is being directed by billionaire funders like George Soros and his multimillionaire allies like the Clintons. Now add in the internationalist factor at an ownership level, even with fundamentalist Muslim countries like the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As Forbes reported, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia and the company Kingdom Holding have stakes in media ventures like Twitter and even the parent of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. The Saudi Prince owns about 1% of the company, plus 6. 6% shareholding in 21st Century Fox Inc. worth about $1. 7 billion. Kingdom Holdings also has substantial shareholding in Time Warner, the parent of CNN. This is just one small example of the complex world of globalist media that the Trump administration is facing and part of the reason that more and more people are turning to new media upstarts like Breitbart News to get real information. As former executive chairman of Breitbart, it’s a world that Steve Bannon sees clearly. | 0 |
753 | Texas Elector Expects Massive Corruption Related to the Electoral College Vote | Dave Hodges |
I recently interviewed Ken Clark, a Texas elector for the Republican Party in the Electoral College. Ken detailed the intense pressure he received from the Gore people to change his vote to Gore in the Gore v. Bush election.
Mr. Clark expects the Democrats to pull out all the stops in the upcoming election and he expects to see corruption on a massive scale.
Here is the interview.
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754 | Not Guilty: The Power of Nullification to Counteract Government Tyranny | John W. Whitehead |
“The people have the power, all we have to do is awaken that power in the people. The people are unaware. They’re not educated to realize that they have power. The system is so geared that everyone believes the government will fix everything. We are the government .” —John Lennon
How do you balance the scales of justice at a time when Americans are being tasered, tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, hit with batons, shot with rubber bullets and real bullets, blasted with sound cannons, detained in cages and kennels , sicced by police dogs, arrested and jailed for challenging the government’s excesses, abuses and power-grabs?
Politics won’t fix a system that is broken beyond repair.
No matter who sits in the White House, the shadow government will continue to call the shots behind the scenes.
Relying on the courts to restore justice seems futile.
Indeed, with every ruling handed down, it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice, with government courts, largely lacking in vision and scope, rendering narrow rulings focused on the letter of the law. This is true at all levels of the judiciary, but especially so in the highest court of the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, which is seemingly more concerned with establishing order and protecting government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
Even so, justice matters.
It matters whether you’re a rancher protesting a federal land-grab by the Bureau of Land Management, a Native American protesting an oil pipeline that will endanger sacred sites and pollute water supplies, or an African-American taking to the streets to protest yet another police shooting of an unarmed citizen.
Unfortunately, protests and populist movements haven’t done much to push back against an authoritarian regime that is deaf to our cries, dumb to our troubles, blind to our needs, and accountable to no one.
It doesn’t matter who the activists are (environmentalists, peaceniks, Native Americans, Black Lives Matter, Occupy, or the Bundys and their followers) or what the source of the discontent is (endless wars abroad, police shootings, contaminated drinking water, government land-grabs), the government’s modus operandi has remained the same: shut down the protests using all means available, prosecute First Amendment activities to the fullest extent of the law, and discourage any future civil uprisings by criminalizing expressive activities, labeling dissidents as extremists or terrorists, and conducting widespread surveillance on the general populace in order to put down any whispers of resistance before it can take root.
Thus, if there is any means left to us for thwarting the government in its relentless march towards outright dictatorship, it may rest with the power of juries and local governments to invalidate governmental laws, tactics and policies that are illegitimate, egregious or blatantly unconstitutional.
Just recently, in fact, an Oregon jury rejected the government’s attempts to prosecute seven activists who staged a six-week, armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
In finding the defendants not guilty—of conspiracy to impede federal officers, of possession of firearms in a federal facility, and of stealing a government-owned truck—the jury sent its own message to the government and those following the case: justice matters.
The Malheur occupiers were found not guilty despite the fact that they had guns in a federal facility (their lawyers argued the guns were “as much a statement of their rural culture as a cowboy hat or a pair of jeans”). They were found not guilty despite the fact that they used government vehicles (although they would argue that government property is public property available to all taxpayers). They were found not guilty despite the fact that they succeeded in occupying a government facility for six weeks, thereby preventing workers from performing their duties (as the Washington Post points out, this charge has also been used to prosecute extremist left-wingers and Earth First protesters ).
Many other equally sincere activists with eloquent lawyers and ardent supporters have gone to jail for lesser offenses than those committed at the Malheur Refuge, so what made the difference here?
The jury made all the difference.
These seven Oregon protesters were found not guilty because a jury of their peers recognized the sincerity of their convictions, sympathized with the complaints against an overreaching government, and balanced the scales of justice using the only tools available to them: common sense, compassion and the power of the jury box.
Jury nullification works.
As law professor Ilya Somin explains, jury nullification is the practice by which a jury refuses to convict someone accused of a crime if they believe the “law in question is unjust or the punishment is excessive .” According to former federal prosecutor Paul Butler, the doctrine of jury nullification is “premised on the idea that ordinary citizens, not government officials, should have the final say as to whether a person should be punished.”
Imagine that: a world where the citizenry—not the government or its corporate controllers—actually calls the shots and determines what is just.
In a world of “ rampant overcriminalization ,” where the average citizen unknowingly breaks three laws a day, jury nullification acts as “ a check on runaway authoritarian criminalization and the increasing network of confusing laws that are passed with neither the approval nor oftentimes even the knowledge of the citizenry.”
Indeed, Butler believes so strongly in the power of nullification to balance the scales between the power of the prosecutor and the power of the people that he advises :
If you are ever on a jury in a marijuana case, I recommend that you vote “not guilty” — even if you think the defendant actually smoked pot, or sold it to another consenting adult. As a juror, you have this power under the Bill of Rights ; if you exercise it, you become part of a proud tradition of American jurors who helped make our laws fairer.
In other words, it’s “we the people” who can and should be determining what laws are just, what activities are criminal and who can be jailed for what crimes.
Not only should the punishment fit the crime, but the laws of the land should also reflect the concerns of the citizenry as opposed to the profit-driven priorities of Corporate America.
This is where the power of jury nullification is so critical: to reject inane laws and extreme sentences and counteract the edicts of a profit-driven governmental elite that sees nothing wrong with jailing someone for a lifetime for a relatively insignificant crime.
Of course, the powers-that-be don’t want the citizenry to know that it has any power at all.
They would prefer that we remain clueless about the government’s many illicit activities, ignorant about our constitutional rights, and powerless to bring about any real change.
In an age in which government officials accused of wrongdoing—police officers, elected officials, etc.—are treated with general leniency, while the average citizen is prosecuted to the full extent of the law, jury nullification is a powerful reminder that, as the Constitution tells us, “we the people” are the government.
For too long we’ve allowed our so-called “representatives” to call the shots. Now it’s time to restore the citizenry to their rightful place in the republic: as the masters, not the servants.
Nullification is one way of doing so.
Various cities and states have been using this historic doctrine with mixed results on issues as wide ranging as gun control and healthcare to “ claim freedom from federal laws they find onerous or wrongheaded .”
Where nullification can be particularly powerful, however, is in the hands of the juror.
The reality with which we must contend is that justice in America is reserved for those who can afford to buy their way out of jail.
For the rest of us who are dependent on the “fairness” of the system, there exists a multitude of ways in which justice can and does go wrong every day. Police misconduct. Prosecutorial misconduct. Judicial bias. Inadequate defense. Prosecutors who care more about winning a case than seeking justice. Judges who care more about what is legal than what is just. Jurors who know nothing of the law and are left to deliberate in the dark about life-and-death decisions. And an overwhelming body of laws, statutes and ordinances that render the average American a criminal, no matter how law-abiding they might think themselves.
If you’re to have any hope of remaining free—and I use that word loosely—your best bet remains in your fellow citizens.
Your fellow citizens may not know what the Constitution says (studies have shown Americans to be abysmally ignorant about their rights), they may not know what the laws are (there are so many on the books that the average American breaks three laws a day without knowing it), and they may not even believe in your innocence, but if you’re lucky, those who serve on a jury will have a conscience that speaks louder than the legalistic tones of the prosecutors and the judges and reminds them that justice and fairness go hand in hand.
That’s ultimately what jury nullification is all about: restoring a sense of fairness to our system of justice. It’s the best protection for “we the people” against the oppression and tyranny of the government, and God knows, we can use all the protection we can get. It’s a powerful way to remind the government—all of those bureaucrats who have appointed themselves judge, jury and jailer over all that we are, have and do—that we’re the ones who set the rules.
We could transform this nation if only Americans would work together to harness the power of their discontent.
Unfortunately, the government’s divide and conquer tactics are working like a charm.
Despite the laundry list of grievances that should unite “we the people” in common cause against the government, the nation is more divided than ever by politics, by socio-economics, by race, by religion, and by every other distinction that serves to highlight our differences.
The real and manufactured events of recent years—the invasive surveillance, the extremism reports, the civil unrest, the protests, the shootings, the bombings, the military exercises and active shooter drills, the color-coded alerts and threat assessments, the fusion centers, the transformation of local police into extensions of the military, the distribution of military equipment and weapons to local police forces, the government databases containing the names of dissidents and potential troublemakers—have all conjoined to create an environment in which “we the people” are more divided, more distrustful, and fearful of each other.
What we have failed to realize is that in the eyes of the government, we’re all the same.
In other words, when it’s time for the government to crack down—and that time is coming—it won’t matter whether we supported Hillary or Trump, whether we stood with the pipeline protesters or opposed BLM, or whether we spoke out against government misconduct and injustice or remained silent.
When the government cracks down, we’ll all suffer.
Here’s the thing: the government wants a civil war.
The objective: compliance and control.
Its strategy: destabilize the economy through endless wars, escalate racial tensions, polarize the populace, heighten tensions through a show of force, intensify the use of violence, and then, when all hell breaks loose, clamp down on the nation for the good of the people and the security of the nation.
The government has been anticipating and preparing for such a civil uprising for some time now.
Those protests in Ferguson , Baltimore and Baton Rouge to protest police brutality? The militarized police “ clad in Kevlar vests, helmets, and camouflage, armed with pistols, shotguns, automatic rifles, and tear gas ” turning towns into war zones? The kenneling of pipeline protesters in North Dakota?
Those were just dress rehearsals for the government to work out the kinks in its operating manual on how to deal with civil unrest.
They were also previews of what’s in store if we continue to challenge the powers-that-be.
After all, it’s hard to persuade anyone to stand against tyranny when all you can promise them as a reward is persecution, prosecution and a one-way trip to the morgue. And when the outcome seems to be a foregone conclusion—the government always wins—it can seem pointless, even foolhardy, to dare to challenge the system.
So how do you not only push back against the police state’s bureaucracy, corruption and cruelty but also launch a counterrevolution aimed at reclaiming control over the government using nonviolent means?
You start by changing the rules and engaging in some (nonviolent) guerilla tactics.
Employ militant nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience , which Martin Luther King Jr. used to great effect through the use of sit-ins, boycotts and marches.
Take part in grassroots activism, which takes a trickle-up approach to governmental reform by implementing change at the local level (in other words, think nationally, but act locally).
And then, as I explain in more detail in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People , nullify everything. Nullify the court cases. Nullify the laws. Nullify everything the government does that is illegitimate, egregious or blatantly unconstitutional. Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
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Contributed by John W. Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute .
Since 1996, John W. Whitehead has taken on everything from human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, protection of religious freedom, and child pornography, to family autonomy issues, cross burning, the sanctity of human life, and the war on terrorism in his weekly opinion column. A self-proclaimed civil libertarian, Whitehead is considered by many to be a legal, political and cultural watchdog—sounding the call for integrity, accountability and an adherence to the democratic principles on which this country was founded.
Time and again, Whitehead hits the bull’s eye with commentaries that are insightful, relevant and provocative. And all too often, he finds himself under fire for his frank and unadulterated viewpoint. But as he frequently remarks, “Anytime people find themselves under fire from both the liberal left and the conservative right, it means that that person is probably right on target.”
Mr. Whitehead’s commentaries have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times and USA Today. | 1 |
755 | More Than 1/4 Trillion In New Debt In 30 Days | IWB | More Than 1/4 Trillion In New Debt In 30 Days The Daily History of the Debt Results
Historical returns from 09/25/2016 through 10/25/2016
The data for the total public debt outstanding is published each business day. If there is no debt value for the date(s) you requested, the value for the preceding business day will be displayed. | 1 |
756 | Tory Councillor Say Homeless People Should Be ‘Eliminated’ | Carol Adl | Carol Adl in News , UK // 0 Comments
A Tory councillor believes that homeless people in Bradford city centre should be ‘grabbed by scruff of the neck’ and ‘dealt with’.
The comments by David Heseltine, a Conservative Party Councillor in Bradford caused outrage during a meeting of the Council’s regeneration overview and scrutiny committee. He said :
“The tramps and drunks sleeping in doorways. What we need to do is get them by the scruff of the neck and deal with them. People have said they’d go into Bradford if they were eliminated.”
He claimed that while plans to redevelop the city centre were all well and good, the investment had been ruined by the homeless.
So what exactly does Mr Heseltine envisage when he suggests grabbing the homeless “by the scruff of the neck” and eliminating them?
EvolvePolitics reports:
Why Councillor Heseltine believes that perpetrating an assault on the homeless would rectify the problem is a mystery. He would be better advised to encourage his colleagues to work towards providing people with homes, opportunities for employment, improving mental health services and providing interventions for alcohol and drug addiction.
The ‘Nasty Party’ Councillor said that he had spoken to people who claimed that they would not visit Bradford city centre due to the number of drinkers and beggars.
Heseltine is correct in his assertion that Bradford council – like many other councils – places the town centre aesthetic above the needs of those that live in and around them. However, his suggestions for dealing with the problem of homelessness are utterly reprehensible. These are people, not dogs or vermin to be disposed of to make your town look just a little better.
Most people are never more than three paychecks away from being homeless. Our elected representatives would be well advised to remember that. | 1 |
757 | Review: In ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ a Tough Love Analysis of the Poor Who Back Trump - The New York Times | Jennifer Senior | In late July, The American Conservative ran an interview with J. D. Vance that drew so much traffic it briefly crippled the central nervous system of the magazine’s website. The interviewer’s last line implored readers to have a look at Mr. Vance’s publishing debut, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. ” Ever since, his book has hovered at high altitude on Amazon, seldom dipping below No. 10. After reading “Hillbilly Elegy,” you can easily understand why. This is a historically peculiar election cycle, boisterously disrupted by outsiders, one of whom found the perfect host body in the Republican Party and became its presidential nominee. An investigation of voter estrangement has never felt more urgent, and we’re certainly not getting one from the lacquered chatterers on the boob tube. Now, along comes Mr. Vance, offering a compassionate, discerning sociological analysis of the white underclass that has helped drive the politics of rebellion, particularly the ascent of Donald J. Trump. Combining thoughtful inquiry with firsthand experience, Mr. Vance has inadvertently provided a civilized reference guide for an uncivilized election, and he’s done so in a vocabulary intelligible to both Democrats and Republicans. Imagine that. On the checklist of modern privilege, Mr. Vance, 31, has the top four in the bag: He is white, male, straight and Protestant. But his profile is misleading. His people — hillbillies, rednecks, white trash, choose your epithet (or term of affection, depending on your point of view) — didn’t step off the Mayflower and become part of America’s ascendant class. “Poverty is the family tradition,” he writes. His ancestors and kin were sharecroppers, coal miners, machinists, millworkers — all occupations that over the years have vanished or offered diminished security. Mr. Vance was raised in Middletown, Ohio, a steel town filled with Kentucky transplants, which at one point included his Mamaw and Papaw — in newscaster English, that’s grandma and grandpa — who moved there shortly after World War II. Though the couple eventually managed to achieve the material comforts of a life (house, car) they brought their Appalachian values and habits with them. Some were wonderfully positive, like loyalty and love of country. But others, like a tendency toward violence and verbal abuse, were inimical to family life. Papaw was forever coming home drunk. Mamaw, “a violent nondrunk,” was forever tormenting him, whether by serving him artfully arranged plates of garbage for dinner or dousing him with gasoline. All this guerrilla warfare affected their children. Mr. Vance’s mother was an empress of instability — violent, feckless, prone to hysteria. A long stint in rehab couldn’t shake her addiction to prescription narcotics (she’d later move on to heroin). She spun through more boyfriends than this reader could count and at least five husbands. The only reason Mr. Vance made it out in one piece is because his grandparents eventually reconciled, becoming his unofficial guardians. (He also spent a terrifically affirming four years in the Marines.) Mamaw was especially encouraging. She was tough as snakeskin, as a mobster and filled with love. In a town where many children don’t finish high school, she raised a grandson who managed to graduate from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, defying skyscraping odds. “Hillbilly Elegy,” in my mind, divides into two components: the family stories Mr. Vance tells — most of which are no doubt better experienced on the page than they were in real life — and the questions he raises. Chief among them: How much should he hold his hillbilly kin responsible for their own misfortunes? In Mr. Vance’s estimation, the answer is: a lot. Economic insecurity, he’s convinced, accounts for only a small part of his community’s problems the much larger issue is hillbilly culture itself. Though proud of it in many ways, he’s also convinced that it “increasingly encourages social decay instead of counteracting it. ” His frustration with the nonworking white poor is especially acute. He recalls being a cashier at a Middletown grocery store and watching resentfully as his neighbors, who had creatively gamed the welfare system, jabbered on their cellphones as they were going through the checkout line. He could not afford a cellphone. “Political scientists have spent millions of words trying to explain how Appalachia and the South went from staunchly Democratic to staunchly Republican in less than a generation,” Mr. Vance writes. He suspects those cellphones have a lot to do with it. “I could never understand why our lives felt like a struggle while those living off of government largess enjoyed trinkets that I only dreamed about. ” Time and again, Mr. Vance preaches a message of tough love and personal responsibility. He has no patience with an old acquaintance who told him he quit his job because he hated waking up early, only to take to Facebook to blame the “Obama economy. ” Or with a former at a tile warehouse who missed work once a week though his girlfriend was pregnant. Squint, and you’ll note the incendiary nature of Mr. Vance’s argument. It’s always treacherous business to blame a group for its own misfortunes. Certainly, an outsider cannot say what Mr. Vance is saying to his kin and kind. But he can — just as President Obama can say to fellow “brothers should pull up their pants,” as he did on MTV. The difference is that President Obama believes poverty, though it may have a cultural component, is largely a structural problem, one the government can play a large role in fixing. Mr. Vance, a conservative, takes a far dimmer view. Whether you agree with Mr. Vance or not, you must admire him for his confrontation with a taboo subject. And he frames his critique generously, stipulating that it isn’t laziness that’s destroying hillbilly culture but what the psychologist Martin Seligman calls “learned helplessness” — the fatalistic belief, born of too much adversity, that nothing can be done to change your lot. What he’s really writing about is despair. Never is Mr. Vance more aware of this pessimism and estrangement than when he leaves for Ohio State University. He’s plumped with hope his neighbors, left behind, feel its opposite. “There was something almost spiritual,” he writes, “about the cynicism of the community at large. ” His friends and relations are convinced that the media lies. That politicians lie. That the military, an institution they revere, is fighting two fruitless wars. Universities feel “rigged” and inaccessible job prospects are slim. For what purpose do you live under such circumstances? When the stanchions of your life have sunk into the muck? Mr. Vance doesn’t have all the answers. But he’s advancing the conversation. | 0 |
758 | Criminal-in-chief? | VNN | By VNN on November 4, 2016 Is winning the election now the least of her problems?
The polls are tightening as well as the growing investigation around the Clintons and their foundation.
Days before the presidential election voters are faced with an unprecedented dilemma – will they vote for a candidate facing criminal prosecution?
CrossTalking with Michael Flanagan, Debbie Hines, and H.A. Goodman.
Hillary’s Reckoning
Hillary Clinton and her never-ending scandals.
The FBI’s decision to continue its investigation into her use of a private email server presents the troubling prospect of a protracted political crisis. Is winning the election now the least of her problems?
CrossTalking with Mark Crispin Miller, Don DeBar, and Bruce Fein. Related Posts: | 1 |
759 | All Governments Lie, The Movie | David Swanson | October Boomerang ‹ › David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is a 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.com and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org . He hosts Talk Nation Radio . Talk Nation Radio is on VT Radio and is syndicated by Pacifica Network. The show also airs on WTJU, Charlottesville, VA; WCSX-Detroit, MI; KGHI, Westport, WA; WHUS, Storrs, CT; WPRR, Grand Rapids, MI; KRFP-LP, Moscow, ID; KZGM, Cabool, MO; KMUD, Garberville, CA; WAZU, Peoria, IL; WXRD, Crown Point, IN; Geneva Radio, Geneva, NY; KKRN, Round Mountain, CA; KSKQ-LP, Ashland, OR; WUOW-LP, Oneonta, NY; No Lies Radio, Pinole, CA; WYAP-LP, Clay, WV; The Detour, Johnson City, TN; WZRD, Chicago, IL; WEFT, Champaign, IL; WXPI, Pittsburgh, PA; WDRT, Viroqua, WI; Veracity Now, online; Liberty and Justice Radio, Shirley, MA; Ithaca Community Radio, Ithaca, NY; WMCB, Greenfield, MA; PRX.org; KAOS 89.3fm, Olympia, WA; WUSB 90.1 FM, Stony Brook, NY; WOOL-FM, Bellow Falls, Vermont; WSLR-LP 96.5 in Sarasota, Florida. He also blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org And is a prolific author. His latest books are; War Is A Lie , Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union , and When the World Outlawed War Swanson holds a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including press secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, media coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as communications coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Read his full and complete biography at DavidSwanson.org and also visit book site at War Is Crime . All Governments Lie, The Movie By David Swanson on October 31, 2016 A Film About Liars and the Journalists That Expose Them
By David Swanson
Picture, if you will, video footage of vintage (early 2016) Donald Trump buffoonery with the CEO of CBS Leslie Moonves commenting on major media’s choice to give Trump vastly more air time than other candidates: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.”
