Monday, December 31, 2018

'Shame': Tory MP who blocked upskirting bill objects to women's conference (click here for BBC report - thank you)

Much to the surprise of women victims of a privacy issue called "upskirting" the initial proposal was objected to in Parliament.

Upskirting is an invasion of privacy. Some argue it is nothing more than seeing what can be seen on the beach. That is a gross underestimation of the perverted practice. Women do not wear their underclothes in public. It was shocking to realize a woman's privacy was so degraded within the political realm of the UK.

The practice has transcended age and victims as young as ten years old have been reported.

The "Age of Women" is more than welcome in the year 2019.

Upskirting is the practice of surreptitiously photographing underneath a female's dress or skirt. Upskirting often occurs by voyeurs who carry small video cameras or cell phones with photo capability in escalators in public places, outdoor parks, and shopping malls. Because upskirting occurs in public places, there is a legal debate over whether the victim is entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy. Some states and localities have passed laws making it illegal to film or photograph under someone's clothing in a public place. Some state laws, which vary by state, have prohibited video voyeurism, which is defined to include upskirting.

Susan Bro is mother of the year.

Being American, especially for women, is a complicated task, but, Susan Bro brought the grace of such a responsibility to the public eye.

December 6, 2018

...Fields accused Bro (click here) of publicly slandering him and called her a “communist” and “anti-white supremacist.”

“She lost her daughter,” his mother reminded him.

"It doesn’t (expletive) matter,” Fields said.

His mother advised him to “stop talking” but her son insisted that Bro is “the enemy.”

“She is a communist, mother. … She is the enemy,” he said.

In other taped phone calls, he told his mother that he was “mobbed by a violent group of terrorists.”...

Sunday, December 30, 2018

I am looking forward to a new year and a new world centered on climate.

At the stroke of midnight, all of humanity will have 11 years to end climate danger.

Canada has made a commitment to end coal power by 2029. The largest coal plants in the world belong to China, South Korea, Tiawan and Poland. These countries must immediately make plans to end their dependence on coal and convert to alternative energies.

The USA, under the current administration in the White House, has lost its moral compass. That doesn't mean the rest of the world has and clarly sees the danger that greenhouse gas emissions.

We can do this.

I will continue to finish the review of the Kyoto Protocol over the next few weeks with Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.

Peace to all.

It is time to get rid of the Electoral College.

It is so coveted by Republicans it even causes corruption with the 10-year census. The funding has been cut, the field staff positions nearly eliminated and this is what our US House of Representatives and the Electoral College is based on. Enough is enough, get rid of the Electoral College and assign a permanent citizen non-profit organization to carry out the census decade after decade.

Changing to a citizens based non-profit to conduct the census may require an amendment to the US Constitution. So, while we are cleaning up the corruption get rid of the Electoral College as well. It is time to get started. We are losing the very legitimacy of our government and the Republicans don't care.

December 23, 2018
By Dartunorro Clark


Uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration's plans (click here) to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census is just one of a number of critical issues plaguing the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. government's primary watchdog warned, and time is running out to fix them before that all-important headcount.
“The ticking clock has become the enemy of the Census Bureau. There’s no reset, no do-ever, no timeout,” Robert Goldenkoff, a director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office, said. “Failure is not an option, the Census Bureau has to get it right. If there is a mistake, it’s a 10-year mistake.”
In a series of reports over the past year, the GAO has sounded the alarm about budget woes, potential cyber-security weaknesses, hiring shortfalls, testing cutbacks, a bankrupt printing company, and the ongoing legal battle over whether a citizenship question can be included on the form — all problems that could impede the accuracy of the agency's critical work....

...Goldenkoff told NBC News in an interview that the overall picture of the 2020 census appears alarming because of “shortcomings” in vital areas that complicate the bureau’s ability to collect accurate data....

This is a criminal act by the Executive Branch and an assault against the USA Constitution.
To begin controlling immigrants that pose no threat to the USA and it's people have never been detained as a matter of Democratic policy. The numbers migrating to the USA have steadily decreased under President Obama. It is grossly inaccurate to blame the Democrats for an exclusive Trump policy.

The problem illustrated by the two children who died is the fact when people are detained the responsibility for their wellness falls to the US Government. Detention facilities can breed disease as well. When people are held in small areas together something like the flu can spread easily.

