Tuesday, March 13, 2018

If I was going to run a war from Ukraine against Europe I would want to end any potential of expats from helping The West.

March 13, 2018
By Bill Chappell

Nikolai Glushkov, (click here) a Russian exile who was a close friend of a noted critic of President Vladimir Putin, has died from an "unexplained" cause in London, police say. The Metropolitan Police says that its counterterrorism unit is handling the case "because of associations that the man is believed to have had."

Glushkov, 68, was a close friend of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent critic of the Kremlin who was found dead in 2013. At the time, an inquiry found he had hanged himself — but Glushkov publicly disputed the idea that his friend and former business ally would have killed himself.

As British media began reporting Glushkov's death, the police issued a statement saying, "An investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough."...

This goes beyond projecting an image as a strong man to benefit a Russian election.

I think Putin is shaken. He is facing charges due to his order to destroy a commercial airliner. I am fairly confident there are Russians questioning other crashes that have occurred in Russia as well. In most instances, those domestic crashes have important people on them. 

I would expect more of these executions/assassinations now that Putin is unglued. His reputation internationally has lost luster. He is a dangerous man. Something is brewing.

He was agitated in the recent interview with a US journalist. Putin portrays himself as a victim. He wants the Russian people to believe they are victims. With all that is wrong, including Crimea and Ukraine, Russians and Putin are hardly victims. It was not The West that doped Russian athletes. He is responsible for a lot of mischief and it is conducted under his presidency. The West would have to be very busy to drum up all the problems Putin's Russia is involved in.

He is aggitated/short tempered because it is not going his way.

The EU should consider giving Russian expats protections for now.

Deputy Director-General of Aeroflot and a Finance Manager of AvtoVAZ. ("cash cow to support international spying operations")

Dead men can't testify anywhere about anything. 

The most recent domestic crash in Russia was with Saratov Airlines. (click here) The Russians weren't in no a hurry to clean it up. Granted it is winter in Russia, but, there was a slow response to the crash. 

Saratov was a fairly successful airline until the Russian authorities stated it was worried about security breaches. The entire company was then limited to flights inside Russia. There simply is a lot of concerns about Russian aircraft including the downed jet in Egypt. I think there is a pattern Putin might be held responsible for now that he is facing the downing of a commercial jet.

I may be mistaken, but, I am fairly sure I read something about Saratov Airlines looking to return to international service. Putin would not see that as important because as far as he is concerned Russians belong in Russia and sanctions are not soon to be lifted. Pure speculation.

Congratulations to Ms. Haspel, the first female director of the CIA.

She burned tapes related to waterboarding. Really? Who's name was on the order? I hope she realizes that is minimally an ethics violation. She is going to be a worry if she sees these measures as a methodology to the agencies records. She needs to let the American people know burning government tapes is not permissible unless the building is being taken over by an enemy. I would also expect redundancy in federal domestic offices before records are destroyed to protect the country. In this case, the records protected Dick Cheney.

Washington — President Donald Trump’s choice (click here) to be the first female director of the CIA is a career spymaster who once ran an agency prison in Thailand where terror suspects were subjected to a harsh interrogation technique that the president has supported.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and that he has selected Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo. Haspel, the current deputy CIA director, also helped carry out an order that the agency destroy its waterboarding videos. That order prompted a lengthy Justice Department investigation that ended without charges....

Porn is a part of American life. As a woman dedicated to equal treatment of women, I refuse to look beyond that reality.

Pron isn't going anywhere. It will be with Americans forever. The women participating in this art form, need to be viewed as valuable stars that have intricate needs for their health and well being.

March 10, 2018
By Petula Devorak

Meet May Irwin, (click here) the Stormy Daniels of the Victorian era.

And her pornographer, Thomas Edison.

That’s right, that guy.

Edison’s 1896 creation capturing Irwin and actor John C. Rice doing something naughty caused a nationwide uproar as newspaper editorials declared the end of American morality and called for police action in theaters that dared to show the 18-second flick....               

I think Ms. Clifford and her attorney are being very smart about this decision.

March 12, 2018
By Eliza Relman

...Under the new agreement, (click here) Clifford would be allowed to "(a) speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the President and the attempts to silence her and (b) use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the President that she may have in her possession, all without fear of retribution and/or legal liability for damages."...

I think non-disclosure agreements when linked with sexual consent is a very murky area. They call it hush money, but, it is a delayed payment for sex. It can be interpreted very differently under a microscope.

This entire scenario is unfortunate. This is the third marriage for Mr. Trump. Besides infidelity, it carries the reality that if the information was disclosed weeks before the election the country may be looking at a different administration in the White House. Such information does make differences in elections, obviously, Mr. Trump knows that as well.

I wish Ms. Clifford the best. I also hope she is well received by the public when she makes her appearance on 60 minutes. She is coming forward with the truth in a way that can be verified. She is providing the truth to the country. She should not be a victim as others in the past have become.

The women involved with powerful men are demonized after they simply speak the truth. That fact is part of the oppression of women in the USA. It fits the picture of the recent enlightenment regarding sexual assault. If powerful men can keep women 'inline' the world of sexual exploitation is theirs to enjoy. It is astounding to me this has been the rules of the road for men in the USA. It is some of the best kept social secrets on the planet. For women who have not experienced this level of exploitation in their lives, we thought everything was fine. Wow.

Ms. Clifford needs to be respected no differently than her detractors need to be ridiculed. She is speaking the truth. I naively believed that was the baseline for social knowledge in the USA, especially when choosing a president.

I believe President Trump about the national security issues with computer chip consolidation.

March 12, 2018

San Francisco — President Trump (click here) has blocked Singapore-based Broadcom's proposed $117 billion takeovers of U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm for national security reasons.

In the order released Monday night, Trump cited "credible evidence" that the takeover "threatens to impair the national security of the United States."...

There are many concerns regarding AI. It is still a developing technology that has a great deal of potential to be dangerous to the operation of military infrastructure.

Currently, the US has the lead in mastering the fate of AI and chip makers will be a vital part of that. I don't care if Broadcom is based in Singapore, there is a lot on the line. This decision is based on assessments important to the USA national security.

...Coming just hours after Broadcom CEO Hock Tan met with security officials at the Pentagon in an effort to save the deal, the order follows an investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews purchases of American companies by foreign investors. The investigation recommended blocking the deal, citing national security risks....

I am sorry to hear President Trump is having a problem finding economic advisers. If he wants a comprehensive view of the world he should consider having co-advisers, including a union leader with significant time and experience with the USA workforce.

Union leadership would provide insight into his new directions in trade. Unions should offer help in the pool of economic advisers to the President.

November 27, 2017
By Reinhardt Krause
...UBS forecasts that the AI chip market (click here) will boom to $35 billion by 2021, up from roughly $6 billion in 2016. But AI stakes are higher than mere chip sales.

AI technology is expected to transform economies. Artificial intelligence has been called a "winner take all" technology, meaning that companies and countries that gain an edge will build upon that lead over time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that whichever country leads in AI  will dominate global affairs.

"Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind," said Putin. "It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world."...

Putin would love to have computer chip manufacturing exclusively in Asia. I think President Trump is correct on this one and the decision was made with significant national security interests.