That’s the introduction to a powerful critique of the U.S. media. A new film screens in New York and Los Angeles this week called All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone .
The website AllGovernmentsLie.com has screening dates , a list of lies , and a list of good journalists who expose lies . The lists on the website are not identical to the content of the film, but there’s a good deal of overlap — enough to give you a sense of what this project is about.
I’d have made various changes and additions to the film. In particular, I’m tired of all the focus on Iraq 2003. This film touches on war lies since then, but still gives that one particular set of war lies prominence.
Still, this is a film that should be shown in cities, homes, and classrooms across the United States. It includes and is driven by Noam Chomsky’s analysis of how the media system is “rigged” without those doing the rigging believing they’ve done anything at all. It’s a survey of skullduggery by corporate media. It’s an introduction to numerous journalists far superior to the norm. And it’s an introduction to I.F. Stone. It includes footage of a presentation of the annual Izzy Award which goes to journalists acting in Stone’s tradition.
One of the lies listed in the film and on the website is that of the Gulf of Tonkin (non-)Incident. Anyone paying attention knows of it now as a war lie. And it was a transparent war lie at the time in a particular sense. That is: had the North Vietnamese really shot back at a U.S. ship off their coast, that would not have been any sort of legal, much less moral, justification for escalating a war. I’d love it if people could grasp that logic and apply it to the Black Sea, the Red Sea, and every other part of the earth today.
But the Gulf of Tonkin lies about Vietnamese aggression against the U.S. ships innocently patrolling and firing off the coast of Vietnam were not transparent to people with faith in the U.S. role of Global Policeman. Someone had to make the lies transparent. Someone had to document that in fact the Secretary of So-Called Defense and the President were lying. Sadly, nobody did that in the first 24 hours after the Congressional committee hearings, and that was all it took for Congress to hand the president a war.
And it was decades before White House transcripts came out and before the National Security Agency confessed, and additional years before former Secretary Robert McNamara did. Yet, those revelations simply confirmed what people paying attention knew. And they knew it because of I.F. Stone who just weeks after the (non-)incident published a four-page edition of his weekly newsletter exclusively about Tonkin.
Stone’s analysis is useful in looking at the incident or lack thereof this past month in the Red Sea off Yemen. And in fact it is to Yemen that Stone immediately turned on page 1 in 1964. The United Nations, including its U.S. ambassador, had recently condemned British attacks on Yemen that Britain defended as retaliatory. President Dwight Eisenhower had also warned the French against retaliatory attacks on Tunisia. And President Lyndon Johnson, even at the time of Tonkin, Stone notes, was warning Greece and Turkey not to engage in retaliatory attacks on each other.
Stone, who tended to look even at written laws that nobody else paid any heed to, pointed out that three of them banned these sorts of attacks: the League of Nations Covenant, the Kellogg-Briand Pact, and the U.N. Charter. The latter two are still theoretically in place for the U.S. government.
The United States in Vietnam, Stone goes on to show, could not have been innocently attacked but itself admitted to having already sunk a number of Vietnamese boats. And indeed the U.S. ships, Stone reports, were in North Vietnamese waters and were there to assist South Vietnamese ships that were shelling two North Vietnamese islands. And in fact those ships had been supplied to South Vietnam by the U.S. military and the good old American tax payers.
Stone did not have access to closed committee hearings, but he hardly needed it. He considered the assertions made in speeches by the only two senators who voted against the war. And then he looked for any rejoinders by the chairmen of the committees. He found their denials to be non-denials and nonsensical. It made no sense that the U.S. ships simply happened to be randomly hanging around in the vicinity of the South Vietnamese ships. Stone didn’t believe it.
Stone also filled in the background information. The United States had been supporting guerrilla attacks on North Vietnam for years prior to the non-incident. And Stone raised numerous suspicions, including the question of why the U.S. ships had supposedly made sure they were out in international waters for the (non-)incident to (not) occur, and the question of why in the world Vietnam would take on the United States military (something nobody could explain, though Eugene McCarthy proposed that perhaps they had been bored).
Missing from the film and website of All Governments Lie is I.F. Stone’s work on lies about the outbreak of the Korean War. We’ve learned more since he wrote it, but seen little more insightful, relevant, or timely for our understanding of Korea and the world today.
David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org . Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie . He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org . He hosts Talk Nation Radio .He is a 2015 and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee.
Follow him on Twitter: @davidcnswanson and FaceBook .
Help support DavidSwanson.org, WarIsACrime.org, and TalkNationRadio.org by clicking here: http://davidswanson.org/donate . | 1 |
760 | Trump and Brexit Defeat Globalism, for Now Anyway | Daily Bell Staff | Trump and Brexit Defeat Globalism, for Now Anyway 14, 2016
Trumpism as a stress test for democracy …. A series of populist anti-globalism shocks is a test for Western democracies. Trump’s stunning ascent to the White House is the clearest signal yet of an anti-establishment revolt unfolding in major democracies, stretching across the Atlantic. – Swiss Info Tech
Was Trump’s victory actually created by the very globalist elites that Trump is supposed to have overcome?
There are some who believe the elites are actually splintered into numerous groups and that domestic US elites have positioned themselves against the banking elites in London’s City. We see no fundamental evidence of this.
The world’s real elites in our view may have substantive histories in the hundreds and thousands of years. US elites are basically in the employ of a handful of families, individuals and institutions in our view.
It is confusing because it is hard to tell if Hillary, for instance, is operating on her own accord or at the behest of higher and more powerful authorities.
It is probably a combination of both but at root those who control central banks are managing the world’s move towards globalism. History easily shows us who these groups are – and they are not located in America.
This is a cynical perspective to be sure, and certainly doesn’t remove the impact of Trump’s victory or his courage in waging his election campaign despite what must surely be death threats to himself and his family..
But if true, this perspective corresponds to predictions that we’ve been making for nearly a decade now, suggesting that sooner or later elites – especially those in London’s City – would have to “take a step back.”
More:
The vote to propel Trump to the US presidency reflects a profound backlash against open markets and borders, and the simmering anger of millions of blue-collar white and working-class people who blame their economic woes on globalisation and multiculturalism.
“There are a few parallels to Switzerland – that the losers of globalisation find somebody who is listening to them,” said Swiss professor and lawyer Wolf Linder, a former director of the University of Bern’s political science institute.
“Trump is doing his business with the losers of globalisation in the US, like the Swiss People’s Party is doing in Switzerland,” he said. “It is a phenomenon which touches all European nations.”
Again, this article presumes that Trump has “won” and that he intends to attack the larger globalist enterprise and the bankers funding it. On the other hand, it could be that both Trump and Brexit have been engineered to look as if the tide is turning against globalism when it is not.
Why would those in charge want to portray this point of view when it may not be so? Because of what we call the “Internet Reformation” that has blasted open the secretive manipulations of the globalist elite in the past decade or so.
It is almost impossible for globalists to promote internationalist memes in this environment. Yet it is the secretive injection of internationalist memes into the body politic that moves society toward the globalist enterprise.
As we have suggested before, it is perfectly possible that a decision has been made to pretend to grant the larger society a “victory” over internationalism.
Following this analysis, certain trends would be identified and encouraged that would seem to portray globalism as falling back on its metaphorical heels.
In truth, if this analysis is correct, globalism’s retreat is a kind of pretense that will steer society less obviously in a globalist direction.
One way this could happen is by ensuring the splintering of Europe – but not in a way that actually reduces control from Brussels. It will APPEAR to be so but won’t actually happen. The same thing could take place in the USA under Trump.
Again, this is not to say that Trump is party to this plot or even approves of it. But the idea that Trump is part of a co-option is certainly a feasible alternative to an alternative analysis that takes what is happening at face value.
Nonetheless, even if an alternative elite strategy has been decided on to realize globalism in another fashion, it ought to be pointed out that things have changed. And the Internet and its revelations are surely responsible.
This is a very big deal and it is one that ought to be emphasized repeatedly. Brexit and Trump could be, somehow, the result of a different elite approach – but the approach HAS changed nonetheless.
Think of it this way: Hillary represented the blunt approach toward the realization of further globalism. Her way included an aggressively expanded war and the pursuit of other globalist trends.
Trump, rhetorically anyway, has a different approach in mind that would gut many internationalist trends.
If Trump follows through on his rhetoric, the trend toward an internationalist world will be reduced. And while there is controversy over Trump’s recent staff appointments we should also bear in mind that the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) both seem to be failing now.
If indeed Trump’s election has damped the progress of TPP, and TTIP, this is a huge event. As we’ve pointed out, both agreements effectively substituted technocratic corporatism for the current sociopolitical model of “democracy.”
The elites were trying to move toward a new model of world control with these two agreements. This is similar to what happened after the advent of the Gutenberg Press when the elites of the day moved away from royal control and apparently swapped in democracy.
It seems evident that internationalism is now going to take a longer time to realize than we thought. However, this observation may not be entirely accurate if Trump turns out to be something other than his rhetoric suggests – or if Brexit is denied in Europe.
Additionally, one of the elite’s most powerful, operative memes today is “populism vs. globalism” that seeks to contrast the potentially freedom-oriented events of Trump and Brexit to the discarded wisdom of globalism. See here and here.
The reality of these two events, the victories of both Trump and Brexit, stand as signal proof that elite stratagems have been defeated, at least temporarily. Though whether these defeats have been self-inflicted as part of a change in tactics remains to be seen.
Conclusion: But the change has come. One way or another the Internet and tens of millions or people talking, writing and acting has forced new trends. This can be hardly be emphasized enough. Globalism has been at least temporarily redirected | 1 |
761 | Facing Congress, Some Sports Officials (Not All) Begin to Confront Sexual Abuse - The New York Times | Juliet Macur | WASHINGTON — It must have been uncomfortable for Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic sports for the United States Olympic Committee, to sit between two gymnasts during the congressional hearing about sexual abuse on Tuesday. To his right, Jamie Dantzscher started crying during her testimony. She described how she was molested by the former U. S. A. Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar when she was a teenager. Dantzscher, 34 and a former Olympian, said Nassar abused her “all over the world. ” “In my own room, in my own bed, in my hotel room in Sydney at the Olympic Games,” she said, through tears. “I thought I was the only one. ” To Adams’s left, Jessica Howard, a former national champion in rhythmic gymnastics, testified that Nassar began assaulting her when she was 15, during what he called therapy for a hip injury. “He began to massage my legs, and then quickly moved inwards on my thighs,” she said. “He then massaged his way into me. ” Give these women credit for telling their stories. They’re a main reason Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, decided to introduce a bill that would make it mandatory for national governing bodies of Olympic sports to report sexual assault to the police. It would be a federal crime not to report abuse. Give Adams credit, too. In the past, the Olympic committee had failed to prioritize the issue of sexual assault and appeared to turn a blind eye to the issue by handing it off to the governing bodies of each Olympic sport. But on Tuesday, finally, Adams said something that was a long time coming. He said sorry. “The Olympic community failed the people it was supposed to protect,” said Adams, the head of organizational development for the national governing sports bodies, which exist under the umbrella of the United States Olympic Committee. “We do take responsibility, and we apologize to any young athlete who has ever faced abuse. ” Nassar was fired by U. S. A. Gymnastics in 2015 and is currently in jail in Michigan, where he is facing multiple sexual assault charges and federal child pornography charges. He has denied any wrongdoing. You would think U. S. A. Gymnastics would also go out of its way to apologize for its role in a scandal that has shaken Olympic sports and caused the ouster of its president, Steve Penny. More than 80 athletes have accused Nassar of abusing them. But the gymnastics organization did not even have a representative in that Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room. Feinstein had asked U. S. A. Gymnastics to testify, and said its board chairman, Paul Parilla, was thinking about it but backed out. Instead, Parilla provided a statement. It said that the board of directors offered “our sincere and heartfelt regrets and sympathies” to any athlete harmed and that U. S. A. Gymnastics was “appalled that anyone would exploit a young athlete or child in the manner alleged. ” No apologies. Court documents released this month showed U. S. A. Gymnastics had complaint files on 54 coaches regarding sex abuse claims from 1996 to 2006. No apologies, even for its lack of a backbone and for sending only a lobbyist to the hearing. That lobbyist first identified himself as working for U. S. A. Gymnastics — which I figured, considering he was holding a file folder that said, “USAG 50 copies” on it. A few minutes later, he said, no, he was actually there for U. S. A. Hockey. The federation has had no shame, either. When the sex abuse bill was introduced, Penny and others from U. S. A. Gymnastics met with Feinstein about the federation’s sexual assault policies. How about this for a stunt: Tagging along was Mary Lou Retton, the smiling, bubbly sweetheart from the 1984 Games, as they said that the federation’s policies were solid and that gymnastics was a happy, safe place. On Tuesday, Feinstein and her fellow senators weren’t thrilled that the gymnastics federation had ditched them this time. “If they really cared, they would be here,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said as he looked at Dantzscher and Howard, the abused gymnasts who testified. “They have to answer for what happened to you. ” At a news conference later, Blumenthal called for an investigation into “who knew what and when. ” Feinstein said she would like to see the gymnastics board of directors change and for its replacement to be people who make the sexual assault issue a priority. The U. S. O. C. should hasten that change. It can do so by decertifying U. S. A. Gymnastics, which would basically kick the federation out as the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States. To let U. S. A. Gymnastics back into the family, the Olympic committee could demand that the federation clean house and start new with fresh faces. The committee has used this power with other federations, and it used its influence to push out Penny when the Nassar case exploded into one of the biggest abuse scandals in sports history. It might as well go a step further, if only to show athletes and other federations that it won’t tolerate sexual abuse on its watch. When asked if U. S. A. Gymnastics knew about the abuse of gymnasts at the hands of Nassar, Feinstein said: “Do I believe they knew about it? Absolutely, yes, I do. ” But they didn’t report it, she said, and that’s the culture of the sport. If Feinstein’s bill passes, it would help change that culture. The new U. S. Center for SafeSport — a nonprofit formed to prevent and handle abuse in Olympic sports — should help, too, if it ever gets going the way it should. Last week, after many delays, including a struggle by the Olympic committee to find funding, the center finally opened for business. There should be a hotline for athletes and others to anonymously report abuse in Olympic sports. Good luck finding it on the center’s website. Feinstein said the Olympic committee should easily find money to fund the site and keep it running, whether it’s through raising money from the private sector or using its own cash. “The Olympic committee has money, so they can use it the way they want to use it,” she said. Mattie Larson was sitting in the public seats at the hearing on Tuesday. She is 24 now, but I first met Larson, a senior at U. C. L. A. when she was 15, sometime before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was quiet, and a rising star. She said she was being molested by Nassar around that time. So many years later, in 2016, when The Indianapolis Star published an article about a gymnast who accused Nassar of abusing her, Larson’s former teammate on the national team called her and said, “Read the story and tell me what you think. ” The two said they realized that Nassar had abused them. It had never occurred to them that his “intravaginal treatment” was sexual assault. After all, he was the head doctor for U. S. A. Gymnastics. If the federation trusted him, they should, too. Now Larson replays the abuse in her head, again and again. What could she have done to stop it? What should U. S. A. Gymnastics have done to stop it? “I’m mad at myself for not knowing,” she said of the abuse. “On so many levels, it was complete betrayal. “You’d think in a sport with young girls, with young girls wearing leotards, prancing around with their legs flying all over the place, that U. S. A. Gymnastics would educate gymnasts and coaches and parents about sexual abuse. But they didn’t. And they knew they should have. ” Larson said it could have saved her and others, countless others, if the U. S. Center for SafeSport had existed when she was competing. “There are so many more victims who haven’t come forward yet,” she said. “I know them. They’re national team members, Olympians. ” At the very least, U. S. A. Gymnastics or the United States Olympic Committee could have mandated sexual abuse awareness training for athletes and their parents. The committee didn’t require its national governing bodies to run abuse education programs, or even conduct criminal background checks, until 2014. When Adams was asked why so many years had passed with no independent entity like the SafeSport center, his answer was vague. “It took too long to happen,” he said. | 0 |
762 | Airbnb Ends Fight With New York City Over Fines - The New York Times | Katie Benner | Airbnb has capitulated to the demands of lawmakers over its operations in New York City, the company’s largest market in the United States, agreeing to drop a lawsuit in which it was pushing back against a newly passed state law that it said could have hurt its business. The home rental service on Friday settled the lawsuit that it filed against New York City two months ago. The suit challenged a New York law that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed in October. That law called for fines of as much as $7, 500 for illegally listing a property on a rental platform such as Airbnb. The company had said the large fines could have deterred hosts and impaired its revenue in New York City. Hosts in the city generated about $1 billion in revenue last year, and the company took a cut of that in fees. But Airbnb on Friday agreed that it would drop the suit as long as New York City enforces the new law only against hosts and does not fine Airbnb. The settlement takes effect on Monday. The agreement is a victory for opponents of Airbnb. The company and New York authorities have battled for years over the legality of offering lodging through the service, and the relationship has long been inconsistent. Since 2010, it has been illegal in New York to rent out a whole apartment on Airbnb for fewer than 30 days. In October, Airbnb said it was willing to crack down on people in New York City who rent out multiple homes, bowing to pressure from politicians and tenants’ rights groups who said the company had made it harder to find affordable housing in the city. “This is an astounding on the part of Airbnb, which clearly recognized that this was a foolhardy and frivolous lawsuit,” Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, who wrote the law that Airbnb opposed, said of the settlement on Friday. In a statement, Airbnb said the settlement was “a material step forward for our hosts. ” Airbnb has been fighting with local governments around the globe that are displeased with the effects of the online rental service. Cities such as Amsterdam, Miami Beach and New Orleans have been closely watching the New York case. “I expect the city will now get down to the important business of enforcing the law against the serial lawbreakers on the site” who turn affordable housing into illegal hotels, Ms. Rosenthal said in her statement. “This is a win for everyone. ” | 0 |
763 | Big Pharma’s Martin Shkreli Suspended From Twitter - Breitbart | Mike Ma | The man behind last year’s Daraprim controversy and numerous others, Martin Shkreli, has been suspended by Twitter. [The latest report about his Twitter activity comes from New York Mag, when they accuse Shkreli of harassing a female writer. The female writer in question is Lauren Duca, who recently appeared on Tucker Carlson’s FOX News segment to debate whether or not Ivanka Trump being verbally attacked on a plane was justified. This piece apparently caught Martin’s eye, and so follows their exchange. I would rather eat my own organs pic. twitter. — Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) January 5, 2017, NYMag has this to say: “He apparently direct messaged her a few days ago to ask her to be his plus one to the inauguration, despite the fact that she’s married and he’s, well, Martin Shkreli. “I would rather eat my own organs,” she replied publicly. “I will miss Twitter but my love for Lauren will never die. ” This story will be updated as more reports on the matter come in. | 0 |