The Catch and Release Policy that was always the Democratic policy allows for help from non-profits that work with this population along the USA southern border.

Trump is obviously afraid of his own shadow.

December 29, 2018

President Donald Trump (click here) on Saturday tried to deny that his administration bears any blame for the deaths of children detained trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, even as his Homeland Security secretary was traveling in Arizona to meet with medical staff.
Trump tweeted Saturday that any deaths are "strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally."
It marked his first public comments following the Christmas Eve death of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo, the second Guatemalan child to die in government custody in three weeks.
Trump is claiming the "children in question were very sick before they were given over to Border Patrol."...

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Otto Warmbler should have been provided a chance to save his life.

Americans are tortured and killed while other governments do not care about American laws or lives. A 15 year old's life was snuffed out because a foreign national was allowed to drive a car.

28 December 2018
By Kayla Brantley

Fallon Smart was killed crossing Hawthorne near 43rd Avenue.

An Oregon senator (click here) demanded to know on Friday what President Trump's administration is planning to do about the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia after it emerged the country may have helped one of their citizens flee a week before his trial.

Ron Wyden said in a letter, first obtained by The Oregonian, to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, Friday that the new theory from authorities Abdulrahman Semeer Noorah, 21, used an illicit passport to jet home on a private jet provided by the Saudi consulate should be reason to push forward with action.


Noorah is believed to have taken off in June 2017, 10 months after mowing down and killing Fallon Smart, 15, in Portland, and more than a year before the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia denied knowing anything about the murder of a dissident journalist - to the disbelief of many....


Friday, December 28, 2018

Wall Street enters the Flint frey to protect Snyder from prosecution.

Michigan Association of Health Plans and Associate of State and Territorial Health Officials need to have their non-profit status pulled for committing fraud to adversely effect the health and well being of Michiganders. 

The standards set for clear and healthy water were set a long time ago. There was gross neglect by the Snyder administration that caused deaths and injuries. Enough of the corruption of the Snyder administration in Michigan.

December 26, 2018
By Ron Fonger

Flint -- Two nonprofit organizations (click here) say the criminal prosecution of the state’s top health official will lead to additional loss of life in the state.

In legal briefs filed this week in support of Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service, the Michigan Association of Health Plans and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials ask Genesee Circuit Judge Joseph Farah to dismiss charges related to the Flint water crisis, including involuntary manslaughter.

“The threat of criminal prosecution will likely paralyze professional decision-making by Michigan healthcare officials,” the brief from MAHP says. “That paralysis will result in, for example, delays in the provision of potentially life-saving or life-extending drugs.”......

December 26, 2018
By Paul Egan

Flint — Two Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) (click here) officials pleaded no contest to misdemeanors Wednesday and agreed to testify against other defendants in the criminal cases arising from the Flint drinking water crisis.

Michael Prysby, 55, of Bath and Stephen Busch, 42, of DeWitt are the fifth and sixth defendants — out of 15 charged through the state Attorney General's Office — to enter pleas to criminal charges with connection to Flint.

All the pleas to date have been no contest pleas to misdemeanors with agreements to cooperate. No contest pleas are treated similarly to guilty pleas for sentencing purposes.

Todd Flood, the Flint prosecutor hired by the Attorney General's Office, said he was accepting the pleas because of "substantial assistance being given to move the ball down the field in the Flint water investigation."

Sentencing dates for Prysby and Busch are Jan. 23....

December 27, 2018

Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer (click here) is pledging to make sure Flint residents have access to clean drinking water.

Whitmer’s transition team says she will work with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver.

It’s all to make sure Flint residents have access to clean and safe drinking water in the future.

Nestle has already agreed to provide free bottled water until April.

"In 2015 and '14 I was one of the people working hard, carrying all that water into the churches and to the pods so people can have clean water," said Terence Grundy, Flint resident.

He said getting bottled water has been a little tricky since all of the government-run water distribution sites closed.

Grundy said he was excited after hearing a media report that Whitmer had promised to resume state-funded bottled water distribution....

December 27, 2018
By Mallory Pearson

Flint - Bill Welch (click here) has been delivering mail since the age of 17 and is now retiring nearly 50 years later.

"It was just a job back then. I never thought it would last this long," Welch said.

He is saying goodbye after nearly 50 years with the U.S. Postal Service.

