Monday, February 22, 2016

What happened to this guy that sent him off the deep end? What kind of pressure are these Uber drivers under?

February 22, 2016
By AP

...Mellen sat in front. (click here) About a mile into the trip, Dalton got a phone call, and when he hung up, he began driving erratically, blowing through stop signs and sideswiping cars, Mellen said.
"We were driving through medians, driving through the lawn, speeding along, and when we came to a stop, I jumped out of the car and ran away," Mellen said. He said he called police and that when he got to his friend's house, his fiancée posted a warning to friends on Facebook.
Mellen said he also tried warning the ride-hailing service.
"I'm upset because I tried contacting Uber after I had talked to the police, saying that we needed to get this guy off the road," Mellen said....

What is the report about a victim who was actually alive as discovered by a family member; but; the medical staff was preparing her for surgery.

I want an investigation!

The victim had a heart beat. Why was she considered brain dead? No nurse or doctor did neuro checks that ask the victim to squeeze their hand, or in the case of severe head, neck trauma, squeeze the hand to see if they squeeze back? How hard did the staff try to arouse cognition? This needs a complete review.

She squeezed her sister's hand. She was in there. Why didn't anyone else notice it?

What was the staffing like that day?

Who wasn't listening to who? Was there any staff member that had a response but it was suppressed by another authority. I don't care if it was a nursing assistant or a unit secretary. Who was making decisions that caused an emergency room staff to prepare a victim for transplants while still viable?

There should be no piece of paper or driver's license that preempts viability!

There is only ONE WAY of determining brain death and that is after three successive EEGs that PROVE there is absolutely NO BRAIN ACTIVITY! This is one of the reasons I absolutely hate Living Wills when it comes to Emergency Rooms.

I already know Brain Death has to be legislated and defined as three flag EEG's over three consecutive days even with a living will !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Syrian Truce will be a test of the governing strength of the two parties to enter a power sharing agreement.

Warring factions should be able to provide an orderly structure to stop battles. Being able to end the war long enough for a cease fire is important in establishing authorities that can actually govern.

February 22, 2016
By the AP

...The U.N. special envoy for Syria (click here) says he will convene a task force designed to help monitor a new cease-fire agreement as soon as it takes effect later this week.
Staffan de Mistura says the cease-fire reached by the United States and Russia and set to begin at midnight Saturday in Syria gives the two world powers the task of making sure that everyone else abides by it, too.
The agreement does not apply to the Islamic State group or the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. De Mistura emphasized the U.N. considers them terrorist groups, and "no one else."
Russia, a strong backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has faced claims that its airstrikes have hit opposition groups that Moscow considers terrorist groups, but the U.N. does not....

If Syria is finally recovering from the complete anarchy and death regime of Daesh, it is time to look to Libya to resolve the last of their strong holds.

There are no safe haven for them anymore. If Syria is coming to a resolve of governance, the only place still an anarchy is Libya.

February 21, 2016
By Eric Schmitt

...Even as American intelligence agencies (click here) say the number of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria has dropped to about 25,000 from a high of about 31,500, partly because of the United States-led air campaign there, the group’s ranks in Libya have roughly doubled in the same period, to about 6,500 fighters. More than a dozen American and allied officials spoke of their growing concern about the militant organization’s expanding reach from Libya and across Africa on rules of anonymity because the discussions involved intelligence and military planning....

The good news continues. An alliance of Muslim countries never before imagined.

22 February 2016
By Reuters

Riyadh: The Middle East’s largest ever war games (click here) are now underway and will boost military cooperation between the 20 Muslim nations taking part, host country Saudi Arabia said on Monday.
The Northern Thunder exercises, which began on Feb. 14 and will run until March 10, involve more than 150,000 troops from the Gulf Arab nations, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Sudan and Senegal.
“The Council of Ministers ... expressed the hope that these exercises achieve what was defined as their goals in exchanging expertise and raising the level of military coordination,” cabinet said in a statement.
The statement also praised “the levels of preparedness and administrative and supply capabilities” shown by the nations participating in Northern Thunder exercises....