764 | Next Big Tech Corridor? Between Seattle and Vancouver, Planners Hope - The New York Times | Nick Wingfield | VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Seattle and Vancouver are like fraternal twins separated at birth. Both are bustling Pacific Northwest coastal cities with populations that have accepted the bargain of dispiriting weather for much of the year in exchange for nearby ski slopes and kayaking and glorious summers. Yet 140 miles of roads and an international border divide the two cities, keeping them farther apart than their geographic and cultural identities would suggest. Now the political, academic and tech elite of both cities are looking for ways to bring them closer together, with the aim of continuing the growth of two of the most vibrant economies in North America. “Vancouver has a lot more in common with Seattle than we do with Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, anywhere else in our country,” Christy Clark, the premier of British Columbia, said in an interview. “We should make the most of those cultural commonalities. ” Whether their grand vision of a “Cascadia innovation corridor” — which borrows its name from the region’s Cascade mountain range — ever materializes, leaders on both sides of the border have motives for getting cozier immediately. American tech icons like Microsoft, with voracious needs for global engineering talent, are expanding their Vancouver offices, partly because of Canada’s smoother immigration process. For its part, Vancouver wants to bring more American technology companies to the city in hopes of spinning out future entrepreneurs who will expand its comparatively small base of technology companies. One serious obstacle to Vancouver’s tech ambitions is its housing costs. The median price for a detached home in the metropolitan area in August was 1. 4 million Canadian dollars (about $1. 06 million) a 27. 8 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. In the San Francisco metropolitan area, the median single family home price was about $848, 000, according to Zillow. But while median pay for jobs is $112, 000 a year in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is just under $49, 000 in Vancouver, according to an analysis by PayScale, a compensation data firm. (Some of that discrepancy is due to a drop in the value of Canada’s currency relative to the United States dollar.) “We have San Francisco real estate prices with the incomes of somewhere between Reno and Nashville,” said Andy Yan, acting director of the city program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. On the thrumming streets of downtown Vancouver, signs of the Seattle region’s growing economic ties to the city are hard to miss. A rectangular glass and steel office building with a large Microsoft sign occupies nearly an entire city block, sitting atop a large Nordstrom store (another Seattle brand). Microsoft says it invested $120 million in its new offices in Vancouver, which opened in June, and expects to spend $90 million more annually on wages and other operating costs. It plans to employ nearly 750 people in the city. Microsoft is hiring Canadians for the facility, but the country’s more open immigration policies were an important factor in its investment, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, said in an interview. Microsoft and other tech companies have long complained that the United States education system does not produce enough computer science graduates, forcing them to rely on immigrants from India, China and elsewhere. Foreign workers in the United States can wait about three times as long for a work visa as those in Canada do, the Boston Consulting Group estimates. And the prospect of Donald J. Trump winning the presidency has raised concerns among tech companies, because of the Republican candidate’s comments about further restricting immigration to the United States. “Right now, there’s just a lot of uncertainty about open immigration,” Mr. Smith said. Last month, officials and executives from both cities huddled in a Vancouver hotel to discuss how to enable people, ideas and capital to flow more freely between them, as heedless of the international border separating the cities as a pod of orcas swimming in the sea. At the Cascadia conference, Ms. Clark and Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, signed an agreement to deepen the ties between Vancouver and Seattle, including more research collaboration between the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington. Bill Gates, of Microsoft, and Satya Nadella, its current chief executive, talked about globalization and education. One proposal to deal with traffic between Vancouver and Seattle was for a rail line that would whisk travelers at more than 200 miles an hour between the cities in 57 minutes (it can take four hours or more by car). The details on financing the project — which could cost an estimated $30 billion or more — have not been worked out. A group of Seattle techies proposed a cheaper alternative: a dedicated lane for autonomous vehicles on Interstate 5, the highway connecting Seattle to the Canadian border. The plan — which relies on autonomous vehicles that still need a lot of work — would not shave much time off the commute between the cities, but could make the ride less tedious by letting travelers work or watch a movie, said Tom Alberg, a managing director at Madrona Venture Group, a Seattle venture capital firm, and an author of the proposal. With roots in timber and shipping, Vancouver’s economy has diversified in recent decades with the growth of film and video game production. The city claims a tech “unicorn” — a valued at over $1 billion — in Hootsuite, which makes social media tools. But Vancouver remains a relative small fry in tech, with about $1. 78 billion in venture capital flowing into local tech in the last decade, compared with about $8. 9 billion in Seattle, the research firm Pitchbook estimates. Still, the city’s tech boom may hit a wall if it cannot address its issues, which are by some standards more acute than those plaguing other thriving cities. Vancouver was ranked the third most unaffordable city in the world, after Hong Kong and Sydney, in a study published this year by Demographia, a consulting firm. Mr. Yan has spent years analyzing his hometown’s soaring real estate values and concluded that a surge in foreign capital, primarily from mainland China, has decoupled Vancouver home prices from the local economy. British Columbia recently imposed a 15 percent tax on new home purchases in the Vancouver area by foreign buyers, a move now facing legal challenges. The housing market is showing signs of cooling off, though it is not yet clear how much of that is because of the tax. The total number of homes sold in the area in August dropped 26 percent from a year earlier and price growth has slowed, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Dennis Pilarinos, chief executive of Buddybuild, a Vancouver maker of developer tools for mobile apps, says affordability has been less of a problem for young tech workers, who may be willing to rent smaller apartments and live with roommates. But when get bigger, many struggle to recruit senior executives with families, said Mr. Pilarinos, who previously worked for Microsoft and Amazon in Vancouver. “Companies tend to run into scaling issues,” he said. “You end up with fewer Microsofts or Amazons. ” | 0 |
765 | Evidence That Robots Are Winning the Race for American Jobs - The New York Times | Claire Cain Miller | Who is winning the race for jobs between robots and humans? Last year, two leading economists described a future in which humans come out ahead. But now they’ve declared a different winner: the robots. The industry most affected by automation is manufacturing. For every robot per thousand workers, up to six workers lost their jobs and wages fell by as much as of a percent, according to a new paper by the economists, Daron Acemoglu of M. I. T. and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University. It appears to be the first study to quantify large, direct, negative effects of robots. The paper is all the more significant because the researchers, whose work is highly regarded in their field, had been more sanguine about the effect of technology on jobs. In a paper last year, they said it was likely that increased automation would create new, better jobs, so employment and wages would eventually return to their previous levels. Just as cranes replaced dockworkers but created related jobs for engineers and financiers, the theory goes, new technology has created new jobs for software developers and data analysts. But that paper was a conceptual exercise. The new one uses data — and suggests a more pessimistic future. The researchers said they were surprised to see very little employment increase in other occupations to offset the job losses in manufacturing. That increase could still happen, they said, but for now there are large numbers of people out of work, with no clear path forward — especially men without college degrees. “The conclusion is that even if overall employment and wages recover, there will be losers in the process, and it’s going to take a very long time for these communities to recover,” Mr. Acemoglu said. “If you’ve worked in Detroit for 10 years, you don’t have the skills to go into health care,” he said. “The market economy is not going to create the jobs by itself for these workers who are bearing the brunt of the change. ” The paper’s evidence of job displacement from technology contrasts with a comment from the Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, who said at an Axios event last week that artificial intelligence’s displacement of human jobs was “not even on our radar screen,” and “50 to 100 more years” away. (Not all robots use artificial intelligence, but a panel of experts — polled by the M. I. T. Initiative on the Digital Economy in reaction to Mr. Mnuchin’s comments — expressed the same broad concern of major job displacement.) The paper also helps explain a mystery that has been puzzling economists: why, if machines are replacing human workers, productivity hasn’t been increasing. In manufacturing, productivity has been increasing more than elsewhere — and now we see evidence of it in the employment data, too. The study analyzed the effect of industrial robots in local labor markets in the United States. Robots are to blame for up to 670, 000 lost manufacturing jobs between 1990 and 2007, it concluded, and that number will rise because industrial robots are expected to quadruple. The paper adds to the evidence that automation, more than other factors like trade and offshoring that President Trump campaigned on, has been the bigger threat to jobs. The researchers said the findings — “large and robust negative effects of robots on employment and wages” — remained strong even after controlling for imports, offshoring, software that displaces jobs, worker demographics and the type of industry. Robots affected both men’s and women’s jobs, the researchers found, but the effect on male employment was up to twice as big. The data doesn’t explain why, but Mr. Acemoglu had a guess: Women are more willing than men to take a pay cut to work in a field. The economists looked at the effect of robots on local economies and also more broadly. In an isolated area, each robot per thousand workers decreased employment by 6. 2 workers and wages by 0. 7 percent. But nationally, the effects were smaller, because jobs were created in other places. Take Detroit, home to automakers, the biggest users of industrial robots. Employment was greatly affected. If automakers can charge less for cars because they employ fewer people, employment might increase elsewhere in the country, like at steel makers or taxi operators. Meanwhile, the people in Detroit will probably spend less at stores. Including these factors, each robot per thousand workers decreased employment by three workers and wages by 0. 25 percent. The findings fuel the debate about whether technology will help people do their jobs more efficiently and create new ones, as it has in the past, or eventually displace humans. David Autor, a collaborator of Mr. Acemoglu’s at M. I. T. has argued that machines will complement instead of replace humans, and cannot replicate human traits like common sense and empathy. “I don’t think that this paper is the last word on its subject, but it’s an exceedingly carefully constructed and first word,” he said. Mr. Restrepo said the problem might be that the new jobs created by technology are not in the places that are losing jobs, like the Rust Belt. “I still believe there will be jobs in the years to come, though probably not as many as we have today,” he said. “But the data have made me worried about the communities directly exposed to robots. ” In addition to cars, industrial robots are used most in the manufacturing of electronics, metal products, plastics and chemicals. They do not require humans to operate, and do various tasks like welding, painting and packaging. From 1993 to 2007, the United States added one new industrial robot for every thousand workers — mostly in the Midwest, South and East — and Western Europe added 1. 6. The study, a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper published Monday, used data on the number of robots from the International Federation of Robotics (there is no consistent data on the monetary value of the robots in use.) It analyzed the effect of robots on employment and wages in commuting zones, a way to measure local economies. The next question is whether the coming wave of technologies — like machine learning, drones and driverless cars — will have similar effects, but on many more people. | 0 |
766 | Hillary Clinton’s “Sudden Move” Of $1.8 Billion To Qatar Central Bank Stuns Financial World | null | Email
An intriguing Ministry of Finance (MoF) report circulating in the Kremlin today says that elite Western bankers were stunned a few hours ago after the Bank For International Settlements (BIS) registered a $1.8 billion transfer from the Clinton Foundation (CF) to the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) through the “facilitation/abetment” of JP Morgan Chase & Company (JPM)—and for reasons yet to be firmly established.
According to this report, the Bank for International Settlements is the world's oldest international financial organization and acts as a prime counterparty for central banks in their financial transactions; the Qatar Central Bank is the bank of that Gulf State nations government and their “bank of banks”; JP Morgan Chase & Company is the United States largest “megabank”; and the Clinton Foundation is an international criminal money laundering organization whose clients include the Russian mafia.
With Hillary Clinton’s US presidential campaign Chairman John Podesta having longstanding ties to the Russian mafia and money laundering, this report continues, the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) maintains complete surveillance of him and his criminal associates—including both Hillary Clinton and her husband, and former US President, Bill Clinton.
On Saturday 15 October (2016), this report notes, the SVR reported to the MoF that Hillary Clinton and John Podesta met with JP Morgan Chase & Company CEO Jamie Dimon at Clinton’s Chappaqua Compound outside of New York City—and who, in 2009, both President Obama and Hillary Clinton allowed to break US laws by his, Dimon’s, being able to buy millions-of-dollars of his company’s stocks prior to the public being told his JP Morgan bank was receiving a Federal Reserve $80 billion credit line—and that caused JP Morgan’s stocks to soar and that have had an astonishing 920% dividend growth since 2010.
Within 12 hours of the Hillary Clinton-John Podesta-Jamie Dimon meeting at the Chappaqua Compound, this report continues, the BIS registered the transfer of $1.8 billion from the Clinton Foundation to the Qatar Central Bank.
To why the Clinton Foundation transferred this enormous sum of money to Qatar, this report explains, is due to the longstanding ties between this Islamic neo-patrimonial absolute monarchy and then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who oversaw the “massive bribery scheme” that allowed this Gulf State nation to secure the 2022 World Cup—and that the Qataris were so appreciative of they donated millions to the Clinton Foundation, and incredibly, in 2011, gave former US President Bill Clinton $1 million for a birthday present—bringing Hillary Clinton’s total “cash grab” from these Persian Gulf sheiks of $100 million—all occurring as recently released secret emails revealed Hillary Clinton’s knowledge that both Qatar and Saudi Arabia were, and still are, funding ISIS.
To what Jamie Dimon said to Hillary Clinton that caused her to suddenly transfer $1.8 billion to Qatar, this report notes, revolves around his JP Morgan bank being told by the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in April (2016) that this “megabanks” master plan to save itself had “serious deficiencies” that could “pose serious adverse effects to the financial stability of the United States”.
Two months after the FDIC’s warning letter to Jamie Dimon, in June (2016), this report says, he cryptically “sounded a warning” that the United States sub-prime auto loan bubble was nearing collapse and stated that “someone is going to get hurt”.
Unbeknownst to the American people, MoF experts in this report explain, is that just 8 weeks ago multiple warnings began to be issued that the United States $1 trillion sub-prime auto loan bubble was beginning to collapse—and that this past week became so severe the Bank of America issued a recession warning telling its elite customers that “this market is scary”, and the British-based multinational banking and financial services company HSBC, likewise, issued a “Red Alert” warning all of its clients warning them to “prepare for a severe market crash”.
With one of the first casualties of this sub-prime auto loan bubble being the German global banking giant Deutsche Bank that is “nearing its doom” and laying off tens-of-thousands of it workers worldwide, this report grimly states, the American mainstream propaganda media is failing to allow the people of that nation to know the full extent of this looming catastrophe—who unlike Hillary Clinton who has just protected $1.8 billion of her wealth, will be left defenseless once again at the hands of their elite rulers.
As Wikileaks secret Hillary Clinton emails have now proven that the US propaganda mainstream media is now totally controlled by her, and who continue their blackout on the “Clinton Crime Story of the Century”, this report continues, the absolutely horrifying statistics released this week showing that an astounding 35% of American who have been brutalized by the Obama-Clinton regime these past 8 years are so buried in debt they can no longer pay their bills is, likewise, being kept from these most innocent of peoples. | 1 |
767 | Seeing Africa by Road - The New York Times | Jeffrey Gettleman | We had made it to Tete, Mozambique. The sun was sinking behind the Zambezi River like a scoop of orange sherbet as we sat on the motel’s deck taking in the quiet close of another long day on the road. But we avoided one another’s eyes. The table in front of us was cluttered with maps, notebooks, competing spreadsheets and empty beer bottles. “I don’t know, man,” Robert said. “Mozambique’s interesting, but it kind of reminds me of Spain in the ’80s. Maybe we should go our separate ways. ” For days, tensions had been building. It was hard traveling with another family, facing the endless of a road trip, especially this one. Robert and his wife, two Dutch friends whose children are about the same age as ours, were hankering to go west to see Botswana’s Kalahari Desert and the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. I had promised our two boys, Apollo, 6, and Asa, 4, that we would hit the beach in Mozambique, fabled for its pristine coastline. But this wasn’t just a quibble over the route, which, in the spirit of this trip, we had always intended to be flexible. We were getting on one another’s nerves. No. That’s too soft. We were annoying the bejesus out of one another. We were locking horns over everything — when to stop and fill up the jerrycans, which little guesthouse to sleep in, whether to get chicken and chips or omelets, again, for dinner, great chunks of silence sitting between us at meals. And now as we contemplated the nuclear option, breaking up, we were staring down the most treacherous road of the entire trip: Mozambique’s Tete corridor, where a conflict that had claimed thousands of lives was reawakening. Some people had just been ambushed, the motel manager told us. “By who?” I asked. He just shrugged. “Bandits? Rebels? Rogue police officers?” It was all the same to him. “And from Inchope to Save,” he said offhandedly, mentioning two towns on our map. “Meu Deus,” he said, closing his eyes. “That’s even worse. ” The next morning my wife, Courtenay, and our sons jumped into our truck. “Roll ’em up, lock ’em up,” I said as we swung out of the parking lot. We headed down a long, bright highway by ourselves. I’d told Robert that we would meet him in Cape Town, though who knew if either of us would actually make it. Cape Town was still nearly 2, 000 miles away. This odyssey — driving across the bottom half of Africa, without any firm plans — started out as a lark. We were at a birthday party at Robert’s house at the time, (which was late last year) we all lived in Nairobi, Kenya. During the festivities, Robert abruptly turned down the music and called everyone outside. He has worked all over the world for the United Nations and other international organizations and speaks about 38 languages. You know what military officers call “command presence”? Well, Robert has it in spades: tall, handsome, confident, topped by a wicked crest of pure white hair. He also has an awesome smile. The instant he told everyone to go outside, I knew what he was up to. He was going to give his wife a car, and I could tell from the glint in his eye that this was as much a selfie gift as anything. Stepping into the driveway, everyone gasped and started laughing: He had bought her an old green Land Rover Defender, the ultimate safari vehicle, and wrapped it in Christmas lights adorned with Chinese lanterns. Maybe we had all had a little too much to drink, but in the glow of the moment I swung my arm around Robert’s back and mumbled, with Champagne breath: “With a car like that, you can’t just drive to the mall. Hey, man. Why don’t we drive to Cape Town?” Of course, we could have flown to Cape Town. But we were all hopelessly smitten by the historical, romantic and mystical experience of traveling Africa overland: covering all of that beautiful countryside, savoring the long distances, losing time, not just passing through landscapes but being absorbed by them. I think each of us was also a bit worn down by the rigors of our jobs and of being mommies and daddies to young children. We believed, perhaps naïvely, that turning our Christmas vacation into a challenge could rejuvenate us. It was the most ambitious road trip any of us had ever planned: 4, 250 miles one way, 16 days, six countries, five young children, four hardheaded adults and two questionable trucks. “Sounds like a bad Christmas carol,” Courtenay muttered. To be honest, she was never into it. Most areas we intended to pass through in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa were relatively safe for drivers, northern Mozambique being the one question mark. But it wasn’t as though we had AAA for back up. You break down in rural Malawi or back roads Tanzania, where there aren’t any spare parts or much transport, and you might as well get comfortable for a week. And our truck was no spring chicken. It was a Nissan Patrol, sturdy as heck but 11 years old and with more than 100, 000 miles and a few rattles. This all might sound risky, maybe even reckless, but I’ve lived in East Africa for more than a decade and felt comfortable traveling here, knowing the region was more accessible than most people appreciate. As the date approached, our mountain of gear stupidly grew. (When you take a road trip, you’re the worst packer. You think: “Oh, yeah. We’ll have all the room in the world.) Soon we were running out of space in our operational staging area. Our guest room was heaped with mosquito nets, tarps, sleeping bags, bed rolls, tin dishes, flats of water, a monstrous medical kit containing everything from malaria prophylaxis to Tums, copies of our passports, visas and this thing called a “Carnet de Passages,” a very customs document that allows you to cross borders in your own vehicle. We’d also packed too many clothes, a satellite transmitter, spark plugs, granola, nuts, fuses, boxed milk, an air pump, a tow rope and seven packages of Huggies, for the long rides. Little did we know that within a few days, in Malawi, we would enter the dominion of Shoprite, a South African chain, where we could have bought many of these supplies if we had actually needed them. As we pulled out of our driveway, car stuffed, I looked up to see dark clouds and bright sunshine, the dramatic, schizophrenic lighting that often illuminates Nairobi’s equatorial skies. We passed zebras in Kajiado, an area that used to be rural but in the frenzied urbanization of Nairobi in the last 10 years is now more like a suburb. By midday, we reached the Tanzanian border. We spent the next hour and a half waiting in lines, to get our passports stamped, to get our yellow fever cards checked, to show our Carnet de Passages. Then we were free, out on the road again chugging past trucks with inspirational messages emblazoned on their backsides such as “Love Your Enemies. ” We crossed into Tanzania that same day, and the landscape immediately opened up: lush, green savanna unrolling from the sides of the highway. We passed through a string of villages, each specializing in a particular commodity. In the first, everyone along the road sold chickens. In the next, eggs. The village after that, oranges. We motored through spiky sisal fields that ran for miles and miles and ended in a town where dozens of people were selling wooden stools — they were actually carving them along the road, flakes of wood shavings littering the highway’s shoulders — being gently stirred by the wind of our passing wheels. In rural Africa the economy isn’t hidden, as it is in the United States. You drive right through it. Robert was right behind me as I took a curve, perhaps a little fast. Ahead, I saw a man in a white uniform step out from under a mango tree into the road. Shoot. A police officer. He had his arm up, which meant stop. In eastern Africa, most traffic officers don’t have guns, radios or cars. You could blow past them and probably never get in trouble. It’s essentially an honor system: You stop because it’s the right thing to do. The officer sauntered up to my window with a black plastic object that I could have sworn was an old hair dryer. It was actually a radar gun, one that looked like it belonged in “Smokey and the Bandit. ” I had been speeding, he said. I don’t think the radar gun even had batteries, but I knew the game. In East Africa, it’s called “kitu kidogo,” “a little something” in Swahili — a euphemism for a bribe. You have to always let them make the first move. “Do you know the fine?” the officer asked. Earnestly, I told him I did not. “Twenty thousand shillings,” he said. “But,” he smiled, “if you don’t need a receipt, I make it 10. ” Who was I to argue? Soon we were whizzing past baboons shrieking from trees. Our boys kept a running tally of all the animals we saw: monkeys, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, gazelles, antelope, warthogs, even elephants. Tanzania is rightly celebrated for its wildlife. If we’d had the time — which we didn’t — we could have gone from national park to national park and made our drive one endless safari. We did camp one night next to Mikumi National Park, home to all the big wildlife species. The Lodge was perfect: a clean spot for tents, showers and a nearby restaurant, $7 for each adult, free for children. A few bites into dinner, I could tell that the food — burgers, chips and roast chicken — was fresh and had been made with care. As we bedded down, I heard lions grunting in the distance. Or maybe it was just Robert snoring in the tent next to me. “Man, never in my life did I think I’d be here,” Robert said, smiling in the doorway of a border town barbershop where we went looking to change money. “Malawi was always distant in my memory, like this little country lost in the middle of Africa. ” One of the most pleasant African countries, Malawi is also one that Western tourists rarely visit. It is small, green, landlocked and friendly. Never aggressively colonized like Kenya or South Africa, its raison d’être is the lake. Lake Malawi is home to a thousand kinds of fish, more than any other lake in the world. It’s a beautiful place to swim and snorkel, with little industry or pollution. Scientists say you can catch bilharzia, an infection caused by a parasitic worm, but the risks are minimal along isolated beaches, where most tourists tend to go. As soon as we crested a hill and for the first time spotted Lake Malawi sunning itself, Courtenay said: “Can I sit in a beach chair just once on this trip? Is that asking too much?” Robert and company supplied the answer: Butterfly Space, a small on Nkhata Bay. It sounded amazing, from the guidebooks: “spacious beachfront,” “picturesque beauty,” an “oasis. ” We booked it from the road, calling just a few hours ahead. We did that a lot, conducting a little internet research the night before or flicking through a guidebook, which gave us flexibility, because we didn’t know how far we would get each day. We rolled in at night, always a in the dark it’s hard to tell what you’re getting. A guard steered us to a campsite that smelled of dog poop. As I was helping Robert set up his tent, I noticed garbage strewed everywhere. But