"They don't want me to go. They want to bribe me to stay," Welch said.

He has been delivering the mail on the same route to the same people for 26 years. He calls them just as much family to him as the people he works with every day.

"Just missing everybody here and everybody on the route," Welch said. "It will be hard."

He has been telling people on his routes that he'll see them some time, somewhere.

Welch's retirement won't be hard just for him to adjust....

OMG. Americans like live television.

December 27, 2018

Prime-time viewership (click here) numbers compiled by Nielsen for Dec. 17-23. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.

1. NFL Sunday Night Football: Kansas City at Seattle, NBC, 19.6 million.

2. NFL Regular Season: New Orleans at Charlotte, ESPN, 13.3 million.

3. “Sunday Night NFL Pre-kick,” NBC, 12.6 million.

4. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 12 million. - How did CBS manage this? 7PM, huh? 
                                                   Well done.

5. “Fox NFL Sunday Post-Game,” Fox, 10.3 million.

6. “The Voice (Tuesday),” NBC, 9.9 million....

I told you so. The blame begins at FOX News for the inhumane treatment of the immigrants.

What is the appropriate dosing age for young children? (click here)

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for persons 6 months of age and older. Some children will need 2 doses of influenza vaccine in the same season.  The following children will require 2 doses of influenza vaccine, administered at least 4 weeks apart, for the 2016–17 season:
  • Children aged 6 months through 8 years who have never been vaccinated against influenza or for whom vaccination history is unknown
  • Children aged 6 months through 8 years who have not received at least 2 doses of seasonal influenza vaccine (trivalent or quadrivalent) before July 1, 2016
The following children will require 1 dose of influenza vaccine for 2016–17:
  • Children 6 months through 8 years who have received at least 2 doses of seasonal influenza vaccine (trivalent or quadrivalent) before July 1, 2016
  • Children 9 years of age and older

    What is the correct dose (volume) of vaccine?

    The amount of inactivated (injectable) vaccine that should be administered intramuscularly is based on the age of the patient and the vaccine product you are using.
    • For children 6–35 months of age, the correct dose is:
      • 0.25 mL for Fluzone Quadrivalent
      • 0.5 mL for FluLaval Quadrivalent
    • For persons 3 years of age and older, the correct dose is 0.5 mL for all inactivated influenza vaccine products
Immigrants are at risk for any disease Americans are vaccinated for, including the flu. Immigrants children and the elderly are especially susceptible to disease and require vaccinations.

2018-19 Summary of Recommendations (click here)

  • Routine annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months who do not have contraindications.
  • A licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine (IIV, RIV4, or LAIV4) should be used. Consult package information for age indications.
  • Emphasis should be placed on vaccination of high-risk groups and their contacts/caregivers. When vaccine supply is limited, vaccination efforts should focus on delivering vaccination to (no hierarchy implied by order listed):
    • Children aged 6–59 months;
FOX News never worries about the environment. This is a sad reality, but, FOX is one of the most egregious offenders of environmental degradation in their reporting. Carlson is obviously using the environment as an excuse to hate migrants. It fits his purpose.

FOX News and right wing radio media like to call it infotainment, but, who are they entertaining?

Thursday, December 27, 2018

I would like to know the age of those ships.

August 22, 2017
By Jordan Valinsky

The United States Navy is a powerhouse. (click here) The fleet consists of roughly 430 ships in active service or reserve. The vessels run the gamut from the massive Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which stretches more than 1,000 feet, to the Los Angeles-class submarine that slithers 900 feet below the ocean surface.

This map from @Naval_Graphics on Twitter shows all the commissioned and noncommissioned ships of every size as of April 2015. The ships are organized by size, from the humongous aircraft carriers at the top to the smaller ships at the bottom...



December 24, 2018
By Megan Eckstein

The Navy awarded General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works (click here) a second destroyer for Fiscal Year 2019, in the first contract option that accelerates DDG buys from the Navy’s previous two-a-year rate.

In September the Navy awarded the first 10 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the five-year multiyear procurement contract that spans FY 2018 to 2022. Six ships went to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. – two in 2018, and one a year in 2019 through 2022. Bath Iron Works got zero ships for 2018 and one a year in 2019 through 2022.