The RNC doesn't care. I would think that is evident, especially when it comes to the little people and what matters to them.

Just for the sake of recognition, Marco Rubio were stating the same problems with the Ted Cruz campaign as Donald Trump was stating.

Senator Rubio disproved the statements about false accusations about the Bible. But, he went on to bring up the issues with Ben Carson and Donald Trump. Basically, There are at least three candidates for President stating Ted Cruz is not honest and lies about other candidates to gain favor with the electorate.

Marco Rubio also stated, while it seems to be complaining, there is reason for it and no one is carrying out any fact finding within the RNC and state organizations.

The issue with Ben Carson is really egregious. Someone from Iowa needs to carry out fact finding and submission to the RNC and I would think to each of the candidates so they can pursue legal remedies.

If I am not mistaken, Ted Cruz won his Senate seat by lying and carrying out ruthless strategies. Ted Cruz defeated a long standing Republican, Kay Bailey Hutchison. He didn't fight fair and his election was a surprise.

Ted Cruz has issues of which one was not reporting monies received from Goldman Sachs where his wife words, during his Senate run. That was a very big omission which he apologized for, but, the RNC should have examined the facts more closely.

Before his victory in 2012, he worked for a private law firm where he represented Wall Street interests. No surprise there.

I think Senator Rubio, Donald Trump and Ben Carson have legitimate issues that go beyond ethics violations, including the forgetfulness about Wall Street money donations.

Then there is the issue of his birth taking place in Calgary, Canada.

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell's panel states, "Donald Trump is not for the little guy."

Really?

I think Donald Trump needs equal time to respond to that.

A million dollars to veteran's organizations is nothing I suppose. I know he raised it effortlessly, but, that doesn't translate to organizations working with veterans. Funding is funding.

MSNBC is uphappy they lost their "Mission Accomplished" banner.

The Open Skies Treaty is used for SPECIFIC military use of treaties.

February 22, 2016
By AP

Russia will ask permission (click here) on Monday to start flying surveillance planes equipped with high-powered digital cameras amid warnings from U.S. intelligence and military officials that such overflights help Moscow collect intelligence on the United States.

Russia and the United States are signatories to the Open Skies Treaty, which allows unarmed observation flights over the entire territory of all 34 member nations to foster transparency about military activity and help monitor arms control and other agreements. Senior intelligence and military officials, however, worry that Russia is taking advantage of technological advances to violate the spirit of the treaty.

Russia will formally ask the Open Skies Consultative Commission, based in Vienna, to be allowed to fly an aircraft equipped with high-tech sensors over the United States, according to a senior congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the staff member wasn't authorized to discuss the issue publicly....

A general application is not what is at the heart of that Treaty. Russia knows that.

When Non-Proliferation is honored among the signators it is verified when nuclear warheads are dissembled and the nuclear material degraded for peaceful uses. Non-Proliferation isn't really served by the Open Skies Treaty. Unless Russia is convinced on new imaging there are new missile silos in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.


Members of a Russian (click here) crew pose on the tarmac next to a Tu-154 aircraft together with their U.S. counterparts during an observation flight over the territory of the United States under the open Skies Treaty, July 2000.
OSCE photo / Jul 2000




The Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC) (click here) is the implementing body for the Open Skies Treaty. It consists of representatives from each of the 34 States Parties to the Open Skies Treaty. The OSCC meets at the headquarters of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria....

I think most countries have a doubt about the application of the treaty. In the case of Slovakia, there was a specific reason why it was appropriate to implement the Open Skies Treaty. I am sure Russia has it's reasons, but, I can't imagine what they might be.
     
The Open Skies Treaty (click here) entered into force in January 2002, and covers territory from Vancouver to Vladivostock. The Treaty establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the entire territory of its 34 signatories. It is designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants, regardless of size, the possibility to obtain information on military or other activities of concern to them. Open Skies is the most wide-ranging international effort to date to promote openness and transparency of military forces and their activities....