I didn’t want to sound negative about a place he had picked, so I kept my mouth shut. “Hey, mon. ” It was a voice from the bushes. “Uh, yeah?” I answered, looking around. A young man stepped out, dreadlocked and . “Name’s Happy. ” “Happy what?” Robert growled. Robert and I hadn’t eaten for hours, and the two of us were dangerously crabby. We just wanted to get the tents up and find some food. “Happy Coconut, mon,” the young man answered. “Happy Coconut. I’m soooo happy. ” Robert shook his head and whispered, “I think the guy writing the guidebook was high when he passed through here. ” Butterfly Space slithered with tattooed travelers smelling of patchouli oil and Malawi Gold (the cheap and potent local ganja). We weren’t prudes, but it didn’t seem to be the ideal family spot. The next morning we hit the road. We tended to drive about 10 hours a day, starting around 8 a. m. and by dusk we would find a small hotel or guesthouse, usually for no more than $50, sometimes for as little as $10. Road trips are as much about what is happening inside the car as out. Our collective brood, all boys between ages 4 and 7, did surprisingly well, napping, looking out the windows and pulling each other’s hair only occasionally. The roads were tarmac all through Malawi and Tanzania. The only problem was gas. Malawi has few fuel stations, and I ran out twice, rescued by Robert. I think our best day of the entire trip was shortly before we split up. We had treated ourselves to a classy old whitewashed hotel, the Sunbird Livingstonia Beach Hotel, on Salima Bay. It wasn’t even that expensive, around 90, 000 Kwacha a night, or about $125, and we took the day off from driving to swim in the lake and get tossed around by the waves. I didn’t want to leave. But Robert and his team hadn’t signed up for a beach holiday, and driving all the way to Cape Town had been my great idea, after all. When we told the room steward that we had to go, he shook his head wistfully. “It’d be great to see other countries, see how other people live,” he said, folding a sheet. “In Malawi, everyone’s born in Malawi. They live in Malawi. They die in Malawi. They don’t see anything else. ” The instant we crossed the border, it felt as though we were in a different place. This is a huge benefit of arriving in a new country by land. You immediately get a sense of its development, its atmosphere, its spirit, which is hard to do in an antiseptic international airport. One of the few former Portuguese colonies in Africa (most of the continent was grabbed up by France or England) Mozambique has a palpable Latin vibe. The storefront colors were zanier, the clothes tighter, the music louder. As we cruised through a tiny village blasting salsa, Courtenay turned to me and asked, “Is this country deaf?” We were without comrades now. We had emerged unscathed from the scorched wastes of Tete and were flying downhill toward the legendary Praia do Bilene beach, on Mozambique’s southern coast. When we pulled in, I couldn’t even hear Courtenay’s yelling which way to go because of the roar of motorcycle engines. Young South Africans raced around on Ninja bikes, shirtless or in bikinis. We discovered that Mozambique during Christmas is a bit of a South African colony. After getting the keys to a rundown rondoval at a seaside hotel, we scampered to the beach, to sand that sparkled — but not in the way you might imagine. It was the day after New Year’s. Thousands of beer bottles lay at the water’s edge, as though they had been vomited up by the sea. The place was a pigsty, but our boys loved it, collecting dozens of dirty bottles and making giant bottle castles. In Kenya, you’d never see that. Poor people would have been all over that beach, scooping up the empties to make money from recycling. Courtenay and I found the whole scene depressing and consoled ourselves with heaping plates of rice, pãozinho (Portuguese rolls) and shrimp so succulent and tasty that even the boys — who usually flee at the sight of anything unusual on their plates, especially if that unusual thing has eyes — gobbled it up. But our clock was ticking. Robert was somewhere out there, chugging his way south. Though we’d had our disagreements, I missed seeing that dark green Land Rover behind me. As we hustled toward the Swaziland border, a wall of brown, stubbly mountains rising before us, I guess I started to zone out. I didn’t see her until it was too late. A corpulent police officer stepped out from under a tree. That was always their strategy: Hang out in the shade and wait for a victim. It was the equivalent of the American patrol officer on a motorcycle hiding behind a billboard. She walked into the road, arm up. When I pulled over, she fanned her face. “Que calor, que calor,” she said. (How hot.) “Indeed,” I responded. She asked for my license. I gave it to her. She asked for my insurance. I gave her that as well (a special Mozambican policy covering who knows what that I had spent $60 on at the border). She frowned. The boys stirred in the back seat, as she made a leisurely loop around the truck. She returned to my window. “You pay fine,” she said. “For what?” I asked. Her eyes darted around. “Baby no have seatbelt. ” “What? He just took it off. We’ve been stopped for three minutes. ” “Baby no seatbelt. We go police station Matola. ” “Matola?” I said incredulously. “Isn’t that an hour away?” “Then pay fine here,” she said, staring into my face. “Three hundred meticals. ” After I handed it over, she waved happily goodbye. The Kingdom of Swaziland is a strange little place: population 1. 4 million per capita income $8, 500, not bad by standards and one of the world’s lowest life expectancies, at 52 years. AIDS destroyed this place, possibly because it is a country in between. In Africa, transit points have become H. I. V. hot zones truckers are some of the worst culprits for spreading the virus. Swaziland’s roads were good, its landscape barren and windswept. We drove end to end in 2 hours 48 minutes 7 seconds. By the time we reached South Africa, we had six days of vacation left and more than 1, 000 miles to go. I had visited South Africa nearly a dozen times, but I had never driven the country. The landscape was dreamy: rippling green hills, tall trees and miles and miles of farms and vineyards stocked with grapes so plump and juicy, you just wanted to pull over and pluck them. I found myself asking: “How did this happen? How did South Africa get all the good land?” We caught one of the most beautiful sunsets I’d ever seen. Over the west side of the N2 highway, fingers of light reached into a cool, dark forest. We made three stops on the way to Cape Town, our favorite being St. Lucia, a town sporting carpets of crab grass for front lawns. It felt like Boca Raton, Fla. except for the hippos lumbering through the neat little streets at night. Set in a large estuary filled with life, St. Lucia is a great place for a boat tour to see hippos and crocodiles, which we enjoyed, booking through Hornbill House, the where we stayed. We were all eager to get to Cape Town, arguably one of the world’s most stunning cities. Our boys were excited to see the penguins at the Simon’s Town penguin colony. I was ready to stop driving. Courtenay just wanted the trip to end. As we curved around a mountain near the penguins, bubbling with the sense of triumph at having made it, a familiar green Land Rover hurtled toward us. I tooted madly. We pulled over and hugged, a lot, in a parking lot. It was great to see Robert, his wife and their children, and we were sorry that we hadn’t been able to stay together the whole time. But we had adventures to share and the children were talking fast: “We saw crocodiles!” “Well, we saw a castle!” I wished I had seen more. Driving across Africa was far more doable than I expected: The roads were safe, the border crossings not too hellish, and it was no sweat booking hotels by cellphone on the fly. But we should have taken two months, not two weeks. Then we could have explored more wildlife parks, slipped off the main roads and lingered in small, charming towns, as opposed to getting up at the crack of dawn and strapping in again. Robert, God bless him, arranged for two couples to fly to Cape Town and drive our vehicles back to Nairobi, because they wanted to have the same road trip experience. On that final Sunday, we loaded into our trucks one last time and drove to the airport, his truck right behind mine. Then eight hours later, we were all back home. | 0 |
768 | What happens when Hip-Hop Hillary goes for dead-broke? Brace yourselves. | Sarah D. | What happens when Hip-Hop Hillary goes for dead-broke? Brace yourselves. Posted at 4:59 pm on October 26, 2016 by Sarah D.
This election cycle not painful enough for you? Then we’ve got good news — it gets worse!
Last week, this glorious tweet about Hillary Clinton’s special fashion sense blew up the interwebs: We gone sit here and act like Hillary Clinton ain't been representing Death Row Records at all 3 debates? pic.twitter.com/z6ZWzQJ6O6
— BlackGoldLuxury.com (@double_cupp_me) October 20, 2016
Today, Hillary finally addressed the meme. And it was … something: “I think Death Row and a lot of other fashion sources have influenced my look” – A thing Hillary Clinton said pic.twitter.com/ygmSutm3Dk
— Colin Jones (@colinjones) October 26, 2016
That’s just so … so …
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) October 26, 2016
That’s a good way to put it. | 1 |
769 | Bill Maher Isn’t High on Trump: The State of Free Speech in a New Era - The New York Times | Jim Rutenberg | BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — It was Nov. 12, and Bill Maher was about to begin his comedy act at the City National Civic in San Jose when he did something he hadn’t done in many years. He brought a drink with him to the stage a standup roadie (tequila). “And boy did I miss it,” he joked with me last week. “What an idiot all those years — drinking’s fun. You hear that, kids? Drinking’s fun!” Actually, that’s not why he did it, he said during a marathon session of talking and drinking — and, in his case, a wee bit of pot smoking — that started at his house here and ended several hours later at the nearby Polo Lounge (oh, the indignities of this job). He says he considers drinking on stage unprofessional. But that night, so soon after the election, he needed something to calm his nerves. Donald J. Trump, who Mr. Maher said “lives for vengeance,” had just won control over the most powerful instruments of the government, like the Justice Department, and, more to the point, the F. B. I. And it was dawning on Mr. Maher that “no one’s been meaner to him than me. ” Mr. Maher has a unique perspective. He resides at that most treacherous intersection where free speech meets government power and political passion, dodging traffic from left and right. He also once accused Mr. Trump of being part orangutan by birth. But first, a refresher on how Mr. Maher became a totem in 2001 with one provocative line on his ABC show, “Politically Incorrect. ” He said the Sept. 11 hijackers couldn’t be called “cowards,” especially when the United States’ preferred method of attack at the time — before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — was to lob cruise missiles from afar (“That’s cowardly,” he said). The White House criticized him, sponsors fled and, a few months later, ABC canceled his show. Whatever you might think of his argument, the moment was a dark chapter in the annals of public discourse. It could have been a too, if HBO hadn’t provided Mr. Maher with safe harbor and a new show, “Real Time,” which has an audience of about 4. 5 million viewers. Yet, Mr. Maher puts that episode within “the normal parameters of awful. ” He says he’s more worried about our new era, when no one knows what “normal” is going to look like. It’s amazing how much anxiety Mr. Trump’s imminent inauguration is stirring in the business — but perhaps not surprising given his open hostility toward the press, his willingness to use his platform against any who cross him and his seemingly proud dismissal of the government and political norms that precede him. No one knows whether a year from now, we’ll see today’s fears as overblown, underblown, or on point. Mr. Maher is taking the approach based on his own experience in the Trumpian combat caldron in 2013. That was when Mr. Maher launched a “birther” — or, “ ” — campaign about Mr. Trump, to rival the one Mr. Trump had pursued about President Obama’s citizenship. Appearing on “The Tonight Show,’’ he joked that Mr. Trump was the product of crossbreeding it was the only thing, he said, that would explain the “color of his hair. ” He said he would donate $5 million to a charity of Mr. Trump’s choice if he could prove this wasn’t the case. (Mr. Maher pledged $1 million in 2012 to a “super PAC” supporting Obama.) Mr. Trump’s lawyers replied with a copy of his birth certificate and a demand for the money, which Mr. Maher ignored. Then Mr. Trump filed a lawsuit that ultimately went nowhere. “It was worth it in comedy material,” Mr. Maher told me, taking a couple of puffs from a pipe molded into a bust of his head (a gift from a friend) as we stood by the bar in his living room. “But you definitely spent money. ” That is, Mr. Maher had the money to pay for the courage that another comedian may not have been able to afford. He takes it as a harbinger. “No one knows what this man is capable of,” Mr. Maher said. “I never, ever, ever felt worried — it never crossed my mind — that George Bush would do something crazy, even though I knew he hated me. He never sued me for a joke. ” Mr. Maher was particularly focused on reports that several F. B. I. agents were agitating before the election for more aggressive examination of Hillary Clinton, which Democrats feared was politically motivated to help Mr. Trump. (The Justice Department’s inspector general has announced a broad investigation into the F. B. I. ’s performance.) “It is a very troubling idea that the F. B. I. is politicized,” he said. “When the internal police department is politicized, that’s a place I don’t want to be on the wrong side of — I mean, that’s fascism. ” You could chalk it all up to shticky paranoia, and it’s quite a slippery slope from there to outright fascism. But with so many sharing similar worries (at least among those who didn’t support Mr. Trump) and with Mr. Trump’s continued cage rattling, I turned to Mr. Trump’s adviser, Kellyanne Conway, for a response. It seemed especially fitting because she has been a longtime guest of Mr. Maher’s, dating to the 1990s when he was first blazing the trail on Comedy Central. Given Mr. Trump’s preference for Twitter, Ms. Conway joked, using the F. B. I. would be “so last century — it’s so bureaucratic and paperwork laden. ” Turning more serious, she said, “He’s not going to use the ‘tools of state,’” repeating the wording of my question. I noted that there are, of course, guidelines, professional tenets and laws that are meant to preclude a president’s ability to use federal investigative power as a political weapon, and she agreed, saying “This is America. ” Ms. Conway acknowledged, though, that Mr. Maher’s fears were widely held, especially in Hollywood — witness Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes address. “Talk about a Hollywood story — folks are unnecessarily flattering themselves to think for two seconds that Donald Trump is going to call out the big dogs to make their lives miserable,” she said. She described some of the discomfort as a natural reaction by “the elites” to an incoming president who is merely responding to their continued attacks. “Where’s the respect — open ear and open mind? ’’ she said. “The same people who had hoped for and desired and absolutely assumed they were going to get a different election result never laid down their muskets,” she said. It was time, she said, to “take the poison out of the pen and keyboard. ” Mr. Maher has no plans to do that when his show comes back from hiatus on inauguration day, Jan. 20 (his birthday, and Ms. Conway’s). But he shares Ms. Conway’s view of the cultural stakes in the election. “We’re the losers now, so it behooves us to break out of that bubble more,” he said. Mr. Maher said speeches like Ms. Streep’s — calling actors, screenwriters and the news media to arms — weren’t going to solve anything. “It looks very insular,” he said. “Just the liberals talking to themselves, which they are very good at doing. ” Still the bane of conservatives, Mr. Maher has more recently drawn scorn from liberals for his own diatribes against Islamic extremism, for which he says liberals have too much tolerance. That’s part of what he considers a politically correct corralling of speech from the left. At the same time, his restaurant selection, the Polo Lounge, in the Beverly Hills Hotel, came in defiance of a Hollywood boycott that Ellen DeGeneres and Elton John helped start after the sultan of Brunei, whose investment agency owns the hotel, imposed a new penal code in his homeland based on Shariah law, making gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death. To join the boycott, Mr. Maher said as we walked through the hotel lobby, would be to submit to an ineffectual form of “tokenism. ” “As if the sultan of Brunei is up there looking at the receipts — we only sold two soups? Is Stallone still coming in?” he said. “But Sultan, your harem awaits — ‘I’m sorry, I’m still going over the receipts. ’” With that, we took our seats and the waiter approached. Surprised to see Mr. Maher, he asked “You’re not in hiding?” That got Mr. Maher all worked up again. “I can be scared,” he said, “and never pull a punch. ” | 0 |
770 | The L.P.G.A. Tour and Donald Trump: It’s Complicated - The New York Times | Karen Crouse | Lydia Ko could win her second consecutive ANA Inspiration title this week, or be eclipsed by Michelle Wie winning her first in her 13th career start, and it would still be for the women in one respect. As the top golfers on the L. P. G. A. Tour compete in their first major tournament of the year, they will be to ignore the storm clouds gathering in advance of their third, the United States Women’s Open, to be held in July at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N. J. Before Donald J. Trump became the 45th president of the United States, he was the Daddy Warbucks of women’s golf, hosting the top players every year at his resort in Palm Beach, Fla. during the L. P. G. A.’s ADT Championship at Trump International Golf Club. In 2006, the tournament’s prize was $1 million, a milestone that the men had reached seven years earlier. In his prepolitics life as a real estate mogul, Trump dispensed business advice to the L. P. G. A. players and invited them to his courses for informal rounds of golf. The women generally accepted his invitations for the same reason they play events every year with dozens of other golfers, including those who harbor different political and personal beliefs: These people, usually men, sustain the Tour with their support. “Having played in the ADT Championship when it was held at his course in West Palm Beach, I have experienced nothing but good things from him and his golf course,” said Karen Stupples, a reporter for the Golf Channel and NBC who competed in the event in 2004 and 2008. “And I think the L. P. G. A. in general feels that same way, that he was very respectful to the L. P. G. A. to the tournament. ” The picture that L. P. G. A. golfers paint of Trump as a respectful supporter of women stands in stark contrast to the leering, man caught conversing with Billy Bush during a taping of a 2005 segment for “Access Hollywood” in a video that surfaced shortly before the election. Since Trump became the putative leader of the free world, he has often been seen on the golf course, and for some of those outings, he has reached out to some of the best players in the game to accompany him. The top men and women have accepted invitations to play with him with their eyes wide open. They know that what they see as a social outing will be spun as a political statement — and they seem largely not to care. In an anonymous survey I conducted in February of 56 players on the PGA Tour, 50 (or 89 percent) said they would play with Trump if extended an invitation. Three said they would not, and three declined to answer. How would the best women, whose ranks cut across more cultures than the men’s, respond? At the Founders Cup in the first L. P. G. A. event of the year held in the United States, I conducted an anonymous survey of 40 players. (or 60 percent) said they would play with Trump, nine said they would not and seven declined to comment. A joked, “I want to stay in the country so I’ll say yes. ” The women, who ranged in age from under 20 to over 50, represented 12 countries and make their homes in 11 states, including four that voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in last year’s presidential election. One player, Natalie Gulbis, spoke in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention. Another, the Floridian Lexi Thompson, has played golf with Trump since the election. Ko, the women’s No. 1 from New Zealand, has not played a round with Trump — but only because she hasn’t received an invitation. “He’s the leader of one of the biggest countries in the whole entire world,” Ko said, “and it would be an honor if I got that call. ” Ryann O’Toole, an American who was raised in California, said, “I didn’t vote for him and I’ll still play with him. ” Ko is 19. Thompson is 22. O’Toole is 30. Stupples is 43 and the mother of a son. It is unfair, Stupples said, to expect a consensus on any political issue from a tour membership that includes women under 20 and over 40 and Americans and foreigners. “Lydia and Lexi have both led a very sheltered life,” Stupples said. “They’ve played golf and that’s it. They probably haven’t seen much of what goes on outside of the golf course and a hotel. ” She added: “Would I play golf with him? Probably not. But then that’s me. That’s because I’ve been around the block a few times and seen a few other things. But it’s only because of my life experience that I feel like I can make a good judgment on what I want to do personally. ” The United States Golf Association awarded its flagship women’s event to Trump’s Bedminster course in 2012, when his reputation as an opportunistic outsider came from supporting golf when the economy was cratering and other benefactors were bailing. “He was such a huge fan of the L. P. G. A. and of golf in general,” said Gulbis, who has known Trump since she qualified for her first ADT Championship in 2005. Throughout the years, she said, he has counseled her to fight for the same pay as PGA Tour members for public appearances or sponsorships. “These were constant conversations that I saw him have not just with me, but with lots of people in our organization,” Gulbis said. The United States Women’s Open will not be the first golf major played at a Trump course. The Women’s British Open in 2015 was held at Turnberry, a Scottish resort that Trump bought in 2014, after the tournament had been awarded. In the past few years, some other top golf events have been given to courses. This year’s Senior P. G. A. Championship will be at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, and the 2022 P. G. A. Championship will be hosted by his Bedminster club. Shaunna Thomas, the of UltraViolet, a national group assembled to fight sexism and expand women’s rights, said her organization failed to see the upside of any professional women’s sports league aligning itself with Trump. “I’ve been playing golf all my life, I’m very familiar with how deeply ingrained sexism is in the game,” Thomas said in a telephone interview. “It’s upsetting. People who aren’t fans think it’s such an easy decision for the U. S. G. A. and the L. P. G. A. to make to avoid controversy. ” She added: “The question really is, do the U. S. G. A. and L. P. G. A. want to be on the right side of history? If the U. S. G. A. wants to stay relevant to a younger generation of golfers, they’re going to have to take a look at their decision. This is an opportunity to send a clear signal to women, people of color and people with disabilities that they stand on the side of inclusiveness. ” UltraViolet staged a protest on the third day of the Founders Cup, calling for the Women’s Open to be moved from Bedminster or, barring that, for the players to boycott the event. Roughly a dozen people gathered outside the public entrance to Wildfire Golf Club, the tournament site on a Marriott property in Phoenix, and handed out items including “Dump Trump” golf balls before being escorted away by hotel security. The organization also commissioned a plane to fly over the tournament grounds with a banner that read: “LPGA: Take a Mulligan. Dump Sexist Trump. ” On the eve of the protest, the L. P. G. A. one of the world’s oldest women’s professional sports organizations, released a statement that described its mission as creating opportunities “for the best female golfers in the world to showcase their talent” and said, “As a global tour and membership, we try not to let politics get in the way” of such opportunities. The organization added that the U. S. G. A. owns and operates the United States Women’s Open and “we respect and support the decisions made by the U. S. G. A. on this matter. ” The statement did not sit well with Thomas, who grew up in Los Angeles and played golf with her father at Rolling Hills Country Club and Riviera Country Club. Many of the courses she frequented were about as integrated as Trump’s cabinet, which has a smaller percentage of women and minorities than the first cabinets of his four immediate predecessors. “The ladies that play golf shouldn’t be forced to build up the Trump brand in any way,” she said. Judy Rankin, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, is discomfited by the notion that the players should allow politics to play through in the most prestigious women’s tournament in the United States. “Back in the dark ages, I did not agree with everything Gerald Ford did,” said Rankin, whose most successful season, 1976, coincided with Ford’s last full year as president. She won six tournaments that year and became the first L. P. G. A. player to surpass $100, 000 in yearly earnings. “I found him to be the most wonderful man, and I certainly played golf with him,” Rankin added. “Because you play golf with them does not necessarily mean you support every single thing they do. But they hold the highest office in the land. And I’m not sure that an invitation to play golf should be answered with a political statement. ” | 0 |
771 | Legend Art Cashin On A Trump Presidency, The New World Order, Gold, Brexit, The Great Depression And Why We Will See Panic | King World News | 56 Views November 14, 2016 GOLD , KWN King World News
As the bond market continues to melt down, interest rates rise and the Dollar Index surges above 100, legend Art Cashin gave one of his most important interviews ever to King World News about a Trump presidency, the New World Order, gold, Brexit, the Great Depression, and why we will see panic before the end of the year.