This option award that gives another ship to BIW in 2019 not only boosts the Maine yard’s workload but also is the first move to three DDGs a year. The Navy in previous budget submissions had outlined a two-a-year procurement rate for the near future, but the House and Senate armed services committees authorized the Navy to enter into multiyear contracts for up to 15 ships in five years. The contracts with Ingalls Shipbuilding and Bath Iron Works were signed at the end of September and awarded the first 10 right away, with options for five more ships.

Though the House and Senate armed services committees authorized the Navy to buy three destroyers in FY 2018, the appropriators only gave money for two. However, both the authorizers and appropriators agreed to three in FY 2019, which allowed the Navy to award this option to BIW....

Why exactly is the USA still in Iraq?

December 27, 2018

Houston -- Halliburton Company (click here) has announced it has signed two contracts with Eni Iraq BV (Eni) to provide integrated drilling services at Eni’s Zubair oil field in Southern Iraq. Under the contracts, Halliburton will mobilize four to six rigs to drill development wells over the next two years.

“We are pleased to be awarded this work and the opportunity to collaborate with Eni to engineer solutions for the development of Zubair,” said Mahmoud El-Kady, V.P. of the Iraq Area for Halliburton. “We have provided a wide array of drilling services to Eni since 2011 and signing these contracts are a testimony to our continuous commitment to safety and superior service quality.”

December 27, 2018
By Lisa Matthews

Renaissance Technologies LLC (click here) trimmed its stake in Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) by 82.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 490,905 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock after selling 2,229,790 shares during the quarter.  Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.06% of Halliburton worth $19,896,000 at the end of the most recent quarter....

December 27, 2018
By Michael Baxter

Halliburton Company (HAL) Consensus Price Target (click here)

The mean recommendation of HAL on Reuter’s scale dropped from 1.8 to 1.77 within 30 days. This figure implies that the majority of analysts rate it as a buy. The price target for Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) is now around $46.48 a share, implying the stock has what it takes to grow by 75.86%. The recent trading session also indicated the stock needs to add 115.66% more meet analysts’ high consensus price target.

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) Intraday Trading

The current trading volume of the company was 14.76 million shares during the last session. That compares with the recent average volume of 11.64 million shares. By the end of the regular trading session, the price volatility over a 1-week span was 5.7 while month stood 4.01%. The stock price of HAL dropped to $25.14 during the day and at a certain time in 12 months it traded as low as $25.14. It has made a 5.13% recovery since its 52-week low point and has returned -45.92% year-to-date.

December 27, 2018
By Loren Robinson

...Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL))’s (click here) earnings per share has been growing at a -33 percent rate over the past 5 year when average revenue increase was noted as -6.3 percent. The return on equity ratio or ROE stands at 1.9 percent while most common profitability ratio return on investment (ROI) was 5.2 percent. The company’s institutional ownership is monitored at 81.7 percent. The company’s net profit margin has achieved the current level of 0.7 percent and possesses 13.1 percent gross margin.

December 27, 2018

...A number of equities analysts (click here) recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Monday, September 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim set a $50.00 target price on shares of Halliburton and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 24th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Wednesday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Friday, October 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Societe Generale set a $42.00 target price on shares of Halliburton and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Halliburton presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.16....

Both the growing and sale of marijuana and the tech companies are both American home grown businesses. Please don't miss that point.

December 27, 2018
By Ethel Jiang

Millennial investors (click here) were fascinated with weed and tech stocks in 2018, according to data gathered by Markets Insider from the no-free trading app Robinhood.

For the 4 million Robinhood traders, a large portion of which are millennials (22 to 37 years old), marijuana companies become their darlings this year. Three pot stocks, Cronos (+141,688, up 609%), Canopy Growth (+128,699, up 374%), and Aurora Cannabis(+88,889, up 1,057%) saw the biggest increases of ownership on the app. Markets Insider tracked data from March 22 through December 20.

Younger traders' enthusiasm for the cannabis companies came as the industry grew at a fast and furious pace. In the second half of the year, a number of beverage and tobacco companies, such as Constellation Brand and Altria, announced investments in cannabis producers, causing a "green rush" into the industry. Also fueling interest in the space were Canada and Michigan legalizing recreational use of the drug....

Michigan did not legalize recreational marijuana. Michigan decriminalized the possession of the drug for those that have a medical marijuana card. Those using medical marijuana can now grow the plants in their own homes, but, they are prohibited from selling it.

