There are other species of tree involved with the Northern Hardwood Forest. It is important to know the relationship between plants and animals to understand the balance that accompanies nature.
What may happen with the Snowshoe Hare is that nature will select those individuals that remain brown through the year. That doesn't mean when the warming that Michael Bloomberg is going to reverse takes hold and there is plenty of snow again, there won't be white rabbits. Quite the contrary, as the dark individuals are easier to find in the white snow, those that are pale or white will once again increase in numbers.
It is all genetics and natural selection. Now, that doesn't mean it is magic and will be in perfect balance automatically. It is important, especially with ABRUPT climate change, that species are monitored, counted and their habitat and food sources kept plentiful. The worst thing that can happen is to have the Snowshoe Rabbit completely disappear, hence, vigilance through observation of the ECOSYSTEM. The Snowshoe Hare is an indicator species for a very real reason.
Until next week, enjoy being outside.
Sunday, June 09, 2019
One other indicator species that is easy to spot. A warbler called "American Redstart."
The picture to the left is the male.
The picture to the right is the female. She is very well suited for camouflage and sitting on a nest. But, she retains those beautiful colors that she shares with the male.
Still widespread (click here) and very common, but surveys suggest that numbers may be declining slightly.
Second-growth woods, river groves. Breeds in open deciduous and mixed woodland, preferring edges of forests or second growth. Attracted also to roadside trees, shrubby and tree-lined stream banks, and ponds. Will nest in second-growth maples, birch, and aspen following fire in coniferous forests. In the Northwest, prefers willow and alder thickets. In winter in the tropics, found in lowland woods....
The picture to the right is the female. She is very well suited for camouflage and sitting on a nest. But, she retains those beautiful colors that she shares with the male.
Migrates mostly at night. Fall migration begins early, with many southbound in August.
By Angela Evancie and Lynne McCrea
It’s a warm, spring afternoon when Brave Little State arrives, and the park hasn’t opened for the season. So we park near the gate and walk into a little patch of woods across the road, sandwiched between Route 100 and Kent Pond. Our guide? Ecologist Bob Zaino, of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.
These woods look pretty unremarkable, like what you’d see off any trail (or road) in the Green Mountains. With one exception: Every couple hundred feet, there is a *really* big tree.
“We’ve just walked a short distance into the woods — I mean, we haven’t even left sight of the road. But here we are standing next to one of these giant sugar maple trees,” Zaino says....
Let's look at a real challenge for New York State with an indicator species facing danger.
The Snowshoe Hare found in the young forests of New York State change colors to match the seasons. Brown in the Summer and white in the Winter. What happens with there is little to no snow? The winter time still dictates the white color, except for, the tips of the ears are always black no matter the season.
If there is a winter with little to no snow or an early melt, the danger increases as prey to other animals, even humans.
July 17, 2014
By Emma Marris
There's something odd (click here) about a bright white snowshoe hare motionless and alert—without any hint of snow nearby.
Gleaming white on a brown background of dirt and leaves, the hares, which are native to the mountain ranges of North America, might as well be wearing an "eat me" sign for lynx and other predators.
Scott Mills and Marketa Zimova of North Carolina State University call this "mismatch"—when the hare, which turns from brown to white as the fall becomes winter and back again in spring, doesn't match its background.
Usually, hares seem to time their color change pretty well. Now the average hare is mismatched only about a week out of the year.
But climate change is likely to make such awkward—and potentially fatal—mismatches much more common, the team said this week at the North America Congress for Conservation Biology in Missoula, Montana. (See "7 Species Hit Hard by Climate Change—Including One That's Already Extinct.")
The hares seem to use the length of the day, rather than temperature or presence of snow, to time their "molt."...
Government centers being closed down, when a private contractor takes over it is still paid for by federal monies.
By Natalia V. Navarro
An aerial picture of the Collbran Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Collbran, Colorado, as it appears on its website. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced May 24, 2019, that the center would be handed over to a private contractor.
A Western Slope job center (click here) that has been helping educate and employ rural youth for over 50 years through a federal job corps program will soon be taken over by a private contractor.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced May 24 it is ending its long-standing Forest Service job training program. Nine of the 25 centers nationwide that serve rural youth are closing.
The only such center in Colorado, the Collbran Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, will likely be privatized, but employees don’t know when and how that will happen, according to the center Director Evonne Stites. The 46 employees there will lose their jobs at an undetermined point in the future. Stites, who’s been with the center for two decades, said she was told by federal officials that she and the rest of the staff would have the option to retire or to re-apply and interview for their positions with the unnamed contractor....