Eric King: “In Trump’s acceptance speech he said that we are going to have massive infrastructure spending. Is that bearish for gold? I don’t think so.”
Gold Market Hit As Druckenmiller Sells Art Cashin: “No. That on the face of it would not be a reason to sell gold. One of the things that may have concerned Druckenmiller was not so much your scenario of fiscal spending and building roads and highways, but the fact that despite what the Fed has been doing, the money supply has not been showing any velocity. That’s a topic you and I have discussed time and time again and it’s one of the holdups to gold because if it gets no velocity that’s deflationary.
In fact, the largest growth in money stock is in cash — green pictures of dead presidents — and that is deflationary because that does not have a lending factor that money in a bank would have. So those are two deflationary trends in money and that tends to weigh a little bit on gold and doesn’t allow it to fulfill its promise that you would expect in a somewhat inflationary period.”
Eric King: “Victor Sperandeo, a former associate of George Sorors, said to me this will be ‘pure money printing.’ That we are going to print trillions of dollars and build infrastructure — talk about how you view that. Obviously there are going to be jobs created and it will be great for infrastructure, so it will juice the economy, but what are the longer-term ramifications?”
Art Cashin: “On the face of it, it looks good. As you said, there will be jobs created and there will be improvements in roads and airports and so on. However, the other shoe to fall is that Mr. Trump is also committed to revamping the tax code. And those two things should lead to a massive increase in the deficit. And we are already deeply in debt, so people like Rosenberg and others feel like it will have virtually no impact.
On the face of it the stimulus program should be great for the economy, but because you are in such a high level of debt it might not work out that way. He and others point out that if fiscal stimulus were the answer then Japan would be the king of the world with all of those bridges to nowhere that they built. Japan spent a lot of money, built up their deficit, and their economy never really turned around.”
Eric King: “Going back even further than that and looking at the Great Depression, the United States was struggling and then FDR devalued the dollar by revaluing the price of gold higher. Those public works projects then got underway, the massive public works projects that built so much of the infrastructure here in the United States, Art. And that did turn the stock market around. It turned many things around — commodities, etc — but then it rolled over by 1937-1938 and then the war came. Is this infrastructure spending program something that can look good for a little while and then it will just roll over like we saw in 1937-1938?”
Art Cashin: “It can. And the problem (during the Great Depression) was that the thing didn’t click, as it were. It didn’t lead to the next step. You hire people, you do the road projects, you do whatever, and then you want to see them go out and spend and business begin to borrow and banks to lend. And in ’37 and ’38 that never fully kicked in. U.S. Experiences Second Stock Market Collapse From 1937 To 1938
You had high government officials, in frustration, go to Congress and testify: “We couldn’t get it started. We just couldn’t get it started.”
For all of the deficit spending, for all of the government programs, it never fully worked. That’s the fear. Again, if you go back to Japan, clearly they spent trillions of Japanese yen in massive building projects and it never kicked in, it never took over. The people continued to worry and hold onto their money.
A Worried Public Is Hoarding Cash As I’ve told you before, this whole thing about helicopter money and whatnot, if Bernanke flew over your house and dropped a million dollars in brand new money, and you were so worried that you got up and hid it in the garage until you figured out what the economy was going to do…And that is virtually what has happened to us for the past seven years.
They have tried all kinds of increases in money supply but it has never kicked in and people are so terrified that they are not spending, and basically, as I said, the large amount of growth was in cash. So they are putting it in the mattress, not even in the bank.”
Eric King: “Art, for so many years on King World News you have been talking about this lending and spending not kicking in, and you have used that Bernanke analogy over and over again. It’s not normal for you to beat up on a point as much as you have. But earlier you brought up Japan, and then when we covered the Great Depression you discussed 1937-1938, and the the testimonies before Congress from people saying, ‘We just couldn’t get it started.’ Did you know all along that it was going to unfold this way to some degree with the lack of lending and spending? Did you know that from history?”
Art Cashin: “I had a fear of it and it became pretty evident after some of the first things they (central planners) did. It is not a very difficult game. Every week the Federal Reserve reports the Money Supply and the Federal Reserve of St. Louis reports the Monetary Stock, which is the amount of raw money that the Fed adds in. “We Just Couldn’t Get It Started” – Monetary Stock Plunging
“That Shouldn’t Be” For a year now, despite all the things you have heard, despite all the programs and ‘pump-priming’ and Yellen and all the doves, the Monetary Stock has not increased all year. That shouldn’t be. 60-Year Velocity Of Money Stock Hitting New Lows
If money has velocity, then you can see the economy begin to move up. If it gets too much velocity, then you get to see inflation. But so far we are not getting a high dose of either. Although, if you ask somebody standing in the supermarket if they have inflation they might give you a bit of an argument. But by government standards it’s not quite there yet.”
Eric King: “Along those same lines, Art, you’ve warned repeatedly about Weimar Germany and the experience of the 1920s. This idea that there can be no inflation and then suddenly it just kicks in and then all hell breaks loose. You’ve warned so many time about that. Is that what’s in front of us?”
Art Cashin: “You will begin to know it. Everybody talks about the Weimar Republic where they actually printed cash money and flooded the system. It wasn’t just the bank reserves — they actually flooded the system with paper money. And amazingly, amazingly, it was a while before that actually kicked in in an inflationary manner. And as you alluded to, I’ve said this time and time again, it’s one of those things like spontaneous combustion — it’s there and it’s there and it’s there and suddenly it bursts into flames. And when it bursts into flames it consumes everything about it. And that’s when you can have a runaway inflation.
But so far it has not burst into flames. And that is why to even some degree the Fed is frustrated, hoping to get inflation up above 2 percent. And they may be in a position where, be careful what you wish for. Because if they get 2 percent and above it could suddenly combust and things could begin to move rather rapidly.”
Eric King: “Art, let me ask you this about the Trump presidency. It seems like for those people out there who, as he said, felt lost, the lost Americans, and for those out there who really felt like they were having globalism shoved down their throats in Europe and in the United States, this seemed to be a moment in time where there was going to be some backtracking. The borders were going to be closed, there would be some protectionism — we all know the plusses and minuses of that — but how did you view this Trump election and him becoming president, the idea that the elite got sand kicked in their face and that this New World Order would be slowed down, if only for a moment?”
Donald Trump’s Shocker And Why Brexit Is Nowhere Near Over Art Cashin: “I view it as yet one more extension of what looks to be a populist revolt that is sweeping the world. You saw the beginning of it with Brexit, and you have too many pundits on TV saying, ‘Well, that ended quickly in reverse.’ Brexit is nowhere near over. But the reason that markets didn’t continue to spiral (downward) is that they realized that Brexit has basically been postponed. They haven’t gone in and declared Article 50. Once they start the process in motion, the consequences of Brexit are going to be there and they are going to be drastic.
Now, if you take Trump’s election as the second leg of populism, the next thing you look for is the December 4th referendum in Italy. And there’s a good chance that will cause the government to fail and Italy will be right back in the middle of a major European crisis, and we’ll be right back where we were with Greece (only much larger in scale). So this game is far from over and we could see further panic as we head into the end of the year.”
Eric King: “Ahead of what’s going to happen in Italy, because I think that will unfold as you just predicted, Art, a Trump America going forward and this idea that the elites have been pushing globalism down everybody’s throats with NAFTA and so many things that have happened around the world. The globalism and the push to eliminate national boundaries, we’ve seen that in Europe and of course they had talked about combining Canada, the United States and Mexico into one regional unit. This idea that globalism has taken a huge blow here, is that true? Or did it just slow it down? What will a Trump presidency mean in that sense?”
“You’re Fired!” Art Cashin: “We’ve got a lot of things to see. Over the next week or two you are going to see whom he appoints to the cabinet and who holds him under their sway. It would appear, however, because of the size of his commitment, he’s got to address globalization and global trade. He’s got to go back and revisit even NAFTA.
I think some of his early attempts will be reasonably good. He will do some fiscal stimulus, some building and repairing, hopefully getting the tax structure in better order. But that will not be the end of it. He can pivot a bit but he can’t completely abandon it (his campaign promises). People will have to watch what he does.
Now, he may cleverly hire some people and put burdens on their shoulders. If after six months things don’t work out, he can revert to his TV personality and say, ‘You’re fired,’ to show the American people that he’s staying on top. But for now…KWN encourages everyone around the world to listen to one of legendary Art Cashin’s greatest audio interviews ever discussing the gold market at length, including the recent takedown in gold and what to make of Druckenmiller selling, what to surprises to expect in key markets as Trump becomes president, and what impact massive public works projects will have on the United States, inflation, gold, bonds, and much more, by CLICKING HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
***KWN has now released the extraordinary KWN audio interview with whistleblower Andrew Maguire, where he discusses the gold and silver smash, at what price the large sovereign wholesale bids are located, and much more, and you can listen to it by CLICKING HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
***ALSO JUST RELEASED: Greyerz – Historic Shocker, A Difficult Road And A Major Short Squeeze About To Unfold CLICK HERE.
© 2015 by King World News®. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the articles is permitted and encouraged. About author | 1 |
772 | FL Sheriff: ’Not a Day Goes By That We All Don’t Arrest A Lot of Illegal Aliens’ Who Are ’Preying’ on People - Breitbart | Ian Hanchett | On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Polk County, FL Sheriff Grady Judd stated that illegal immigrants committing felonies is a phenomenon that is at an epidemic level “across the United States. There’s not a day goes by that we all don’t arrest a lot of illegal aliens that are out here preying on the people in this country. ” Judd was asked about his prior comments that illegal immigrants committing felonies are an “epidemic. ” He said, “It is at that level across the United States. There’s not a day goes by that we all don’t arrest a lot of illegal aliens that are out here preying on the people in this country. And they’re committing felonies, violent felonies, and they’re trafficking in narcotics. And if that’s not enough, we deport them, they come back, and pick up doing the same thing again. ” He added, “We’re seeing a total[ly] different attitude by Immigration and Customs already. And what we have to do is pick them up, keep them locked up until they’re deported to their home country of origin. And I can tell you this, the community will be safer, less drugs will flow on our streets, and there will be less weapons violence. Every day my detectives go out, and they seek out and arrest people for violating the drug laws. Many of those folks are illegal aliens, here, with guns, posing a specific danger to our deputies, to our law enforcement officers, and to the community. But I have a simple question for those who think there’s a problem with that: Why don’t you take them home with you? Why don’t you rent them a home next door to you? Because you know they’re living next door to somebody in our community, and they’re terrorizing them. ” Judd also stated that he didn’t think what he proposed would result in economic losses, and “The people we arrest, they’re not harvesting any vegetables, or any citrus. ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 0 |
773 | Donald Trump Threatens to Cancel Berkeley Federal Funds After Riots Shut Down Milo Event | Charlie Spiering | President Donald Trump reacted to the massive rioting at in response to a scheduled campus speech by Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos. [“If U. C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view — NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Trump wrote on Twitter early Thursday morning. News of the rioting made cable news last night as students smashed ATMs and bank windows, looted a Starbucks, beat Trump supporters, pepper sprayed innocent individuals, and set fires in the street. Others spray painted the words “Kill Trump” on storefronts. The speech was canceled by police as security failed. Yiannopoulos was evacuated from the area. “The left is profoundly antithetical to free speech these days, does not want to hear alternative points of view, and will do anything to shut it down,” Yiannopoulos told Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview on Wednesday night. “My point is being proven over and over and over again. ” | 0 |
774 | Концепция записка российского председательства | voltairenet.org | Заседание Совета Безопасности от 28 октября 2016
Концепция записка российского председательства Сеть Вольтер | Нью-Йорк (США) | 27 октября 2016 français English Español عربي 中文 Сотрудничество Организации Объединенных Наций с региональными и субрегиональными орга-низациями в поддержании международного мира и безопасности: Организация Договора о коллективной безопасности, Шанхайская организация сотрудничества и Содружество независимых государств В качестве центрального мероприятия председательства Российской Феде-рации в Совете Безопасности планируем организовать 28 октября 2016 года деба-ты на тему «Сотрудничество Организации Объединенных Наций с региональны-ми и субрегиональными организациями в поддержании международного мира и безопасности: Организация Договора о коллективной безопасности, Шанхайская организация сотрудничества и Содружество независимых государств».
Глобальный характер современных вызовов и угроз, формирование коллек-тивных подходов, необходимых для их эффективного преодоления, диктуют необходимость наращивания сотрудничества между Организацией Объединен-ных Наций и региональными и субрегиональными организациями в области под-держания мира и безопасности.
Применительно к Организации Объединенных Наций это прежде всего ее универсальный характер как с точки зрения членства в Организации, так и ее де-ятельности, а также всемирно признанная легитимность. Региональные органи-зации, в свою очередь, зачастую обладают более тонким пониманием ситуации в зоне своей ответственности, а в целом ряде случаев — адаптированными к мест-ным реалиям превентивными и миротворческими механизмами. При этом важно, чтобы деятельность региональных организаций была направлена на поиск мир-ного, политического решения возникающих конфликтных ситуаций.
Именно в этом контексте высокую актуальность имеют регулярные «сверки часов» с основными региональными партнерами Организации Объединенных Наций в вопросах поддержания международного мира и безо-пасности. Так, Совет Безопасности на плановой основе проводит заседания по сотрудничеству с Африканским союзом, Организацией по безопасности и со-трудничеству в Европе, Европейским союзом. В последние годы проводился об-зор взаимодействия с Лигой арабских государств, Ассоциацией государств Юго-Восточной Азии, Союзом южноамериканских наций и другими «регионалами».
Как известно, сотрудничество между всемирной Организацией и регио-нальными партнерами включает в себя все более широкий круг проблем. K миро-творческим и миростроительным задачам добавились противодействие распро-странению оружия массового уничтожения и незаконным потокам легкого и стрелкового оружия, борьба c кибертерроризмом и нелегальной миграцией — области, где сотрудничество между рассматриваемыми организациями и Органи-зацией Объединенных Наций набирает обороты. Это имеет ключевое значение в плане поддержания мира и стабильности на широком пространстве Евразии, и в особенности в Центральноазиатском регионе.
Именно в этой сфере активны три относительно молодые организации, дей-ствующие в огромном регионе от Восточной Европы до Дальнего Востока: Орга-низация Договора о коллективной безопасности (ОДКБ), Шанхайская организа-ция сотрудничества (ШОС) и Содружество независимых государств (СНГ), — которые наращивают свой политический авторитет в мире и вносят большой вклад в укрепление региональной и международной безопасности.
В фокусе внимания в ходе дебатов будет вклад ОДКБ, ШОС и СНГ в проти-водействие угрозам миру и безопасности в регионе, в том числе в борьбу с тер-роризмом, наркотрафиком и организованной преступностью. Мероприятие также позволит подтвердить нацеленность этих трех объединений на развитие практи-ческого взаимодействия с Организацией Объединенных Наций, в том числе с ее Региональным центром по превентивной дипломатии для Центральной Азии.
ОДКБ — это многовекторная структура, способная уверенно реагировать на широкий спектр современных вызовов и угроз, с которыми могут столкнуться ее государства-члены. В этой связи перспективным видится углубление взаимодей-ствия между Организацией Объединенных Наций и ОДКБ в области миротворче-ства. В рамках ОДКБ ведется интенсивная работа по развитию собственного ми-ротворческого потенциала, в том числе для задействования в операциях Органи-зацией Объединенных Наций по поддержанию мира. Наряду c этим ОДКБ актив-но содействует международным усилиям по постконфликтному обустройству Афганистана, купированию исходящей c территории этой страны наркоугрозы.
Ее отношения с Организацией Объединенных Наций успешно развиваются по целому ряду направлений: противодействие терроризму и наркотрафику, ми-ротворчество, борьба с организованной преступностью. Поддерживаются и раз-виваются продуктивные контакты с профильными ооновскими структурами, включая Контртеррористический комитет Совета Безопасности и Управление Организации Объединенных Наций по наркотикам и преступности.
Каждые два года Генеральной Ассамблеей принимается резолюция о со-трудничестве Организации Объединенных Наций с ОДКБ. Подобную резолюцию планируется принять на семьдесят первой сессии Ассамблеи в рамках обсужде-ния пункта ее повестки дня, озаглавленного «Сотрудничество между Организа-цией Объединенных Наций и региональными и другими организациями».
Правовая база взаимодействия между Организацией Объединенных Наций и ШОС по вопросам международного мира и безопасности в соответствии с гла-вой VIII Устава Организации Объединенных Наций была заложена после подпи-сания в 2010 году совместной декларации о сотрудничестве между секретариа-тами двух организаций. В настоящее время между ШОС и Организацией Объ-единенных Наций налажено активное сотрудничество в таких областях, как предотвращение и урегулирование конфликтов, борьба с терроризмом (в этих це-лях в рамках ШОС действует Региональная антитеррористическая структура), нераспространение оружия массового уничтожения, противодействие транснаци-ональной преступности и незаконному обороту наркотиков, обеспечение между-народной информационной безопасности.
В данном контексте ШОС активно поддерживает усилия мирового сообще-ства и институтов Организации Объединенных Наций по восстановлению мира в Афганистане, последовательно выступает за сохранение центральной координи-рующей роли этой универсальной организации в процессе афганского урегули-рования.
Сотрудничество в обеспечении безопасности, противодействии современ-ным вызовам и угрозам всегда являлось и остается одной из приоритетных обла-стей интеграционного взаимодействия государств — членов СНГ.
Важным фактором активного противодействия возникающим угрозам явля-ется также конструктивное взаимодействие с международными организациями. Государства СНГ являются участниками всех важнейших международных доку-ментов, регулирующих сотрудничество в сфере обеспечения безопасности, разоружения, противодействия современным вызовам и угрозам, вносят реаль-ный вклад в их осуществление.
Совместные меры осуществляются с учетом ведущей роли Организации Объединенных Наций, необходимости развития конструктивного партнерства с другими международными институтами и их специализированными структура-ми, такими как Контртеррористический комитет, Управление по наркотикам и преступности, Международная организация уголовной полиции (Интерпол), Международная организация по миграции, Управление Верховного комиссара Организации Объединенных Наций по делам беженцев, Группа разработки фи-нансовых мер борьбы с отмыванием денег.
Как представляется, дальнейшее расширение и углубление взаимодействия Организации Объединенных Наций с ОДКБ, ШОС и СНГ на базе главы VIII Устава играет конструктивную роль в продвижении целей всемирной Организа-ции, включая преодоление современных вызовов и угроз. При этом, с одной сто-роны, эти региональные организации должны активно позиционировать себя с точки зрения задействования своего потенциала в интересах Организации Объ-единенных Наций. C другой — самой Организации Объединенных Наций следу-ет продолжать уделять необходимое внимание наращиванию координации и вза-имодействия c данными объединениями при строгом соблюдении прерогатив всемирной Организации и ее Совета Безопасности.
В этом контексте мы хотели бы предложить государствам — членам Орга-низации Объединенных Наций изложить собственное видение путей укрепления безопасности региона Евразии с опорой на имеющиеся региональные механиз-мы. Очевидно, что стабильность в этом макрорегионе станет фундаментом для экономического роста и государственного строительства стран Евразии; поэтому мы были бы признательны за соображения делегаций, в том числе и в плане увязки безопасности и развития. Убеждены, что здесь, в рамках всемирной Орга-низации, обладающей универсальной легитимностью, нам сообща будет по си-лам предложить инновационные подходы к вопросам стабилизации уязвимых ре-гионов, которые впоследствии могут быть применены и к другим частям плане-ты, находящимся в поле зрения Совета Безопасности.