The Michigan law simply decriminalizes medical marijuana. It does not go as far as Canada's law that has decriminalized all aspect of the marijuana business and usage.

There are dispensaries in Michigan. (click here)

Roseanne Barr was at one time considering becoming a citizen of Israel. There is no parliament in Israel. It is called the Knesset. Thank you.

December 26, 2018
By Ben Kesslen and AP

American comedian (click here) and actress Roseanne Barr participates in a StandWithUs event in California on February 27, 2016.

Former television (click here) star Roseanne Barr says she will travel to Israel in January to learn more about Jewish history and address the country's parliament.

Barr's longtime friend, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, first announced her plans this week on social media. Boteach's pro-Israel organization, the World Values Network, said it is sponsoring the trip.

Barr was invited to speak to the Israeli Knesset on Jan. 30 by Deputy Speaker Yehiel Bar, according to the statement, just before the country's next elections in April....

The Israeli military launches it's own political party.

The Israeli right wing now has its own warmongering faction. Israel is contained and I am sure it is very frustrating for the Israeli military. Russia is in Syria, Egypt is seeking a two-country solution to the unrest between Israel and Palestine and the IDF simply hates every bit of it. I suppose the Isreali people need to hear the extremism from the military itself to bring peace to their country.

I find The West's embrace of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel destabilizing to any sincere peace agreement. Jerusalem is an international city for religious pilgrims of many faiths. It is too inflammatory to have the city assigned the capital of Israel or Palestine.

How can pilgrims to Jerusalem if the city is chronically the focus of unrest and war? The idea is ridiculous.

Palestinians and Israel at odds over Al-Quds (Jerusalem) (click here for peace talks timeline)

Russia entered Syria in a real way to end any ideological expansionist ambitions of the Israeli right wing. Unfortunately, Russia is not carrying a peace agenda for the region. Iran is engaged in it's own expansionist agenda, including Yemen. Iran used the fight against Daesh to redefine it's ambitions for the Shia Crescent.

I sincerely believe Yemen is the proxy war between the Shia and Sunnis. I do not expect any peace for Yemen soon. The tensions in the Middle East has to be resolved before Yemen will begin to see a peace initiative. The ideology is cemented in two countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Saudi Arabia embodies the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques within the authority of the King. To his credit, King Salman is reviewing his government since the gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi. He is making changes. Hopefully, he will make changes to encourage peace and not further war between the two branches of the Muslim faith.

The ideology of Jihad has to end in the Middle East. Civilization demands dialogue and not deaths to end disagreements between nations of people. The world should be demanding peace in Yemen as it is taking on the characters of Syria with more than ample human rights abuses.

December 27, 2018
By Alexander Fulbright

Former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz (click here) registers his new political party, officially marking his entry to politics ahead of early Knesset elections in April 2019.

The Hebrew name for the party is Hosen Leyisrael and will be called Israel Resilience Party in English.

A number of recent polls have put a Gantz-led party in second place behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, albeit well behind in projected seat total. The surveys have also predicted that the opposition Zionist Union or Yesh Atid parties could prevent a challenge to Likud if Gantz were to join one of them.

Gantz, who served as chief of staff from 2011 to 2015, has largely maintained radio silence on his political views.

December 27, 2018

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

I don't want to hear not one more word about a border wall.

These pictures are supposed to be highly classified. Bring Seal Team Five home, disband the current members to other operations and place new personnel in this Seal Team. This is outrageous. Trump doesn't care about our soldiers' security, our national security and he has the nerve to complain about a border wall while holding the country's government hostage.

Donald Trump's incompetency is so deep he is compromising the national security of the USA without a second thought. And Sanders goes along with it. It is time to remove him from office. This is the straw that breaks the camel's back.

December 26, 2018
By James LaPorta

President Donald Trump (click here) and the White House communications team revealed that a.S. Navy SEAL team was deployed to Iraq after the president secretly traveled to the region to meet with American forces serving in a combat zone for the first time since being elected to office.

While the commander-in-chief can declassify information, usually the specific special operations unit is not revealed to the American public, especially while U.S. service members are deployed. Official photographs and videos typically blur the individual faces of special operation forces, due to the sensitive nature of their job.

The president’s video posted Wednesday did not shield the faces of special operation forces. Current and former Defense Department officials told Newsweek that information concerning what units are deployed and where is almost always classified and is a violation of operational security....