So let me get this right. The Job Corp Civilian Conservation Centers will be closed down, except for one in Colorado. It will cause job loss, but, it will also cease to educate people that go on to perform jobs.
Really??
These people educate people for real jobs. It does not make sense to me, especially because the government still pays for the training in Colorado, but, through a private contractor. It sounds like plenty of room for corruption.
An indicator canopy species is a tree as well.
Isn't it gorgeous? It is a very hearty tree and resists pollution. It can even do well in salty environments.
It grows over 2 feet per year and at maturity, it is 65 to 70 feet tall. It tends to resist drought with a tap root that runs deep into the soil. It has a dense crown which provides for a dense canopy and a shady forest floor. If there are any bald spots in the forest canopy consider this as it transplants very well.
It has very distinctive leaves that turn russet to bright red in the autumn.
Acorns from this tree are at the top of the food preference list for blue jays, wild turkeys, squirrels, small rodents, whitetail deer, raccoons and black bears. Deer also browse the buds and twigs in wintertime.
It is a native species.
World Ocean Day was June 8th. It has never been more important. Please support the efforts at the WTO to end abuse of our oceans.
International trade agreements (click here) not only free up opportunities for fairer trade and development among nations – negotiations now under way at the World Trade Organization (WTO)can also help prevent over-fishing and preserve marine life. But the talks are approaching a critical moment, and WTO director-general Roberto Azevêdo says member countries need to step up their efforts to find the compromises needed to reach a deal.
Recent studies on the health of our oceans offer irrefutable evidence that something very disturbing is taking place and that the threat to marine life has never been graver.
As we mark World Oceans Day on June 8, the evidence has never been more compelling that many fish stocks are rapidly being depleted. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 33 percent of global stocks are overfished – compared with 10 percent in 1974. In some regions the picture is even more dire, with 60 percent of stocks overfished in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Southeast Pacific and the Southwest Atlantic....
The illustrations are from the McGill website on Wikipedia (click here) This is the Atlantic site. In the right upper corner of the page the other oceans are listed. These are very good references in that they treat the information holistically, including descriptions of the water. It is a good reference for ports along the Atlantic Ocean.
...The cause of this looming catastrophe is no mystery. According to the UN, two-thirds of the global marine environment has been significantly altered by human actions.
This should be of concern to everyone. More than 40 million people worldwide earn their living through fishing. What's more, fish make up 20 percent of the protein intake for 3.2 billion people.
It is certainly a matter of relevance for the 164 Members of the World Trade Organization. At present, negotiations are under way at the WTO which aim to prohibit the use of government subsidies for fishers who engage in illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing, as well as government support leads to overcapacity and overfishing....
An indicator species of the Northern Hardwood Forest is a tree.
The link above has different tabs for description and pictures.
This is a young tree and it is not in a forest setting, but, it is easy to see it is on the scrubby side.
It is easy to identify by it's leaves, but, mostly by it's bark which is stripped.
The Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum) (click here) is a small, deciduous understory tree or large shrub which flourishes in cool, moist woods in the Adirondack Mountains. Striped Maples are also known as Goosefoot or Goosefoot Maple – a reference to the fact that the leaf is shaped roughly like the foot of a goose. Striped Maple are also known as Moosewood – a reference to the fact that the bark is consumed by moose in winter. The plant is also referred to as Pennsylvania Maple (a reference to the state of Pennsylvania, where the tree is a native species) and Snakebark Maple (a reference to its distinctive striped bark). Striped Maple trees grow up to about 30 feet high.
The leaves of the Striped Maple generally have three lobes.
The picture to the left is that of a young Stripped Maple. The bark is green, more like a stem, with distinctive white stripes.
The picture to the right below is the bark of a mature Stripped Maple. It is more grey in color with verticle strips. Of course, the leaves at the same as the young tree.
Rikers is not getting a face lift, it is being demolished. It will be gone forever.
By Alexander C. Kaufman
The New York City Council (click here) is preparing to consider a trio of bills that would set the stage to convert the infamously violent jail complex on Rikers Island into a solar farm and wastewater treatment facility.
The bills mark what Queens Councilman Costa Constantinides, whose district lies just south of the jail complex, described as a bid to not only ensure the 400-acre island remains out of the grasp of luxury developers but also to curtail pollution in working-class neighborhoods and to broaden the scope of the historic Green New Deal legislation he helped pass last month.
March 16, 2019
By Christian Murray
A new poll says that New Yorkers (click here) overwhelmingly support the Mayor’s borough-based jail plan, results that are in stark contrast to the two community boards that have voted on the controversial plan so far.