В качестве докладчиков на дебатах выступят Генеральный секретарь Организации Объединенных Наций Пан Ги Мун, Генеральный секретарь ОДКБ Н. Н. Бордюжа, Генеральный секретарь ШОС Р. К. Алимов и заместитель Пред-седателя Исполнительного комитета СНГ С. И. Иванов. К участию в заседании приглашаются государства — члены вышеупомянутых региональных организа-ций и представители других заинтересованных государств. | 1 |
775 | Bill Herz, Last of ‘War of the Worlds’ Broadcast Crew, Dies at 99 - The New York Times | Sam Roberts | Bill Herz, the last surviving crew member of Orson Welles’s mock “War of the Worlds” newscast, which terrified American radio listeners in 1938 with vivid bulletins warning Newark residents to evacuate as invading Martians incinerated central New Jersey, died on May 10 in Manhattan. He was 99. The cause was complications of pneumonia, said Bill Kux, a cousin. Mr. Herz, who worked on other radio and theater productions as stage manager and casting director for Welles’s Mercury Theater company, staked one additional claim to fame. Until about six months ago, he had been a regular customer at Sardi’s restaurant, the gathering place for celebrities and tourists in the theater district, for some 82 years — beginning in 1933, just six years after it opened. That longevity alone distinguished him as a bon vivant in a shrinking cadre of original Broadway personalties. But he was also singled out periodically in the wider world as a relic of a bygone era, when a bogus radio news broadcast could provoke panic as war was brewing in Europe — however much that hysteria may have been overstated then and since. Welles’s CBS show “The Mercury Theater on the Air” presented an adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel “The War of the Worlds” for its Halloween episode on Sunday, Oct. 30, 1938. The live hourlong program began with an updated prelude to the original novel eerily warning that superintelligent beings had been coveting “this Earth with envious eyes. ” Then music, a weather report and other regular features were interrupted by simulated news bulletins and fake feeds from operators in the field. Mr. Herz, playing Operators Three and Five, took part in this exchange: Operator Three: This is Newark, New Jersey. … This is Newark, New Jersey. … Warning! Poisonous black smoke pouring in from Jersey marshes. Reaches South Street. Gas masks useless. Urge population to move into open spaces. … Automobiles use Routes 7, 23, 24. … Avoid congested areas. Smoke now spreading over Raymond Boulevard. … Operator Four: 2X2L … calling CQ … 2X2L … calling CQ … 2X2L … calling 8X3R … Come in, please. … Operator Five: This is 8X3R … coming back at 2X2L. Operator Four: How’s reception? How’s reception? K, please. (Pause.) Where are you, 8X3R? What’s the matter? Where are you? John Houseman, Welles’s producer, wrote in his 1972 memoir, “ ”: “Our actual broadcasting time, from the first mention of the meteorites to the fall of New York City, was less than 40 minutes. During that time men traveled long distances, large bodies of troops were mobilized, cabinet meetings were held, savage battles fought on land and in the air. And millions of people accepted it — emotionally if not logically. ” (Mr. Houseman went on to a distinguished career in theater and Hollywood.) Mr. Herz also read Welles’s part, that of a Professor Pierson at a New Jersey observatory, during rehearsals. He said he was surprised by the public’s response to the radio show. “During the broadcast, outside, policemen were coming,” he told CBS News in 2013. “They were told on the radio that the Martians were coming, the Martians were coming!” (Later scholarship about the incident suggested that the broadcast provoked far less fear among the public than has been popularly portrayed.) In a 2010 profile in The New York Times, Mr. Herz was quoted as saying: “I had done Orson’s part in the dress rehearsal, and after I did it, I thought to myself, ‘Nobody’s going to believe this in a million years.’ Boy, was I wrong. ” William Herz Jr. was born in Detroit on Aug. 2, 1916, the son of Harold William Herz, a girdle salesman, and the former Fannie Lichtig. (Bill Herz called himself Jr. even though he wasn’t one.) He graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh before moving to New York. He was briefly married to Susanne Guettel, whose brother Henry was a producer and film executive. No immediate family members survive. Mr. Herz had met Welles in Pittsburgh, where Welles, a young director at the time, had stopped while touring with a production of “Romeo and Juliet. ” They discovered that they had a common acquaintance in the actress Edith Meiser, a friend of Mr. Herz’s parents. Mr. Herz started working for Welles as a gofer. He later moved into Welles’s Manhattan home — Mr. Herz had been living with an aunt in Brooklyn — so that he could constantly be on call. They worked together on “Julius Caesar,” “The Cradle Will Rock” and “Too Much Johnson. ” Mr. Herz joined the Army Air Forces during World War II, managed a summer theater in Connecticut and produced and managed several plays in New York (including a few flops, one inauspiciously titled “The Strangler Fig”). After one failure, Vincent Sardi Sr. the founder of Sardi’s, generously invited him to keep an open tab in good times and bad. Another advantage to eating there was that Mackey’s Ticket Agency next door, where Mr. Herz later worked, had no restroom. Ivan Lesica, Sardi’s maître d’hôtel, said on Thursday that Mr. Herz would eat there once or twice a week and sit at Table Four, to the left of the dining room entrance, under his caricature. He would have coffee delivered in his own white mug, and typically order the chicken potpie or, appropriately enough for an habitué whom his cousin described as a confirmed curmudgeon, the crab meat sandwich. | 0 |
776 | Gary Johnson Equates Syria Deaths Caused by Assad and West - The New York Times | Maggie Haberman and Alexander Burns | Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, drew a parallel on Wednesday between the Syrian government’s targeting of noncombatants in that nation’s civil war and the accidental bombing of civilians by United forces. Attacking Hillary Clinton over what he criticized as her overly interventionist instincts, Mr. Johnson pointed to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians killed by forces loyal to President Bashar as well as civilian deaths caused by the coalition, and said Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state, bore at least partial responsibility. But when pressed four times on whether he saw a moral equivalence between deaths caused by the United States, directly or indirectly, and mass killings of civilians by Mr. Assad and his allies, Mr. Johnson made clear that he did. “Well no, of course not — we’re so much better than all that,” Mr. Johnson, a former New Mexico governor, said sarcastically. “We’re so much better when in Afghanistan, we bomb the hospital and 60 people are killed in the hospital. ” The remarks by Mr. Johnson came in an interview with The New York Times after a string of damaging stumbles when he has fielded questions about foreign affairs. After failing to recognize the Syrian city of Aleppo during a television interview Sept. 8, Mr. Johnson had another difficult moment on Sept. 28, when he vainly tried to name a foreign leader whom he admired. In the Times interview on Wednesday, Mr. Johnson conspicuously sought to avoid another misstep. Asked if he knew the name of North Korea’s leader, Mr. Johnson replied, “I do. ” “You want me to name” the person, he said, then paused, before adding dryly, “Really. ” But he declined to supply the name. Mr. Johnson complained that Mrs. Clinton was being judged on her base of knowledge rather than her interventionist instincts. “Because Hillary Clinton can dot the i’s and cross the t’s on geographic leaders, of the names of foreign leaders,” he said, “the underlying fact that hundreds of thousands of people have died in Syria goes by the wayside. ” He charged that Mrs. Clinton “bears responsibility for what’s happened, shared responsibility for what’s happened in Syria. I would not have put us in that situation from the . ” More than 400, 000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war, according to the United Nations. But Mr. Johnson complained that presidential candidates were expected to talk tough about dealing with dictators like Mr. Assad or risk losing support. “This is what happens in this country right now — unless you’re willing to say that you’re going to get tough on this stuff, on these atrocities — and these atrocities are horrible — but unless you as a politician are willing to do something about these atrocities then we’re not going to elect you,” Mr. Johnson said. Mr. Johnson speculated about the deals or promises that the Obama administration may have dangled before forces, but then said at other points that he was at a disadvantage discussing world events because he has not received the classified briefings that the Democratic and Republican nominees for president have been given. Mr. Johnson also declined to say whether his running mate, former Gov. William F. Weld of Massachusetts, had warned him of his intention to change course and spend the remainder of the presidential campaign attacking Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, as unqualified. Mr. Weld revealed those plans in an interview with The Boston Globe on Tuesday. “That may be his primary mission,” Mr. Johnson said of Mr. Weld’s plans. “We’re not scripted at all. And so I guess my role will be Hillary and his role will be Donald Trump. ” But he insisted that Mr. Weld would not drop out at any point and endorse Mrs. Clinton. “Absolutely,” Mr. Johnson said when asked if Mr. Weld would fight on until Nov. 8. Mr. Johnson said that the idea of hunkering down and trying to make an aggressive play to win his home state of New Mexico, where polls show him in contention, had crossed his mind. But he conceded that his chances of winning outright were all but gone. “Right now it’s a Hail Mary, not being in the presidential debates,” he said. | 0 |
777 | Republican Senators Bill to Defund UN Over Anti-Israel Resolution | Adelle Nazarian | On Thursday, Republican Senators Ted Cruz ( ) and Lindsey Graham ( ) introduced legislation that would defund the United Nations over the Security Council’s passage of UN Resolution 2334, which calls Israeli construction in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem “illegal. ”[The “Safeguard Israel Act” states that the U. S. government will be prohibited from giving any money to the UN, or any of its affiliates, until President Barack Obama confirms the UN resolution has been repealed and can certify that he has done so. America provides the UN with 22 percent of its budget, contributing $8 billion to the largely organization annually. “United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 falsely claims that Israel’s sovereignty over the eastern part of Jerusalem and Jewish communities in the West Bank are illegal under international law, and that the Old City of Jerusalem, along with the Temple Mount, the holiest site for the Jewish people, and the Western Wall are ‘occupied Palestinian territory,’” the Safeguard Israel Act states. The December 23 resolution 2334 passed nearly unanimously despite the Obama administration’s decision to break with tradition and abstain from voting instead of vetoing it. Because the United States is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, an American veto would have automatically stopped the resolution and prevented it from passing. “President Obama betrayed decades of robust bipartisan American support for Israel at the United Nations by permitting the passage of a biased resolution that condemns our close friend and ally,” Sen. Cruz said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday morning. “The Security Council’s resolution is only the latest example of the UN’s long history of obsessive hostility towards Israel. ” Sen. Graham said, “I begged the UN months before, don’t put me in this box. I think most Americans believe the United Nations has become more more . ” He added, “I’m a big internationalist, but we’re gonna stop the money until we get this fixed. ” The Safeguard Israel Act also notes that during his final address to the UNSC on December 16, outgoing UN Ban admitted UN bias against Israel when he stated, “Decades of political maneuverings have created a disproportionate volume of resolutions, reports, and conferences criticizing Israel. ” The legislation adds, the “United Nations passes more resolutions condemning Israel than any other country in the world. ” Last week, the House of Representatives passed a resolution on a vote objecting to the Security Council vote. Despite strong bipartisan support for the measure, at least 75 Democrats and four Republicans voted against it many of the opposing Democrats accused Republicans of introducing HR 11 to attack Obama unfairly in the last two weeks of his presidency. Rep. Jan Schakowsky ( ) Rep. David Price ( ) and Rep. Keith Ellison ( ) were among Democrats to vote against HR 11. Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope @AdelleNaz, | 0 |
778 | null | Rex Kwon Do ✓ᵈᵉᵖˡᵒʳᵃᵇˡᵉ | Before you start complaining about the Philippines, take a look at your own country. We won't be entitled to criticize other countries until we've had 8 years of Trump to straighten our own messes out. | 1 |
779 | Rose Evansky, a Pioneer in Women’s Hairstyling, Dies at 94 - The New York Times | William Grimes | Rose Evansky, a British hairdresser who liberated women from the prison of the domed dryer when she invented styling at her London salon in the early 1960s, died on Nov. 21. She was 94. Her death was reported only recently by the British news media. There was no information on where she died. Mrs. Evansky, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, set up as a hairstylist soon after World War II. She and her hairdresser husband, Albert, opened a small shop in Hendon, a London suburb, and did so well that, in 1954, they moved to Mayfair, where the city’s elite paid top money for styling. One day in 1962, as she faced a tedious morning of chemical and tight curling, tasks she disliked, inspiration struck. “I’d been wandering past a barbershop in Brook Street around the corner from our salon in North Audley Street, and I saw the barber drying the front of a man’s hair with a brush and a dryer,” she told W magazine in 2012. “And this image — of the barber with the dryer — flashed through my mind and I thought, ‘Why not for women? ’” She experimented on one of her clients, a Mrs. Hay. “I picked up a spiky plastic hairbrush and a hand dryer and started rolling a wet section of her hair around the brush, followed by warm air from the hand dryer held in my left hand,” she wrote in a memoir, “In Paris We Sang” (2013). “The more sections of wet hair I rolled over the brush, the easier it became, and soon part of Mrs. Hay’s curly hair looked smooth, as if it had been brushed through from a set. Exciting!” One day by chance, Lady Clare Rendlesham, the editor of the British edition of Vogue, dropped by the salon and, witnessing a in progress, stopped dead in her tracks. “What are you doing, Rose?” Mrs. Evansky recalled her shouting. Lady Clare immediately tipped off her friend Barbara Griggs, the fashion editor of The Evening Standard, who came in to behold the soft and flowing style. That afternoon, the newspaper trumpeted the news of “the blow wave” to its readers. “This instantly earned her a reputation as one of the top hairdressers in London and went on to become the norm in hair drying,” Hairdressers Journal International wrote in 2012, celebrating the industry’s pioneers. Mrs. Evansky took quiet pride in getting women out from under the sizzling heat of the dome, and in the durability of her invention. “I always look at the prices of hairdressers now, and I say, my God, it’s still there: ‘’” she told an interviewer for the beauty brand Space NK in 2013. “How wonderful, 50 years later. ” She was born Rosel Lerner on May 30, 1922, in Worms, south of Frankfurt. Her parents were immigrants from Poland. In 1938, when the family was living in Ludwigshafen, her father was arrested and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp. Speaking only German and Yiddish, she was sent to Britain on one of the last Kindertransport trains that carried Jewish children out of Germany. She lived briefly with a family in Dudley, in the West Midlands, before moving to London, just in time for the Blitz. There, she apprenticed for a barber in Whitechapel, and distinguished herself with her zeal. “I worked and practiced till late at night on anyone who’d let me get at their hair,” she wrote in her memoir. As World War II raged, she embarked on her career, finding work at a salon near Regent Street. In 1943, she married Albert Evansky. When their marriage ended in divorce, her husband bought her share of the business. He sold it in the early 1980s. What Florence was to painting and sculpture during the Renaissance, Mayfair was to the art of hairstyling in the 1950s and ’60s. Mrs. Evansky sat atop the heap, the lone woman in a field monopolized by men. In “Vidal: The Autobiography,” Vidal Sassoon called her “without question the top female stylist in the country and the equal of any man. ” Her protégés included Leonard Lewis, known professionally as Leonard of Mayfair, who died on Nov. 30. Mrs. Evansky was in the forefront of the Mayfair style, which emphasized “freedom and movement, rather than contrived waves and curls,” Kim Smith of the University of East London wrote in her doctoral dissertation on West London hair salons. The Mayfair look led directly to the internationally celebrated styles associated with Swinging London and the likes of Jean Shrimpton, Julie Christie and Twiggy, who was a client of Mr. Lewis. In 1965, soon after leaving her husband, Mrs. Evansky married the playwright Denis Cannan, took his last name and moved with him to the countryside in East Sussex. He died in 2011. She is survived by two stepsons, Alexander and Nicholas Cannan a stepdaughter, Crescy Cannan and two . Her own hair was naturally . “My hair is best described as ‘windswept,’ as I live near the sea,” she told W magazine. “I’ve never colored it, and I cut it myself. Why would I let anyone else when I can do it myself?” | 0 |
780 | null | mitch51 | Brother Hodges,
There is no need to have other people discredit you. You do great in accomplishing this all by yourself. I think that what lends credence to this, is that you have NEVER been right regarding ANYTHING. EVER.
Sincerely, Your #! Fan | 1 |
781 | Blackstone, Saudi Arabia Announce $40 Billion Investment in U.S. Infrastructure - Breitbart | Katherine Rodriguez | Private equity firm Blackstone Group, in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, announced that they would commit $40 billion to invest in infrastructure projects, mainly in the U. S.[Blackstone, by Trump supporter Stephen Schwarzman, entered a agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to move forward with this initiative, the Hill reported. Saudi Arabia’s PIF had agreed to put down $20 billion for the project, while the rest of the money would come from outside investors. Although Blackstone says the fund has been negotiated between the firms for the past year, the partnership is which means that there is not a formal structure for the fund yet and the firms are still discussing certain aspects of the agreement, Forbes reported. Blackstone and PIF each gave a vote of confidence to the new partnership. “This potential investment reflects our positive views around the ambitious infrastructure initiatives being undertaken in the United States as announced by President Trump,” PIF managing director Yasir said in a statement. “This will create American jobs and will lay the foundation for stronger economic growth,” Blackstone president Hamilton James said. The partnership between the U. S. and Saudi Arabian companies comes as President Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia as the initial stop of his first trip abroad as president. Trump has already signed a series of agreements with Saudi King Salman solidifying their military and economic partnerships on his first full day in the country. | 0 |
782 | Saturated Fat and Heart Disease: “The Greatest Scam in the History of Medicine” | Admin - Orissa | Saturated Fat and Heart Disease: “The Greatest Scam in the History of Medicine”
by Brian Shilhavy Editor, Health Impact News
Dr. Malcom Kendrick is a Scottish doctor and author of the book The Great Cholesterol Con .
Recently he wrote a blog post on saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. He commented on how the science actually proves the opposite conclusion from what is commonly believed about saturated fats:
To be honest, I have studied saturated fat consumption many, many… many, many, times. The one thing that has always stood out, most starkly, is the complete lack of any real evidence to support the idea that it causes cardiovascular disease.
On the other hand, evidence contradicting it arrives on an almost daily basis.
Kendrick goes on to quote from a recently published study which showed, in Kendrick’s words:
The more saturated fat you eat, the lower your risk of dying of cardiovascular disease, and vice-versa.
So why is this hypothesis about saturated fat and heart disease so entrenched in medical circles?
Kendrick draws an interesting parallel between the recent attacks against Dr. Waney Squier and her exposure of the theory of “Shaken Baby Syndrome” as having no scientific merit.
My thoughts were drawn to this issue by something seemingly unconnected. Which is a legal hearing in the UK concerning shaken baby syndrome. Most experts in paediatrics are absolutely convinced that there is such a thing. It is quoted in textbooks as an undisputed fact. Many parents, and other adults, have been convicted, and sent to jail, for shaking their babies so hard that it caused the ‘triad’ of shaken baby syndrome: subdural hematoma, retinal bleeding, and brain swelling
On the other hand, we have Dr. Waney Squier, a paediatrician who used to provide expert opinion on child abuse cases in the UK. She was struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC) for, well the exact judgement is, as per Derrida, impossible to understand.
Leaving the machinations of the GMC aside, the main issue is simple. Dr. Waney Squier does not believe that shaken baby syndrome exists. Of course she knows that the triad of subdural haematoma, retinal bleeding and brain swelling exists. But she believes there could be other explanations. Including, perish the very thought, an accidental fall.
Because she does not believe in shaken baby syndrome, she has presented evidence in court which has tended to undermine the prosecution case against parents and carers, accused of shaking a baby and causing severe brain damage. Much to the annoyance of the police, and they then, for it was indeed them, reported Dr. Squier to the GMC.
Now, I know what most of you are thinking. Surely ‘shaken baby syndrome’ exists. This must have been proven. Well, it has not. If you think about it, how could it be proven? How do you think a study on shaken baby syndrome could ever be done? Get five hundred children, shake them forcefully and see what happens to their brains. I suspect you might find gaining ethical approval for a such a study might be tricky. Shaken Baby Syndrome: Saturated Fat Consumption
Kendrick goes on to explain what he sees as the rationale in both scientific theories that seem to have very little evidence to support, and yet is widely held in medical circles. Regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome:
On the fact of it shaken baby syndrome and saturated fat consumption have very little in common. However, from another perspective the parallels are clear. Both are seductively simple ideas that appeal to common sense. That most deadly of all senses.
Most people can clearly see how a small, vulnerable, baby will suffer significant brain injury if it is shaken too hard. Close your eyes and you can virtually see it happening. If you can bear having that image in your head for any length of time.
Most parents, I think, can almost see themselves doing it, or having done it – when their child will ‘just not dammed well stop crying.’ In short, shaken baby syndrome can easily be visualised, and it triggers a kind of visceral horror. We can easily see how a feckless parent may lack the self-control required to stop themselves doing it. ‘Shut up, shut up, shut up….’
And that, dear reader, is as scientific as shaken baby syndrome gets. A hypothesis based on visceral fear, prejudice, and knee-jerk judgement. This makes it almost perfectly resistant to any contradictory evidence. Try to argue against it, and you will meet anger and bluster and the idée fixe.
Regarding Saturated Fats causing Heart Disease:
The ‘saturated fat causing heart disease hypothesis’ comes from a very similar place called – well, it’s obvious isn’t it, just common sense. Heart disease is basically a build up of fat in the arteries, isn’t it? Where can that possibly come from? Fat in the diet. Especially the thick, sticky, gooey stuff that you get on a pork chop, or suchlike. That’s got to be it hasn’t it? The thick horrible squidgy gooey fat that you eat, ends up as thick horrible squidgy gooey fat in your arteries. Serves you right for eating fat, and McDonald’s, and suchlike.
There rests the entire scientific argument against saturated fat. As such it is difficult to argue against. Facts simply bounce off.
Comment on this article at CoconutOil.com. Published on November 9, 2016 Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
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783 | Dem Sen Merkley: Gorsuch Nomination A ’Court-Packing Scheme’ - He Should Have Turned Down Nomination - Breitbart | Ian Hanchett | On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Wolf,” Senator Jeff Merkley ( ) stated that Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court is a “ scheme. ” And that if Gorsuch was principled, “he would have turned down this nomination, on the basis that the person who should be nominated is Merrick Garland. ” Merkley said he would vote against Gorsuch because “I’m not going to be part of a scheme. This seat, for the first time in US history, was stolen from one president and delivered to the next, with the hope of packing the court to the far right. And with Gorsuch, we’re talking to the very far right. ” Merkley further said that if Gorsuch was principled, “he would have turned down this nomination, on the basis that the person who should be nominated is Merrick Garland. ” He later added, “[I]f one doesn’t care about the integrity of the court, and you just want to look at this nominee from a judicial perspective, we have two other significant problems with him. The first is that the president’s team is under investigation for having potentially interfered in the US presidential election. If that turns out to be true, that is traitorous conduct. And that means that this conversation should be set aside until that is cleared up. And the second is, Gorsuch is way out of the mainstream. He hates class action lawsuits. He doesn’t want the LGBT community to be able to use the courts to end discrimination. He finds and twists a lot to find corporations — for corporations against ordinary citizens time after time after time. ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 0 |
784 | Four Common Mistakes When Burning Wood | Lisa Tanner | Lisa Tanner October 31, 2016 Four Common Mistakes When Burning Wood
Do you heat your house with wood heat? Wood stoves are a great way to provide heat even when the power goes out. They help lower your heat bill .
But, burning wood takes a little preparation. You need to make sure your stove is ready to burn safely throughout the winter months. You’ll have to put up a supply of firewood to see you through the season.
Here are some major mistakes people make when burning wood, and how you can avoid them.
1. Not Inspecting & Cleaning Your Stove
Before you start burning around the clock, make sure your stove and chimney are ready for the season. As part of this inspection, you’ll want to examine your firebrick lining and see if any of it needs replaced. The brick reflects heat, keeping the body of the stove from overheating.
You’ll also want to make sure the chimney is cleaned. You can either get it cleaned professionally, or do it yourself, whichever you are most comfortable with. This will prevent chimney fires, and help your fire burn more efficiently.