For the second time, the Republicans have DESIGNED the tax cuts to end SSI and Medicare.

Not only that but, there are members of the financial services industry willing to lie about it. People like Brian Wesbury. The alarm by Wall Street has little to do with Mr. Munchkin the US Treasury Secretary. The fact is major indices for 2019 are not acting the same.

Brian S. Wesbury is an American economist focusing on macroeconomics and economic forecasting. He is the economics editor and a monthly contributor for The American Spectator, in addition to appearing on television stations such as CNBC, Fox Business, Fox News, and Bloomberg TV frequently.

Wesbury likes to disconnect politics from economics. I figured he was involved with FOX News somewhere along the line. He is untrustworthy. At least Bloomberg News came in behind him to assist a functional dialogue, but, the biggest alarm came out of the UK. They are frantic about Brexit and any uncertainty that raises it's ugly head is to worry about.

This is an article by Rebecca Ungarino, 'Something is Wrong:' 2 major US markets are out of whack. (click here)

Those that care about the country and it's entitlements or whatever they are calling them these days need to find a reliable news outlet, but, better yet a reliable economist. Paul Krugman at the New York Times (click here) is a Nobel Prize Winner in Economics. Start there.

The Republican designer economy is not easy to read especially if one is relying on traditional patterns of economic growth and reporting. The USA economy needs economists that actually DO THE MATH. This is all new territory and the knowledge of PLENTY OF LIQUIDITY is suppose to give Wall Street a feel good feeling.

When were the last FITNESS TESTS? WHAT ARE THEY BASED ON AND ARE THEY STILL ACCURATE? WHAT ARE REGULATORS USING TO MONITOR THE MARKETS, BANKS, AND FINANCE? THE ACCURACY MAY BE COMPLETELY OFF.

DID "THE FED" REALIZE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE INDICES WITH IT'S LAST CREDIT ADJUSTMENT?

WHAT IS THE INSPECTOR GENERAL SAYING ABOUT THE SSI FUND? (CLICK HERE)

SSI usually does the math. They don't rely on indices. They rely on in flow and out flow of USA dollars. The Fund received a large insult with the global economic collapse in 2008, but, it was still very strong at that time.

The OIG's recent Semiannual Report to Congress (click here) includes significant investigative, audit, and legal accomplishments from April 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018.

The S&P 500 and the US Treasury 10 year bond usually run along the same path, suddenly they have diverged in 2019. (click here)

When Munchkin stated there was plenty liquidity it was because the banks and investment banks were picking up the change in the indices and Munchkin didn't want the general public to become aware of the gross change in the status of the US Treasury.

The 10-year Treasury yield vs. S&P 500 changeSeptember 14, 2018
By Justin Fox

Tax receipts are down (click here) in nominal terms since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect. Adjusted for inflation, they’re down a lot....

...Just in case the bottom of that tweet was cut off in your browser, let me repeat Wesbury’s words: “The tax cuts have not cost the U.S. Treasury money, because the tax cuts boosted growth. Yes, the deficit is up, but that’s because spending is up.”...

December 26, 2018

Kwanzaa (click here) is a pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 and celebrated from December 26--January 1.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Border Patrol needs to consult with NIH.

The other 7 year old girl from Guatemala died of similar symptoms. It sounds like severe dehydration. The hospital is probably not running an osmotic level to find the dehydration. However, NIH will be able to comment on any childhood illnesses that may be endemic to Guatemala.

These children are also now exposed to USA illnesses they have no immunity to that are airborne or possibly in food or water at the facility. At any rate it is a complicated picture with these children. They need intense assessment by epidemiologists from NIH to develop a protocol for the Border Patrol.

Something as simple as an intestinal parasite, like Giardia they picked up along their travel could be affecting them and causing a septic shock. I remember reading due to the Mexican border road block some of the migrants were taking a path through the jungle. The NIH really needs to be involved at this point as soon as is possible. Damn the government shutdown! Thank you.

The Border Patrol can also ask local Board of Health to coordinate any assessments with NIH. They may already know what issues the Border Patrol may be facing with these children. These children are not average everyday children as they have lived an impoverished life with a great deal of violence from day to day. It could be anything. But, most likely dehydration is the best place to start. The adults could be experiencing dehydration too, but, adults are more resilient to it. Good luck.