The poll, based on the response of 601 registered voters between April 19-25, found that 59 percent supported closing the Rikers Island jail facilities and opening borough-based jails, with 22 percent voicing strong support.
The contentious plan involves closing Rikers and replacing it with four new jails, one in each borough except Staten Island, by 2027. The plan requires all four sites to be rezoned–including the proposed Kew Gardens facility, which would be 27-stories tall and house about 1,400 inmates.
The survey results, released today by the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, come just two days after Community Board 9 in Kew Gardens unanimously voted down the proposal. Community Board 1 in Brooklyn voted against it on May 8, according to reports.
The community boards in Manhattan and the Bronx have yet to vote on it.
The poll found that 70 percent of respondents believe that family members should be detained at “a borough-based correctional facility located near their families, lawyers and courts,” instead of at Rikers Island, viewed as being in an isolated area....
A indicator species of the herbaceous layer of the Northern Hardwood Forest.
The Painted trillium stands above the forest floor and can be easily seen. It is a native species.
This trillium (click here) has a slender stalk, 8-16 in. high, with a whorl of three, large, blue-green leaves. The flower, white with purple markings, is borne above the leaves on a short, arching stem. Bright-red fruits appear in early fall. This is a perennial plant. The erect, stalked flower has an inverted, pink V at the base of each white, wavy-edged petal.
This is one of the most attractive woodland Trilliums. It is easily recognized by the splash of pink in the center of the white flower.
This trillium (click here) has a slender stalk, 8-16 in. high, with a whorl of three, large, blue-green leaves. The flower, white with purple markings, is borne above the leaves on a short, arching stem. Bright-red fruits appear in early fall. This is a perennial plant. The erect, stalked flower has an inverted, pink V at the base of each white, wavy-edged petal.
This is one of the most attractive woodland Trilliums. It is easily recognized by the splash of pink in the center of the white flower.
By Larry Stritch
Painted trillium (click here) is an herbaceous, long-lived, woodland, perennial wildflower with a broad distribution across New England, New York and Pennsylvania thence south in a narrow band in the Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia and Virginia to the high mountains of Georgia; and in Canada from Ontario, Quebec and the maritime provinces to Nova Scotia.
“Trillium”, from the Latin tri, refers to the flower parts occurring in threes; “llium” from the Latin liliaceous, refers to the funnel-shaped flower; and, “flexipes”, from the Latin undulatum (i.e., wavy) refers to the petals’ wavy margins.
Trillium undulatum has a short, thick rhizome from which a sheath (highly modified leaf called a cataphyll) enclosed scape (stalk of the inflorescence) emerges from the ground to 10 to 45 centimeters tall. It has a single, terminal flower. Leaves (actually bracts) are three, dark green infused with maroon, petiolate, lanceolate, acuminate, 5 to 17 centimeters long and 4 to 12 centimeters wide. The flower is pedicellate, with the pedicel ascending to erect. Sepals are three, dark red to dark maroon green, spreading, 1.5 to 4 centimeters long, and 0.5 to 1.0 centimeters wide. Petals are three, wavy-margined, white with a central red to reddish purple splotch at the base, lanceolate to obovate, acuminate, 1.4 to 1.8 centimeters long. Fruit is a scarlet, three-angled berry, 1 to 2 centimeters long.
Trillium undulatum flowers from early to late spring (dependant on latitude and/or elevation). The species occurs in mesic, northern hardwoods, mixed conifer-hardwood forests, to pinewoods and high-elevation red spruce forests in the central Appalachian Mountains in very acidic humus-rich soils.
Please work with Dr. Chris Fields of Stanford.
By Kara Baskin
Michael R. Bloomberg, billionaire entrepreneur and former three-term mayor of New York City, launched what he called “the largest coordinated assault on the climate crisis that our country has ever undertaken, ” with a plan to close every coal-fired power plant in the United States by 2030.
Bloomberg laid out the ambitious plan, Beyond Carbon, as part of his commencement address at MIT on Friday, June 7, telling graduates, “Your generation’s mission is not to explore deep space and to reach faraway places. It’s to save our own planet, the one we live on, from climate change.” His foundation will donate $500 million to the initiative....
I agree with him. I have probably worn out the name Dr. Chris Fields (click here) on this blog, but, he is a brilliant man and if not for him, the USA would not have a climate curriculum for it's young people. He knows what he is doing.
There is absolutely no doubt Michael Bloomberg loves the USA beyond any imagination otherwise. I am impressed at his words and his financial backing to end the threats to Earth's climate. It is a magnificent gesture and I dearly want him to succeed as much as I know he wants to succeed.