If any of your stovepipe leading to the chimney has a sharp turn, you’ll want to give that section extra attention during cleaning. Creosote can build up quickly in a bend. When your stove is cool, disconnect the pipe if you can and take it outside to ensure its thoroughly cleaned.
While you’re checking your stove, be sure to check the seal around the door. You want a tight seal to keep smoke from getting into your house. The braid cord that’s around the door in many stove models may occasionally need replaced.
Once everything is in good working order, you’ll be all set to use your stove all winter long. Neglecting these steps can lead to a chimney or house fire.
2. Not Having Enough Wood
You don’t want to run out of wood in the middle of winter. It’s always best to have too much wood on hand rather than too little. How much you’ll need depends on many factors, such as: Whether your family is home all day How large your house is How much insulation your house has How low the temperatures drop in your area The type of wood you’ll be burning How hot you like your fires How much of the year you’ll burn
I live in a large, old home without much insulation in the rooms we haven’t yet renovated. Most windows are still single-paned. And the kids and I are home all day long.
We burn a lot more wood than my parents who live across the street. Their home is insulated well, has updated windows, and they work out of the house so they just bank their fire before they leave.
Ten cord of wood is what we try to have on hand at the start of winter. We don’t typically burn it all, but if the temperatures drop below zero, we go through wood at an alarming rate. We also don’t just burn in the “winter” months. To keep the house comfortable, we usually burn September through May.
It’s a lot of wood, but I’d much rather end the burning season with a head start on next winter’s supply than be caught short. We did that once when we first moved here, and falling dead trees with three feet of snow on the ground in the freezing weather wasn’t fun.
When you make your estimate for firewood usage, estimate high, especially if it’s your first year. You’ll be able to get a better idea of how much wood you used in the spring. That’ll make future estimates easier.
3. Not Storing Your Wood Properly
Once you have your firewood cut, it’s time to split it and stack it . You want to make sure it’s not going to get wet over the winter, so store it somewhere dry.
It’s best to store your wood off the ground a bit, like on a pallet. That way the air can circulate throughout the pile and keep everything dry.
You can stack your wood in a woodshed, an old barn, a lean-to, or pallets in the yard with a tarp on top. You’ll want to ensure a couple sides of your woodpile are opened to allow air to circulate.
Since wood is flammable and can attract pests, it’s best not to store large quantities of it touching your house or in your basement.
Properly storing your firewood will help protect your supply . That way you always have seasoned wood ready to go when you need it.
If you don’t take care of your woodpile, it’ll get exposed to the elements and won’t dry out.
4. Not Having a Backup Plan
What would happen if your wood supply gets stolen or compromised? What if you underestimated how much you’d need and now you’re out?
If you need to heat your home and you’re out of wood, there are some alternatives to burn in your stove. Some will burn quickly, while others will smolder for quite a while.
You should think through a worst-case scenario before winter hits, and examine some of your options. Rolled Jean Logs
Do you have old jeans that no longer fit or are so full of holes you can’t wear them? You can roll each pair into a tight log, tie it with string or twine, and then let it burn.
The tighter you roll it, the longer it’ll take to burn. That’s because you’re keeping the air from circulating through it as quickly.
To make a jean roll, you’ll need a pair of jeans and a couple of feet of string. Here’s the way I found to be the easiest.
Stretch the jeans out in front of you, with the legs closest to your body. Begin rolling one leg. Roll it as tight as you can, jellyroll style.
Once you get to the crotch, take a section of string and tie it around the rolled leg to keep it in place. You’ll want the string to run across the long end of the roll rather than the short end.
Now, repeat with the other leg.
When both legs are secure, grab onto both sections. Slowly begin rolling the leg rolls up into the waist of the pants. It’ll be bulky, so you’ll have to keep pressure on it to keep it tight.
The waist section should completely cover the individual leg rolls and wrap around it a couple of times. Once you’ve reached the top of the jeans, it’s best if you have some help to tie it. That way you can ensure it stays tightly wound.
Wrap string all the way around it and secure tightly. Repeat in three more places. Now your jean logs are ready for the fireplace. Rolled Paper Logs
Do you have a large supply of newspapers on hand? What about books, magazines, or a couple of phone books? This paper can all be used to create rolled paper logs to burn.
You’ll need to stack up your paper before you roll it. You want your finished log to be about three inches in diameter, so you might need to experiment with how much you stack to see how thick your finished product turns out.
As with the jeans, you’ll want to roll the paper as tightly as possible. It’ll take a while to get the first couple of logs rolled, but once you get the hang of it, the process will go more quickly.
Once the paper is rolled, use string, twine, or rubber bands to hold it tightly. You don’t want it to unroll on you. Video first seen on New and Lost Crafts . Green Wood
If you have access to green wood, you can cut it down and it’ll burn. Are there any shrubs, bushes, or trees in your yard that you could get to safely?
When going this route, keep in mind that green wood burns differently than seasoned wood. It’s harder to start, and may require a propane torch instead of just a match.
Unseasoned wood also puts more creosote into your chimney, so you’ll want to ensure you check the chimney frequently for any build up. If you notice build up, let your fire go out and clean the chimney before you use it again. You don’t want to start a chimney fire! An Emergency Tree
We usually pick out one or two emergency trees at the start of each fire burning season. These are standing dead trees on the property that’ll be accessible by tractor even in the middle of winter. If our wood supply is ever compromised, we know that we can get a couple loads from those trees.
If you have your own wooded land, you might consider leaving an emergency tree too. Twisted Straw Sticks
You can take a page out of a Little House book and use the method Laura and Pa did in The Long Winter. When the Ingalls family ran out of wood to burn, they started twisting hay into long sticks.
It was time consuming, but kept the family warm through the long winter. If you have a surplus of hay or straw, you can make your own sticks to burn. You’ll want to ensure the sticks are tightly wound so they burn longer. Broken Furniture and Wood Scraps
Do you have any broken wood furniture around your homestead? How about wood scraps from building projects? Both can be burned.
What other wood burning mistakes can you add?
These are four common mistakes that people burning with wood make. Can you add others to the list? How do you best prepare for your wood burning season?
Lisa Tanner for Survivopedia. 7 total views, 7 views today | 1 |
785 | Push for Internet Privacy Rules Moves to Statehouses - The New York Times | Conor Dougherty | Now that Republicans are in charge, the federal government is poised to roll back regulations limiting access to consumers’ online data. States have other ideas. As on climate change, immigration and a host of other issues, some state legislatures may prove to be a counterweight to Washington by enacting new regulations to increase consumers’ privacy rights. Illinois legislators are considering a “right to know” bill that would let consumers find out what information about them is collected by companies like Google and Facebook, and what kinds of businesses they share it with. Such a right, which European consumers already have, has been a longtime goal of privacy advocates. Two other proposals face a crucial Illinois House committee vote this week. One would regulate when consumers’ locations can be tracked by smartphone applications, and another would limit the use of microphones in devices like mobile phones, smart TVs and personal assistants like Amazon’s Echo. Should they be passed into law, these rules could end up guiding the rights of consumers far beyond Illinois — because they would provide a model for other states, and because it would be difficult for technology companies with hundreds of millions of users to create a patchwork of and features to localize their effects. Congress is pushing to overturn regulations imposed by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration that limit the collection of data by broadband providers like ATT and Comcast. The Senate approved the rollback last week, and the House is expected to follow this week. Congressional Republicans argue that the rules would add an unneeded and confusing layer of regulation and that they fail to distinguish between broadband providers and content companies like Facebook and Google. They also assert, more broadly, that such regulation is onerous and stifles innovation. Illinois is not the only place where state legislators are asserting themselves in the opposite direction. California and Connecticut, for instance, recently updated laws that restrict government access to online communications like email, and New Mexico could follow soon. Last year, Nebraska and West Virginia passed laws that limit how companies can monitor employees’ social media accounts, while legislators in Hawaii, Missouri and elsewhere are pushing similar bills for employees, as well as for students and tenants. “More and more, states have taken the position that, if Congress is not willing or able to enact strong privacy laws, their legislatures will no longer sit on their hands,” said Chad Marlow, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union. Online privacy is the rare issue that draws together legislators from the left and the far right. At the state level, anyway, some of the progress has come from a marriage between progressive Democrats and Republicans, who see privacy as a bedrock principle, Mr. Marlow said. States have often been a kind of regulatory laboratory. Be it tax cuts, emission regulations, gay rights or gun laws, advocates on both the left and the right have long worked at the state level to push agendas that Washington is too busy or hostile to handle. In the case of online privacy, consumer groups and civil liberties advocates had a friendly ear in many quarters of the Obama administration. Now they face a White House and a Congress that are looking to roll back regulations, not create them. But federal blockage can create local opportunities. “What you’re seeing is this growing recognition of the intrusiveness of these technologies, and some efforts — not to regulate them out of existence, but to regulate them in ways that allow people who care about this to preserve their own privacy,” said David Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown Law School, and the former director of the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection bureau. “So what’s going to happen is California is going to supplant Congress, and it’s going to be augmented by states like Illinois, Minnesota and even Texas in efforts to protect consumer privacy. ” In Illinois, the “right to know” legislation recently cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, paving the way for a full vote sometime in the next few weeks. Technology companies and their trade organizations are lobbying fiercely against it. “I think I created 30 jobs when I filed this bill,” said Michael Hastings, a Democratic state senator who sponsored the measure. Mr. Hastings said lobbyists representing companies including Microsoft, Apple, Lyft and Amazon had visited his office to talk about amending the bill. Several technology trade groups, including the Internet Association and NetChoice, have pushed publicly against the legislation. In an interview, Carl Szabo, senior policy counsel at NetChoice, said the law could add a burden of compliance costs and legal fees on essentially any company with a website that collects information, even routine things like creating email lists or giving online support to customers. “Hiring attorneys to write privacy policies, coming up with terms of service — that will be a real burden for small businesses,” he said. Illinois also has another dimension: lawyers. Almost a decade ago the state passed a trailblazing law, the Biometric Information Privacy Act, that regulates the collection of things like facial scans, voice data and thumbprints. This has given rise to a series of potentially expensive lawsuits against Facebook, Google and others. Last year, lobbyists for Facebook failed in a push for an amendment that would have weakened the biometric law by exempting technologies that are now commonly used on social media. In the interim, however, lawyers at Edelson PC, a firm that has become notorious among tech companies for its prolific filing of privacy suits, have gone on offense with a lobbying campaign of their own. Firm lawyers have also helped found a new nonprofit group, the Digital Privacy Alliance, as an advocate for privacy legislation in Illinois and elsewhere. “We were forced to get involved politically because once we started winning a lot of cases in court, they all went on the offensive,” said Jay Edelson, founder of Edelson PC. “It’s important because the Trump administration is doing so much to roll back privacy rights, so there is going to be a huge shift to state lawmakers and state attorneys general. ” | 0 |
786 | null | Moron | f | 1 |
787 | Madonna Gave a Surprise Pop-Up Concert to Support Clinton. We Were There. - The New York Times | Annie Correal | The words “Madonna” and “concert” hardly conjure images of an intimate gathering, but on the eve of Election Day in the heart of Greenwich Village, that is what a few hundred people got. On Monday evening, the singer announced online a surprise concert in Washington Square Park in Manhattan with just enough time for fans to drop their forks, reroute their taxis and arrive to see her sashay onstage in a bomber jacket with fluorescent green sleeves and a winter hat sprinkled with stars. Madonna stood in the middle of the round fountain at the center of the square, holding a red guitar and pledging her support for the Democratic presidential nominee. She welcomed everyone to “a surprise, impromptu rally for Hillary Rodham Clinton. ” And the crowd, which had been huddled around the edges of the fountain, leapt to its feet. She then broke into her song “Express Yourself,” modifying the lyrics to say, “Make her express herself. ” The Material Girl’s message was decidedly feminist and J. Trump, the Republican nominee. “Women are marginalized, let’s face it,” Madonna said between songs. “As far as I’m concerned, we still live in an extremely chauvinist, sexist, misogynist country. And that’s why Hillary Clinton needs to be president. ” The show was just five songs long: Madonna’s own “Express Yourself,” “Like a Prayer” and “Don’t Tell Me” as well as “Imagine” and a of “If I Had a Hammer” and her “Rebel Heart. ” It was mainly a singalong, in the folk music tradition of the Village. People held signs, shouted “I’m with her” and appeared to know all of the words. Those in attendance included unsuspecting tourists in the right place at the right time, New Yorkers who had gotten texts while leaving work and volunteers for Mrs. Clinton, many of them young women, who had spent the day calling and texting voters in battleground states. There were also some super fans. “I literally stalked this for 48 hours,” said David Yontef, 46, who lives in Chelsea and works in advertising. For more than a day, he said, there had been false leads on the location of the secret concert. “I was going to hop on a train to Philly then it seemed like it might be in Michigan — I was refreshing the browser every 10 minutes,” he said. “Then suddenly at 7 p. m. they said 7:30 here. We left dinner on the table, threw money on the table and jumped in a cab. This is history. This is Madonna, and she’s trying to get the first woman in the White House. ” Was he satisfied with the show? “Oh my God,” he said, “it was everything. ” | 0 |
788 | Women won't earn the same as men for another two centuries - report | null | Thu, 27 Oct 2016 11:40 UTC © Joshua Lott / Reuters It will take close to two centuries for women to earn the same as men, according to the World Economic Forum's latest report. The annual Global Gender Gap Report was released Tuesday and found economic disparity between the sexes is on the rise. When looking at income and employment, we are back to similar levels of inequality seen during the 2008 financial crash. "At the current rate of change, and given the widening economic gender gap since last year, it will not be closed for another 170 years," the report read. The Gender Gap Index uses economics, education, health and political empowerment to rank 144 countries that have enough available data to use. Last year's report estimated it would take 118 years for economic equality to be achieved. Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden were the best countries on the Global Gender Gap Index having closed the gender gap in more than 80 percent of cases, but all still have disparities between the sexes. Rwanda and Ireland came fifth and sixth in the index. The UK came 20th and the US came 45th, falling 17 places from last year. Yemen came last. "There also continues to be a persistent wage gap in paid work," the report says. "Women's average earnings are almost half those of men, with average global earned income for women and men estimated at US$10,778 and $19,873, respectively. Countries that perform well in this dimension of gender parity span all regional and income groups." To examine economic participation and opportunity, the report looks at the ratio of female and male workers, wage equality for similar work and the ratio of women to men in various roles. The greatest gap between the sexes was found in political empowerment. The first Index was conducted in 2006 to track gender disparities and countries' progress over time. | 1 |
789 | Trump Supporter Plans Anti-Trump Rally over Lack of Tax Reform | Dan Riehl | Autry Pruitt, board member of FAIRtax. org spoke with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Friday regarding tax day rallies planned to take place across America, including in front of Trump Tower in NYC. [Said Pruitt, “FAIRtax. org is holding a rally tomorrow and we’re holding the rally to help remind President Trump of what he promised. Our fear after watching the recent events in Syria, our fear after watching what occurred with Obamacare is that President Trump is going to be urged, he’s going to get a push from the media, to turn tax reform over to the establishment. ” “And that’s exactly what we do not want,” he continued. “So, we felt that at this time it is imperative that all the people who voted for him, who’s sweat and I believe your previous guest who talked about having blood coming from their feet as they marched for him, we believe that it’s imperative that we remind President Trump we were there for you. We got you there. When nobody else said you could, we said you can and you will. ” Pruitt also authored a book titled Planes, Steak Water: Defending Donald J. Trump in September of 2016. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a. m. to 9:00 a. m. Eastern. | 0 |
790 | British Healthcare Offers a Glimpse into the Future of Obamacare | The Common Constitutionalist | Print
Obamacare is once again in the news – this time for the massive rate hikes Americans have to look forward to in a few months. The right is decrying the hikes, as the left desperately tries to down-play them or just deflect and change the subject.
Citizens already stretched to their budgetary limits are wondering how on Earth they will ever be able to afford the insurance premiums – some rising well over 50%. I personally fail to see how a family who is struggling to pay their current premiums will ever be able swing even a 15 or 20% increase, much less 50%.
Combine the massive rate hikes with the availability of insurers, which shrink every year, and you have a recipe for mass financial disaster. Can you say a record year for personal bankruptcy? Yeah – I think so. And always remember – Obamacare is just shoddy health insurance. It is NOT healthcare, as everyone on the left consistently and purposely sells it. The left does like their word games.
But, as has been said a myriad of times from us on the right – Obamacare is a fiasco by design. It is a premeditated failure. A single-payer, entirely government-run system has always been the end. Obamacare was always intended to be the deceptive means to that end.
As a single-payer healthcare system is the want of the leftist statists, let me site yet another example of what the future holds for many in the good ole U.S. of A.
Jolly old England is said to have the “best of both worlds” – private and public healthcare; but in fact, only the wealthiest 5-7% can afford the private care, leaving the rest to the public option – which is far from adequate.
Inadequate care and hopelessly long wait times just to receive the sub-par care is the rule in England, not the exception.
In 2011, the UK Telegraph reported that, “NHS [National Health Service] managers are deliberately delaying operations as they wait for patients either to die or go private in order to save money, according to an official report.” That’s right. In order to cut costs, bureaucrats at the NHS have become defacto “death panels.” Sound familiar?
One such poor sap who just recently ended up caught in the maze of the British healthcare bureaucracy is Paul Dibbins, a former British Army Lance Corporal. The father of three had suffered serious frost bite. After months of trying to heal his toes, he had developed gangrene.
The NHS scheduled surgery to remove his lower leg – below the knee. Without the surgery, the gangrene would spread, eventually killing him. A grim outlook either way, but having no lower leg is better than an agonizing death, he thought.
Unfortunately for the former soldier, the NHS made him wait six weeks for the procedure. And then something happened. At the eleventh hour, NHS postponed the surgery yet again, for another six weeks – no doubt, in an attempt to cut costs.
Mr. Dibbins was desperate at this point and decided to do the only thing he could. He said: “Knowing that it would take at least another six weeks to get me in front of a surgeon again, that’s when I bit the bullet and cut off the toes.”
And that he did. Using no painkillers at all, Dibbins scraped away the dead flesh from his two blackened toes and proceeded to sever the tendons with the only thing he had available – a pair of nail clippers. The procedure took him about an hour to remove both affected toes. A surgeon later told him he was crazy, but that the home-style operation was “textbook.”
So, as we proceed further down the path of a single-payer, government run healthcare system, home surgery may also be in our future – as Washington bureaucrats and death panels decide which of us is worth saving.
I better dust off my old game of “ Operation ” and start practicing. shares | 1 |
791 | null | cargosquid | That's a good point.
But there is also the economic truth that you specialize in your strengths. | 1 |
792 | Trump to Iranian President Rouhani: ’Better Be Careful’ - Breitbart | Breitbart Jerusalem | Reuters reported: ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) — U. S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran President Hassan Rouhani “better be careful” after Rouhani was quoted as saying that anyone who speaks to Iranians with threats would regret it. [Trump was asked in a brief appearance in the press cabin aboard Air Force One about Rouhani’s reported remarks to a rally in Tehran to celebrate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Rouhani was quoted in media reports as saying Iran had shown in the 38 years since the revolution that “it will make anyone who speaks to Iranians with the language of threats regret it. ” “He better be careful,” Trump said. Read the full story here. | 0 |
793 | BREAKING: Sec of Defense Carter Attempting to Fool the American Public About Veterans! Caught Red-Handed! | Scott Osborn | 0 comments If you are one of the Americans DISGUSTED with Obama’s Pentagon demanding 10,000 war Veterans pay back enlistment bonuses handed out a decade ago, get ready to be FURIOUS!
Many of these Veterans served multiple combat tours and the bonuses were used to entice them to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan! Many have lost limbs and have suffered!
I would imagine that some are deceased and their spouses or family are having to deal with this!
But the headlines read: U.S. Defense Secretary orders Pentagon to stop asking veterans to repay reenlistment bonuses
He is only suspending until he is “satisfied that our process is working effectively.”. In other words, until this dies down so that they can go back to stealing from our fine Veterans! Secretary Carter and the Pentagon are NOT stopping this insanity! ABSOLUTELY NOT Ash Carter. This CHANGES NOTHING!
You are still going about taking that money, just later after the anger dies down! I ain’t falling for it!
If you are hurting for money, why don’t you ask the Iranians for some of those BILLIONS Obama just handed them back! Don’t you DARE do this to our hardworking Veterans!
You need to be giving the monies already collected back! The Pentagon needs to be saying, we are STOPPING this entirely! SHAME ON YOU! You are even CHARGING INTEREST on this “debt”. I have never been so ashamed of the Pentagon and it’s leadership in MY LIFE! Secretary Carter, you are a MORON !
We already pay our servicemen and women way too little for the sacrifices they make! Their healthcare is abominable and their benefits are abominable! And I KNOW what kind of standard of living you live Carter!!
EVERYONE involved in this decision to to walk down this insane road with our war veterans need to be publicly spanked. YES!! EXACTLY what I mean. They need to be…in public…bare butt spanked. Pull them trousers down, lay them over a lap, and blister red those butts attached to those morons who are behind this scheme with a big Texas belt!. Seriously!
Maybe if they faced that humiliation they might think twice again before making such an obnoxious decision against our veterans.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy pledged a House investigation of the problem, calling the Pentagon demands for repayment of bonuses from combat veterans “disgraceful.”
Congress best stop this insanity before it goes any further. Secretary Carter… DON”T YOU DARE try to deceive the American people and punt this down the road.
Red Skelton famously said, “From the people to the leaders, not the leaders to the people!” YOU Sir, are a public SERVANT..not a Master. The “public servants” are the SLAVES and We the People are the masters because that is how this country was set up.