Burl Ives "A Holly Jolly Christmas"

Monday, December 24, 2018

What have the Rossby Waves of Earth's oceans been doing over the past fourteen years?

Rossby waves, also known as planetary waves, are a natural phenomenon in the atmospheres and oceans of planets that largely owe their properties to rotation of the planet. Rossby waves are a subset of inertial waves. They were first identified by Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby

Who is doing research on the Rossby Waves these days? Some university professors somewhere? NOAA or NASA? 

What has changed in the Rossby Waves of the past 14 years? I simply don't believe in coincidence. There has to be a change in the Rossby Waves since the Pacific became so unhinged.

There has to be something different. I know it is there. 

Look the thermoclines could be varied now with the surface oceans getting warmer. There is a lot to account for and someone needs to be doing this work.

Chang and Philander were at Princeton University when they wrote this. If they aren't there still researching, then who is? Their work is the baseline before everything started to heat in measurable ways. There was probably some increase in 1989, but, nothing as it is today. There needs to be a comprehensive review of the literature and assessments and conclusions to realize what has changed and what if anything is PREDICTIVE of movement in the Pacific.

Is there a pre-cursor to activity along the Ring of Fire found in the Rossby Waves? If a computer analysis is to be done, it will require the supercomputers to achieve any trending information. I don't own supercomputers. Someone who does needs to do this.

Ping Chang and S. G. H. Philander, "Rossby Wave Packets in barocline mean currents," Deep Sea Research, Part A, Oceanographic Research Papers, Volume 36, Issue 1January 1989, Pages 17-37.

A WKB description of the propagation of Rossby wave packets in a shallow water model of the tropical oceans indicates that the presence of the baroclinic mean currents can modify the characteristics of wave propagation significantly. For currents with weak latitudinal shear the effect of the current itself is less important than the effect of the associated variations in the depth of the thermocline, except near critical layers where waves are absorbed. For example, a westward current, and the associated shoaling of the thermocline towards the equator, can cause the speed of the long Rossby waves to decrease with decreasing latitude. (The speed increases towards the equator in the absence of mean currents.) Westward currents inhibit meridional propagation, but eastward currents enhance it. The amplification and decay of a wave packet as it propagates through a mean current are described in terms of these conservation of wave action. Implications of these results for the propagation of Rossby waves in the real ocean are discussed.

Kyle Parker was a supporter of the Magnitsky Act.

I think Kyle Parker is more than a target internationally by Russia, but, there is a possibility of abduction in the USA. I sincerely hope his position for a human rights agency brings with it some bodyguards and security measures. That is probably true for any person with the work of human rights, especially if they are involved with policies.

“She looked at him and said: ‘They’re (the sanctions) effective at keeping the conversation alive.’ ”

He should not feel so liberated as to make mistakes about this personal security.

There is a reason why Putin and the Crowned Prince of Saudi Arabia smile so largely when together. They have something in common. They kill people that embarrass them.

I think the comment by Pussyriot is well taken. It demonstrates the depth of which USA power effects dialogue, both internationally and within the sovereign borders of other countries adverse to USA national security. It also serves as a measure to insure the dialogues of USA allies. THIS is a part of the USA prowess that escapes Trump in that the words alone, United States of America carries a great deal of power in dialogue most Americans do not know exists.

After all was the death of Sergei Magnitsky all that different than that of Jamal Khashoggi's, absent dismemberment, suitcases and acid? Both were carried out by agents of the government.

“For that he was taken as a healthy 36-year-old, disappeared into Moscow’s notorious pretrial detention system, made sick, refused medical care, and in his final hour or two he is transported to a prison in Moscow that has a medical bay,” Parker said. “But instead of being given help, he’s taken to an isolation cell, he’s chained to a bed, he’s beaten by eight riot guards until he dies. And he’s found in a puddle of his own blood and urine in his jail cell.”

Sergei Magnitsky's death was a lesson to all bankers inside and out of Russia, in that there was a price for fighting Russian corruption. If Russia could not trap others in its net of money laundering, what good are banks?

There is one other common denominator between Russia and Saudi Arabia; oil. The wealth of oil is the vehicle that faciliates the corruption. The age of oil needs to be over for many reasons.

It is imperative USA currency remains strong as well. Think about it before valuing China or crytocurrency. I see Wall Street is struggling today.