We need Climate Policy, Mayor Bloomberg. We need strong laws that end the danger to the future of all Americans. We were on our way with President Obama and he made a good dent in the problem, but, all the back peddling for the sake of an economy is not the future, it is simply breathing air into the past where all the danger lies.
Literally, the Trump economy is revitalizing the very reasons the Climate Crisis exists in the first place. The Trump economy should never exist in the year 2019. It is based in deregulation of danger and revitalizing dangerous forms of energy. Even the trucking industry has no use for his deregulation. The trucking industry was well on it's way to harnessing greener and cleaner forms of fuel and the federal government was holding the industry's hand throughout the transition. Now, all that change is supposed to dissolve so old trucks still have a place on the American highway when they shouldn't.
I hope all goes well for the Former Mayor of New York City. He is a good and decent man, but, please work with highly qualified scientists, including others in the USA that understand the stresses the planet is under like Dr. Carmelo Tomas of UNCW (click here). He is a world class scientist that knows the conditions of the oceans at the micro level. These scientists love this world and they want it to be a benevolent place where people love to live.
I wish Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg all the success he deserves and wants.
I thought this was a really nice article to help people take ownership of their young forests.
The article covers most of what has been mentioned before, the seasons of a forest, the herbaceous layer or flowers, the shrubs, the wildlife and of course the trees. I will continue to discuss indicator species. The article does not mention the Slate Colored Dark Eyed Junco. It focuses on what is easy to relate to and it is well done.
When I look at that picture, I see a harvested farm field with an edge forest in the background. I don't know how big the forest is, but, there will be "edge" species that live in the forest. The sky is beautiful and the mountains are breathtaking even at the ground level. Autumn colors, called senescence by botanists, is in full swing with a bare tree in the foreground. There is an herbaceous layer that continues to cover the ground and protect the soil during winter.
Adirondack Northern Hardwood Forest: (click here) The rich tapestry of hardwoods that characterizes the northern hardwood forest is conveniently seen in the autumn, when the orange and yellows of birch and aspen contrast with the orange-reds of maples. Autumn colors from the Old Orchard Loop at Heaven Hill. (6 October 2018).
The northern hardwood forest is the most extensive woodland in the Adirondacks. It occupies the region's best soils and sites, growing on the more fertile soils that make up glacial till. The northern hardwood forest is generally found on the lower and warmer mountainsides – gentle slopes where soils are neither extremely dry nor extremely wet.
The most dominant life form in the northern hardwood forest are deciduous trees, which lose their leaves each fall and are almost completely dormant in the winter months. One of the most striking characteristics of the northern hardwood forest is the extravagant display of fall colors, which results from the loss of green pigment, chlorophyll, as the trees slow down their photosynthesis in the autumn and prepare to enter dormancy for the winter. With the chlorophyll gone, pigments which were hidden previously become visible, producing the vibrant reds of the Sugar Maple and the golden yellows of the American Beech.
Northern hardwood forests in the Adirondacks can be recognized from afar by the color and pattern of foliage.
When I look at that picture, I see a harvested farm field with an edge forest in the background. I don't know how big the forest is, but, there will be "edge" species that live in the forest. The sky is beautiful and the mountains are breathtaking even at the ground level. Autumn colors, called senescence by botanists, is in full swing with a bare tree in the foreground. There is an herbaceous layer that continues to cover the ground and protect the soil during winter.
Adirondack Northern Hardwood Forest: (click here) The rich tapestry of hardwoods that characterizes the northern hardwood forest is conveniently seen in the autumn, when the orange and yellows of birch and aspen contrast with the orange-reds of maples. Autumn colors from the Old Orchard Loop at Heaven Hill. (6 October 2018).The northern hardwood forest is the most extensive woodland in the Adirondacks. It occupies the region's best soils and sites, growing on the more fertile soils that make up glacial till. The northern hardwood forest is generally found on the lower and warmer mountainsides – gentle slopes where soils are neither extremely dry nor extremely wet.
The most dominant life form in the northern hardwood forest are deciduous trees, which lose their leaves each fall and are almost completely dormant in the winter months. One of the most striking characteristics of the northern hardwood forest is the extravagant display of fall colors, which results from the loss of green pigment, chlorophyll, as the trees slow down their photosynthesis in the autumn and prepare to enter dormancy for the winter. With the chlorophyll gone, pigments which were hidden previously become visible, producing the vibrant reds of the Sugar Maple and the golden yellows of the American Beech.
Northern hardwood forests in the Adirondacks can be recognized from afar by the color and pattern of foliage.
- In spring, before leaf-out, the grey-brown pattern of unleafed branches contrasts with the somber dark green expanse of conifers both above and below the hardwoods.