You said today you have a responsibility to the American taxpayer! YES you do! You have a responsibility to STOP this MADNESS. We the People are not going away! You just set your legacy in stone! You might want to fix it! | 1 |
794 | Putin’s Adviser Takes Credit For Trump Victory: ‘Maybe We Helped A Bit With Wikileaks’ | Blanche Benson |
Donald Trump’s shocking presidential win last night has left most of the world in mortified awe, but one leader seems especially pleased by the upset, perhaps because he had something to do with it.
Just hours after Trump took the stage to deliver his acceptance speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the president-elect on his win. It was only three weeks ago, at the third presidential debate that Hillary Clinton said Trump would be Putin’s “puppet” and it looks like Putin is eager to take on the master’s role.
Speaking from the Kremlin, Putin specifically praised Trump on his vow to restore relations with Russia:
“We understand the way to that will be difficult, taking into account the current state of degradation of relations between the US and Russia. As I have repeatedly said, that is not our fault that Russia-US relations are in that state. Russia is ready and wants to restore the fully-fledged relations with the US. I repeat we understand this will be difficult, but we are ready to play our part in it.”
And what part will Trump play? Ask Sergei Markov. The pro-Kremlin political analyst, who was equally thrilled by the election outcome, is confident Trump will have America do a 180 on the Syrian debacle and join Russia in its backing of Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
There is every reason to believe the analyst, too. At the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Hillary Clinton joked that Trump was ‘ healthy as a horse – you know the one Vladimir Putin rides on’. It looks like she might be right. Trump has always seemed a bit cozy with the Russian president , but now he may actually owe him a debt of gratitude for the Kremlin’s part in his win.
In relation to Russian interference in the election, Markov said, “Maybe we helped a bit with WikiLeaks.”
Up until now the Kremlin has denied any involvement; Putin calling The Obama administration’s accusations they hacked Democratic Party emails, then leaking them to WikiLeaks, as “nonsense” claims.
Markov did admit it might not be all smooth riding, adding, “Putin is a macho, Trump is also a macho. Maybe it could be a problem.”
Alexei Venediktov, the editor-in-chief of Russia’s liberal Echo of Moscow radio, agrees: “Putin doesn’t like unpredictability and Trump is the definition of unpredictability.”
I guess we will just have to see who will be riding whom.
Featured image via CNN screengrab Share this Article! | 1 |
795 | Warren Buffett Stake Suggests Apple Is All Grown Up - The New York Times | James B. Stewart | With this week’s imprimatur from the legendary investor Warren Buffett, it should now be official: Apple, the world’s largest company by market capitalization and a symbol of American technological innovation, is a “value” stock. That may prove to be a decidedly mixed blessing. Mr. Buffett is the world’s most prominent and successful proponent of value investing — an approach that seeks stocks that are undervalued and sell for less than their “intrinsic value,” as Benjamin Graham put it his 1949 classic “The Intelligent Investor. ” Mr. Buffett credits Mr. Graham with shaping his own approach to investing. So value investors took notice when Mr. Buffett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, disclosed it had invested $1 billion in Apple stock during the last quarter. “We’ve just looked at it again,” said Bill Smead, who manages the Smead Value Fund, one of the most successful value mutual funds over the last five years, according to Morningstar. “Anybody that discounts the thinking at Berkshire Hathaway does so at their peril, in my opinion. ” Value stocks are typically unpopular among many investors, their shares often battered by disappointing revenue and earnings results. They usually trade at very low ratios, a common valuation measure. Nonetheless, some academic studies have suggested that over time, they outperform other stocks, in part because expectations are so low. Today there are numerous value investors, value mutual funds and value funds that pursue variations of the strategy, many of them probably now considering adding Apple to their portfolios, if they haven’t already. Apple “is going to attract more value investors,” said Toni Sacconaghi, a senior analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein who covers Apple. “They’re looking for stocks with negative sentiment. Apple has traded below a market multiple for years and sentiment has become increasingly pessimistic, especially over the past month. ” Mr. Sacconaghi has a buy recommendation on the stock, “not because we believe this will be a company going forward, but because the current price is discounting a decline in cash flow forever, and we think that’s overly pessimistic. ” According to the market research firm Thomson Reuters Lipper, just 69 of 357 actively managed value funds in the United States — fewer than 20 percent — currently hold positions in Apple. That’s because Apple has long been considered a quintessential growth stock: one of the glamorous cousins to dowdy value stocks. Growth investors think growth stocks are undervalued, too, because they expect their earnings to grow faster (often much faster) than other investors recognize. As a result, valuation measures for growth stocks can go . In two prominent examples, shares of Facebook trade at a ratio of about 73, and Netflix at about 312. (The average for stocks in the Standard Poor’s index is currently about 24.) This week Apple’s ratio was just over 10. If Apple is now a value stock, though, plenty of growth investors haven’t gotten the message. Among actively managed growth funds, 249 of 619, or 40 percent, hold Apple shares, according to Thomson Reuters Lipper. That’s more than the 230 growth funds that owned Apple stock in 2014. Should growth funds suddenly decide that Apple no longer meets their criteria, there could be a mass exodus that would be only partly offset by new purchases from value investors. Some prominent value investors aren’t convinced Apple really is a value stock, despite Mr. Buffett’s blessing, or that its stock price is significantly below its intrinsic value. (Intrinsic value considers all aspects of a business, including both tangible and intangible factors.) That means Apple could fall into the neutral zone of stocks that are neither growth — because they aren’t growing fast enough — or value, because they’re still not cheap enough. “Apple is extraordinarily cheap, but it’s never been a value stock in the traditional sense,” said Bruce Greenwald, who runs the value investing program at Columbia Business School and is a of “Value Investing: From Graham to Buffett and Beyond” (Wiley, 2001). “Value investing has always focused primarily on asset value,” Professor Greenwald told me. Apple’s book value, or asset value, of $130 billion isn’t even close to its market capitalization of about $515 billion. That means, in theory, that other companies could replicate Apple’s assets at relatively low cost, produce rival products and undermine Apple’s enviably high profit margins. Tech companies typically have low asset values relative to their share prices — one reason Mr. Buffett and other value investors long shunned the sector — but their patented technologies and intellectual property nonetheless often create formidable barriers to entry by competitors. For an extraordinarily technology company like Apple, the question is whether there are such “moats,” as value investors like to put it, that will continue to protect it from these competitive threats. “That’s always been the issue with Apple,” Professor Greenwald said. “How sustainable are these profit levels and how big are the barriers? The fear with Apple is that it will get overwhelmed by new entry and new competitors. The moat doesn’t seem that big. It’s not just giant rivals like Samsung, but smaller companies that can survive with even a small share of the smartphone market. ” Mr. Smead told me this week he had not added Apple to his value fund’s holdings, even though the stock is so cheap that it meets many of his fund’s investing criteria. “Over the past five or six years, when Apple was doing so well, we joked that we were the fund that didn’t own Apple,” Mr. Smead said. “Not that we didn’t wrestle with it many times. ” “Our difficulty has been that we don’t understand what kind of moat protects their technology over the next 10 years,” Mr. Smead continued. “That’s the main problem. The other is that, given Apple’s huge success and its sheer magnitude, it needs a monstrous new product or enhancement of an existing product to move the needle on growth. ” For their part, many growth investors were startled on April 26 when Apple reported its first quarterly revenue drop since 2003. Both revenue and earnings fell short of analyst estimates, and Apple shares plunged 8 percent in one day. They rallied some this week on news of the Berkshire Hathaway investment, but are still down sharply from where they were as recently as . But Apple still has defenders among growth investors. At the end of the year, Apple was the holding in the Upright Growth Fund, the growth fund so far this year, according to Morningstar. “Apple’s best and fastest growing days may be behind us,” David Chiueh, Upright Growth’s president and fund manager, told me. “But even funds like ours don’t just contain stocks with percent growth rates in our portfolio. ” He said such rapid growth was not sustainable, and added that he was happy with companies that showed “solid 8 percent to 12 percent earnings growth,” a category in which he included Apple. ”Give them some time and they will show outstanding performance,” he said. Mr. Chiueh said he was also encouraged that Apple had stepped up its spending on research and development, suggesting that new products with strong growth prospects might still be in the offing. At some fund families, Apple seems to be both a value and a growth stock, even though that seems contradictory. At the fund giant Vanguard, Apple is a major holding in the Vanguard Windsor and Windsor II funds (both value funds) and the Vanguard Morgan Growth Fund and US Growth Fund. A Vanguard spokeswoman declined to comment. All of which suggests that when it comes to Apple, “value” and “growth” may be in the eye of the beholder. Still, Mr. Buffett’s announcement this week underscores that Apple’s once sizzling growth has slowed, and suggests it may well be on the inexorable path from growth to value stock. That’s not an especially good portent for investors. Among technology companies that have already made the same transition, Professor Greenwald cited IBM, Intel, Cisco, Microsoft and Dell, companies whose share prices, after great rocket rides, have mostly languished in recent years. (Dell was taken private in 2013.) For those who failed to buy the stock early enough, “as investments, they all turned out pretty badly,” he noted. Berkshire Hathaway also disclosed this week that it had increased the stake in IBM it first acquired in 2011. IBM shares have declined over the period, but by Mr. Buffett’s standards, the investment is still too new to judge. “If you believe the iPhone will be the global standard in 25 years, you’d buy” Apple stock, Professor Greenwald said. But many value investors have already seen where smartphones can go, “which is where PCs have already gone. ” | 0 |
796 | Re: The FBI's Clinton Email Investigation Has Shifted Poll Numbers Significantly In Trump’s Favor | kalli | Email
Donald Trump has all the momentum now. Will it be enough to propel him to victory on election day? Trump’s poll numbers were improving even before we learned that the FBI had renewed its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails , and the new survey results that came out over the weekend and on Monday make it clear that Clinton’s “certain victory” is not so certain after all. Unless something changes, Americans are going to go to the polls on November 8th with an FBI criminal investigation hanging over the Clinton campaign like an ominous cloud, and that is very good news for Trump.
The Clinton campaign was hoping that this renewed investigation would not “move the needle”, but unfortunately for them that appears not to be the case. Hillary’s unfavorable rating just hit an all-time high , a whopping 45 percent of all Americans believe that this scandal is “worse than Watergate”, and a Rasmussen survey has found that 40 percent of all undecided voters that are leaning toward voting for Hillary Clinton are still open to changing their minds before election day.
And even before this story broke on Friday, Clinton was having a difficult time getting her voters to the polls. According to the New York Times , early voting among young adults and African-American voters is significantly down compared to 2012, and those are demographic groups that Clinton desperately needs to turn out in large numbers.
But of course the key to winning the election is getting to 270 electoral votes, and poll numbers appear to be shifting in the key swing states that Trump and Clinton both desperately need. For a moment, I would like to examine what the numbers currently look like in some of the most important states…
Florida
Without Florida, Donald Trump has absolutely no chance of winning. This is something that even the Trump campaign has admitted. That is why it was so alarming that most of the polls in October had Hillary Clinton leading in the state.
Fortunately for Trump, a new survey that was conducted on Sunday shows him leading in Florida by four points .
Georgia
Georgia wasn’t supposed to be a problem. Georgia has traditionally been a deep red state, but polling throughout this election season had shown a very tight race. This had Republicans deeply concerned and the Clinton camp very happy.
But now the momentum has seemingly shifted and the latest poll has Trump up by seven points .
North Carolina
Mitt Romney won North Carolina in 2012, and Donald Trump very much needs to win it if he hopes to be triumphant on November 8th. Hillary Clinton was shown to be leading in the eight most recent polls before the email story broke, but in the first major survey conducted afterwards she is now down by two points .
Ohio
No Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio, and Trump knows how important it is to his chances. The three most recent polls conducted before the FBI renewed the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails all showed a tie, but now the very first survey conducted afterwards shows Trump up by five points .
Colorado
Hillary Clinton has consistently been in the lead in Colorado throughout this campaign, and most experts didn’t give Trump much of a chance in the state, but the latest survey shows that Clinton’s lead has been whittled down to just one point .
Arizona
A survey that was conducted in mid-October showed Clinton having a five point lead in John McCain’s home state, but now the latest major poll has Trump up by two points .
Nevada
One of the most important swing states out west is Nevada, and most surveys showed Hillary Clinton with a strong lead throughout the month of October. Unfortunately for her, a poll that was conducted on Sunday shows Donald Trump with a four point lead .
Clearly Trump has the momentum at this point, and it will be very interesting to see how the numbers change over the next few days.
And as we learn more about what is in these newly discovered emails, will her fellow Democrats stick with her? Already, some are publicly wavering. The following example comes from WND …
Longtime Clinton confidante and former Democratic pollster Doug Schoen told Fox News the newly renewed FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server is forcing him to “reassess” his support for the Democratic nominee for president.
Schoen, a Fox News contributor, made the comments to host Harris Faulkner during a live television appearance Sunday night on “Fox Report Weekend.”
Public opinion is shifting quickly, but the bad news for Trump is that more than 23 million Americans have already voted. So millions upon millions of Americans cast their votes before they even learned of this new FBI investigation. If the race is very close, that could end up making the difference.
And of course the race could dramatically change once again if the FBI comes to some sort of resolution about these new emails prior to November 8th. On Monday, CNN reported that a resolution before election day did not appear to be likely…
FBI officials are unlikely to finish their review of new emails potentially related to its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private server before the November 8 election.
The initial work of cataloging top Clinton aide Huma Abedin ’s emails found on her estranged husband Anthony Weiner’s laptop could be done in the next few days, US law enforcement officials told CNN.
But the investigators are expected to spend more time doing other work, including likely working with other federal agencies to determine what — if any — classified materials are in the emails. This makes it unlikely there will be a resolution prior to the election.
However, late on Monday evening the Drudge Report reported that the L.A. Times has learned that investigators may have a “preliminary assessment” completed “in coming days”…
LA TIMES TUESDAY: FBI Investigators had planned to conduct new email review over several weeks. It now hopes to complete ‘preliminary assessment’ in coming days, but agency officials have not decided how, or whether, they will disclose results publicly… Developing…
Whether good or bad, I do believe that the American people deserve to hear something conclusive about these emails before November 8th.
If nothing is found to implicate Clinton, the American people should be told that.
And if evidence of very serious crimes is discovered, there is no way in the world that should be held back until after the election.
Even if it throws the election into complete and utter chaos , the American people deserve to know the truth.
But will we get it?
Stay tuned, because I think that this is going to be a crazy week.
Take a look at the future of America: The Beginning of the End and then prepare Don't forget to Like Freedom Outpost on Facebook , Google Plus , & Twitter . You can also get Freedom Outpost delivered to your Amazon Kindle device here . shares | 1 |
797 | Hillary Horrified As 2 Pics Surfaced Overnight That She Didn’t Want Out | Amanda Shea | Hillary Horrified As 2 Pics Surfaced Overnight That She Didn’t Want Out Posted on October 31, 2016 by Amanda Shea in Politics Share This Worried Hillary Clinton (left), Vindicated Donald Trump (right)
Hillary Clinton got a Halloween surprise early when she turned on her computer and saw what was on Google. While she slept, forgetting about everything that came against her on Friday when the FBI decided to re-investigate her emails and private server, someone else was taking full advantage of the situation and exposing the truth about her as two posts showed.
After Barack Obama gave control of the Internet to International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Hillary may have thought that her secrets would be safe. As WikiLeaks continues to prove, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Clever conservative web users are alive and well, working hard to expose the secrets that she’s enjoyed keeping behind closed doors before the Internet came along and swung them wide open, exposing the scandalous and criminal behavior that she almost got away with.
Since Google tends to lean left and caters to liberal agendas, it’s not often that the search results you’re looking for are all that accurate. However, on Sunday, almost 36 hours after news broke about the FBI investigating Hillary, if you were to search two separate terms, the results were awesomely accurate.
A tricky hacker managed to mess with the algorithm so that if anyone was looking for the definition of “pathological liar” on the popular search engine, the top result showed Hillary’s headshot alongside the description, but that wasn’t all. @triplejHack What in the Wide World of Sports is going on with Google!? pic.twitter.com/PJHC23CzDK
— Dilo on Fire (@FireDilo) October 31, 2016
The definition of this term said, “It is a stand-alone disorder as well as a symptom of other disorders such as psychopathy and antisocial, narcissistic, and historic personality disorders, but people who are pathological liars may not possess characteristics of the other disorders. Excessive lying is a common symptom of several mental disorders.” While that description may always come up in Google for “Pathological liar,” Hillary’s picture isn’t typically there, but it is the perfect example of the mental illness.
Adding to the insult was another search result the hacker altered for better accuracy. When searching for who the “45th President” is, Donald Trump’s picture showed up, which Hillary probably wasn’t too happy about. The comparison between the two searches perfectly represents both presidential candidates. With any luck, the results will stay the same after November 8 and the treatment for Hillary’s diagnosis of “pathological liar” will be prison time. | 1 |
798 | Paul LePage, the Governor of Maine, Now Says He’s Not Quitting - The New York Times | Jess Bidgood | AUGUSTA, Me. — Paul R. LePage, the embattled Republican governor of Maine, declared on Wednesday that he would not step down despite widespread criticism over a profane threat and generalizations about drugs and race that had prompted him to hint on Tuesday that he might abort his second term. “I will not resign,” said Mr. LePage, who tried to put to rest swirling questions about his state of mind. “I’m not an alcoholic, and I’m not a drug addict, and I don’t have mental issues,” he said. “What I have is a backbone. ” Mr. LePage nevertheless said he was seeking “spiritual guidance,” had apologized for his threat, and vowed to make one change to his behavior: “I will no longer speak to the press ever again after today,” he said. Behind the scenes, state lawmakers — Democrats and Senate Republicans — exasperated after six years of political controversies and what they saw as erratic behavior, were scrambling to figure out what, if anything, they could do to formally address this latest crisis. The controversy, which has galvanized the state, started last Wednesday when Mr. LePage made sweeping statements linking minorities to the state’s drug crisis. As criticism against him swelled, Mr. LePage came to believe that a Democratic lawmaker had called him a racist. The governor then left him an voicemail message, which he followed up by threatening to shoot the lawmaker between the eyes. In the ensuing days, Mr. LePage also reiterated his insistence that blacks and Hispanics were the vast majority of those arrested for dealing heroin in Maine. Both Democrats and Republicans have denounced the remarks, as many legislators called for a special session to at least rebuke the governor over his latest tirade. The state’s four legislative caucuses have said that they believe all four would have to agree for a special session to be scheduled. But on Tuesday, Mr. LePage’s Republican allies in the House, including the minority leader, Kenneth Fredette, announced that they would oppose those efforts — essentially shielding him from any official political consequence. That decision did not sit well with some other state Republicans, and on Wednesday morning, the spotlight shifted to them as the president of the Senate, whose members govern larger and more competitive districts, made a public break with his colleagues in the House. “With all due respect, I completely disagree with Representative Fredette’s position,” the Republican leader, Michael Thibodeau, said in a statement. “The Republican senate caucus has clearly stated that we need an acceptable plan for corrective action before the determination of whether the Legislature should convene is made. ” Mr. Thibodeau said many Senate Republicans were still deciding whether or not Mr. LePage’s apology and promise to seek “spiritual guidance” had allayed their concerns about the governor — a process that could deepen their divide with Republicans in the House and pull the controversy into a second week. “There should be consequences for our actions,” Mr. Thibodeau said, “and I think that’s why we’re really struggling. ” There is no precedent for such a situation here — a fact that has sent lawmakers like Senator Roger Katz, a Republican who has been critical of Mr. LePage, back to reading their state Constitutions on Wednesday to figure out what, if anything, they could do now to convene a special session. Mr. Katz, a lawyer, suggested it may require only a simple majority of the House and senate, which could reduce the House Republicans’ ability to block such a move, although he added there could be other hurdles to an agreement. “It’s never been done before, so we’re in a little bit of uncharted waters,” said Mr. Katz, who said he wanted Mr. LePage to get “a competent evaluation and follow the recommendations of the evaluator. ” Democrats have continued to call for Mr. LePage’s ouster, and on Wednesday said they were scheduling meetings with Republican leadership to discuss how to proceed. “Coming back in for a special session will be discussed and all options around the governor’s political future are on the table,” said the Democratic leader of the Senate, Justin Alfond. Mr. LePage’s six years in office here, which began as part of the Tea Party sweep in 2010, have been marked by controversy. Even as he fueled outrage among Democrats and angst among many moderate Republicans, his well of support, fed by voters drawn to his unfiltered political style, never seemed to run dry. By all indications, Mr. LePage seemed determined to again ride out the political storm. “I want to put this behind us,” Mr. LePage said, during a meeting with a select group of reporters in his office on Wednesday morning, adding, “I will never talk about it again. ” Mr. LePage spoke shortly after he met with — and apologized to — Representative Drew Gattine, the state Democratic lawmaker who had been the recipient of the angry voice mail. And in meeting with reporters, Mr. LePage spoke emotionally about Maine’s heroin crisis. But he but did not apologize for statements he made last week that linked trafficking in the drug to blacks and Hispanics. “I didn’t use racially charged language,” Mr. LePage claimed, although he also said, “Let’s leave ethnicity out of it. ” | 0 |
799 | Colorado Radio Station’s Paul Martin Interviews Dave Hodges on Election Fraud and Standing Rock | Dave Hodges | Colorado Radio Station’s Paul Martin Interviews Dave Hodges on Election Fraud and Standing Rock
I was recently interviewed on “The Lion” radio station in Johnstown, Colorado by guest host, Paul Martin.
Paul and I discussed how rampant the election fraud has become and the elite may still pull the plug on the election if Trump continues to surge. We also discussed the latest in Wikileaks and what it means to the election and the American people.
| 1 |
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