December 24, 2018
By Colin Woodward

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked President Trump to turn over Kyle Parker for interrogation by Russian prosecutors.

Northport — When Vladimir Putin (click here) met President Trump in Helsinki last July, the Russian president had a special request: Turn over Bangor, Maine native Kyle Parker and at least eight other U.S. officials for interrogation by Russian prosecutors.

Since then, Parker, 43, who grew up in Old Town and graduated in 1999 from the University of Maine, has had to think twice about where he travels overseas, for fear of being detained on a request from Moscow. His offense: being one of the key players behind the Magnitsky Act, a set of sanctions against Russians accused of gross human rights violations passed by Congress in 2012 in response to the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Russian prison. Parker is the chief of staff of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, a congressional agency that monitors human rights abuses.

At some point, he says, a Russian court will likely convict him and the others, making it all but impossible for him to return to a country he’s spent most of his adult life interacting with, and whose language is the mother tongue of his eight children....

My sincerest sympathies for the people of Indonesia. This is simply terrible.

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster 

"Okeydoke"

Whoever thought lightning would strike in the same place 14 years after the infamous Christmas Tsunami of 2004. There are many entries regarding the 2004 tsunami on the blog. It was the first major event documented here. Now, there is another and what are the odds of such an event only a few days apart after 14 years.

24 December 2018
By Lisa Martin and Naaman Zhou

Saturday’s tsunami in Indonesia (click here) was caused by a chunk of the volcanic Anak Krakatau island slipping into the ocean, it was confirmed on Monday, as officials at the country’s natural disaster agency said it must develop a new tsunami early warning system.

At least 373 people were killed, hundreds injured and many buildings were heavily damaged when the tsunami struck, almost without warning, 
along the rim of the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra islands....

Due to a lapse in appropriations, (click here) the majority of USGS websites may not be up to date and may not reflect current conditions. Websites displaying real-time data, such as Earthquake and Water and information needed for public health and safety will be updated with limited support. Additionally, USGS will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.  For more information, please see www.doi.gov/shutdown

...Anak Krakatau had been spewing ash and lava for months before a 64-hectare section of its south-west side collapsed, an Indonesian official said. “This caused an underwater landslide and eventually caused the tsunami,” Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of the meteorological agency, said....


I have to bring to the dialogue the fact the Hawaiian Hot Spot is still unstable. This was a volcanic collapse. That has been occurring with the Hawaiian Hot Spot. The Pacific Plate is moving. There have been significant earthquakes around the "Ring of Fire." The earthquake in Alaska displaced enormous amounts of rock. This is a very dangerous Pacific coastline and no one should be assessing symptomatic volcanoes in the same manner as history dictates. This is a highly volatile Pacific coastline, including island countries in the Pacific Ocean.

Additionally, the leaders of countries need to be complaining to Trump about the impact of the political government shutdown regarding support services from NOAA and NASA. An assessment has to be completed in every Pacific Coast country of their tsunami alarms. A tsunami is a tsunami and why this tsunami occurred without detection is worrisome. There may be a level of denial that if an alarm went off without a detectable ocean earthquake it was irrelevant. There was an earthquake. There are earthquakes with volcanic eruptions, especially if the land is acting as a caldera as in this eruption.

Affected area mapThe Pacific Coasts need to be on alert without exception. This landslide occurred at nearly the middle of the "Sunda Strait." The landslide occurred on one side of the island and didn't impact both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. But, there could have been a two ocean tsunami if the land collapse and landslide happened differently.

No volcano should be taken for granted. This is an entirely different paradigm in that the Hawaiian Hot Spot is in motion in a way that removes volcanoes from their pressure conduit to the magma chamber/reservoir. 

Basically, the volcanoes act more like calderas than volcanoes because there is no pressure from under the vests or crater. The conduits are collapsing.

On this timeline, further down the road the magma will seek eruption from under land that is currently stable. We already know there is a growing underwater volcano south of the Hawaiian Island Chain. I think the Pacific Coast movement will continue to be a worry for some years yet if not the next decade. Scientists that are volcano specialists will need to be working to monitor the land that is currently volcanoes and the land that is at risk to become a new volcano.

There are new conduits forming from the magma chamber. For every volcano conduit collapse that occurs there is at least one other conduit forming. There is no indication the magma is cooling and causing collapse, the Pacific Plate is moving and that is a fact.