A Saab-340B aircraft on the tarmac during a joint US-Swedish training flight over Slovakia, 28 May 2008, under the Open Skies Treaty. (OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev)



Fifty Shades of Grey was horrible.

It seduced an innocent young woman into being a sex slave to a powerful and wealthy man. It glamorized violence as a legitimate method of guiltless sex.

"You are mine. You are all mine." Who needed the shrink more, him or her?

Those relationships are litigable in a court of law. It objectifies sex and women.

It grossly insults men and the fantasy of 'ordering up sex, without guilt or relationship.' It was the strangest fantasy ride that played to R ratings. It was horrible.

Those relationships are dangerous. If a man wants to perform violence on a woman, call it what you want, but, don't call it legitimate. It is on the fringes of the purposeful relationships that occasionally seek a spicy playtime. It was a torture chamber he called a playroom. It stopped at blood letting, but, given the whips, chains and belt beatings it left out the blood that would accompany such treatment.

The degree of cruelty he alluded to in "Fifty Shades of Gray" belongs behind bars and quite frankly isn't likely contained within a playroom. It was not at all realistic in any way, shape or form.

I was waiting for the FBI to show up.
"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

I went to see the movie "Chiraq." (click here)

I think Spike Lee is correct in believing women have power over their circumstances in the way prescribed. If the young ladies in cities across the USA; and there is plenty of violence in places other than inner cites; put their collective will together, they can move mountains.

There is validity in "No Peace, No Pussy." It is taking ownership in a way that finally reaches into male egos disconnected from any real emotions in their lives. We all know the videos about sex, drugs and music that is suppose to be a statement about a successful lifestyle. Not.

A successful lifestyle means living without violence, drugs, alcoholism, military style weapons, hand guns used for self-defense but also in committing crime. We know the lack of morality that exists with segments of the USA where women are chattel. Heck, there was the movie "Fifty Shades of Gray" and if that wasn't about a woman be chattel to wealth then don't ask me what is.

But, in the USA women are empowered to demand respect. Women aren't suppose to be the subject of violence when their partner had a bad day or with the idea "She likes it." as a prelude to sexual encounters. Women are empowered in the USA, but, that is not the case around the world. 

While the idea of women banding together to create an atmosphere in their cities to end violence through personal positions to deny sexual contract with those they are engaged with, that is not a realistic scenario for women completely viewed as possessions.

Some of the most egregious countries when it comes to women's rights and respect has been Pakistan. Even President Musharraf at one time opposed the use of rape as a Village Elders punishment. We all know the transformation figure Malala Yousafzai and her influence throughout societies where women and girls are not held in regard of importance. 

We like to think the oppression and victimization of women only happens in the Third World. That is not the case. Right here in the USA, as Spike Lee as pointed out, women are considered sex objects. They are depersonalized. They are objects. 

If Chiraq hits home to some people across the USA, then the effort was worth it. The film raises questions and the first one should be, "He honestly had to make a film illustrating the status of women to end violence? Really? Where are we in this country when a filmmaker feels so strongly about violence that the focus turns to empowerment of women rather than a message to those committing the violence? 

There are many messages in Chiraq. But, the idea women can come together to change the dynamics of violence in a city is most intriguing. Spike Lee didn't make this film for exploitation of women, a sex tape or as a gag reel. Spike Lee made the film for a purpose and anyone missing that purpose has to examine their own understanding of life in the USA.

I get it. I am more worried today than ever before.

"Good Night, Moon"

Full Moon

14.2 day old moon

99.6% lit

"First Dog on the Moon"'s handy guide to the difference between Uber and taxis. (click here)

After the recent Uber carnage in the USA, taxis may be having a come back. 

One hands out mints, but also knows your name, address and mobile number. The other allows you to run away without paying. Which do you choose?