- In summer, hardwood forests can be distinguished by areas of bright green foliage.
- In fall, the oranges, yellows, and reds of deciduous trees stand out against the dark greens of the conifers....
June 6, 2019
University of Göttingen (click here)
Forest conservation can be a source of tension between competing priorities and interests from forestry, science, administration and nature conservation organizations. Scientists have developed a framework of conservation objectives whereby targets can be compared and analyzed.
Twenty One Pilots Forest Lyrics (click here for official website of 21 pilots - thank you)
The lyrics are in the video. Nice young forest picture. It sounds to me as though everyone is strung out in their day to day life until they find time together in the forest.
This treaty needs to be reconsidered.
Last week there was a supersonic jet that flew across the USA. I know what I heard and it wasn't simply a loud jet. The sound was heard a few minutes after I heard it on a news broadcast out of Washington, DC whereby the journalist was drowned out for the jet sounds in the background.
I would not put it past Trump to allow Russia to fly such a jet over the USA so long as it was unarmed. THAT IS TARGET PRACTICE. I have had enough of the outrageous acts by this president and this treaty needs to be assessed for the danger it provides to the American people while Trump continues to be in office.
October 2012
By Daryl Kimball
Signed March 24, 1992, (click here) the Open Skies Treaty permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others' entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities. Observation aircraft used to fly the missions must be equipped with sensors that enable the observing party to identify significant military equipment, such as artillery, fighter aircraft, and armored combat vehicles. Though satellites can provide the same, and even more detailed, information, not all of the 34 treaty states-parties1 have such capabilities. The treaty is also aimed at building confidence and familiarity among states-parties through their participation in the overflights.
President Dwight Eisenhower first proposed that the United States and the Soviet Union allow aerial reconnaissance flights over each other's territory in July 1955. Claiming the initiative would be used for extensive spying, Moscow rejected Eisenhower's proposal. President George H.W. Bush revived the idea in May 1989 and negotiations between NATO and the Warsaw Pact started in February 1990....
I would not put it past Trump to allow Russia to fly such a jet over the USA so long as it was unarmed. THAT IS TARGET PRACTICE. I have had enough of the outrageous acts by this president and this treaty needs to be assessed for the danger it provides to the American people while Trump continues to be in office.
October 2012
By Daryl Kimball
Signed March 24, 1992, (click here) the Open Skies Treaty permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others' entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities. Observation aircraft used to fly the missions must be equipped with sensors that enable the observing party to identify significant military equipment, such as artillery, fighter aircraft, and armored combat vehicles. Though satellites can provide the same, and even more detailed, information, not all of the 34 treaty states-parties1 have such capabilities. The treaty is also aimed at building confidence and familiarity among states-parties through their participation in the overflights.
President Dwight Eisenhower first proposed that the United States and the Soviet Union allow aerial reconnaissance flights over each other's territory in July 1955. Claiming the initiative would be used for extensive spying, Moscow rejected Eisenhower's proposal. President George H.W. Bush revived the idea in May 1989 and negotiations between NATO and the Warsaw Pact started in February 1990....
Who is Russian journalist, Ivan Golunov? (click here for a news article - thank you)
The Russia government is really trippin' this time. A highly acclaimed INVESTIGATIVE journalist is selling drugs. Sure.
Some mob boss in Moscow paid the police to arrest him on false charges and then they proceeded to beat him to ensure he would not write investigative articles again.
June 8, 2019
By Doug Stanglin
Ivan Golunov, (click here) a prominent Russian investigative journalist who has exposed corruption among Moscow's most powerful business and political elite, has been hospitalized with bruises and abrasions two days after his arrest for allegedly trying to illegally sell drugs.
The 36-year-old reporter for the Latvia-based news site Meduza was jailed on Thursday, but was taken to a hospital on Saturday after complaining of feeling poorly.
His lawyer, Dmitry Julay, told reporters that the journalist had been denied food and sleep for more than 24 hours.
Moscow police said only that an emergency medical squad was summoned and found that Golunov should be taken a hospital for examination, but did not elaborate.
The head of human rights organization Agora, Pavel Chikov, told Russian news agencies the reporter was suspected of having a concussion and a broken rib. In a video taken after his arrest and posted by the Russian news site Breaking Mash, Golunov showed marks on his back....
Some mob boss in Moscow paid the police to arrest him on false charges and then they proceeded to beat him to ensure he would not write investigative articles again.
June 8, 2019
By Doug Stanglin
Ivan Golunov, (click here) a prominent Russian investigative journalist who has exposed corruption among Moscow's most powerful business and political elite, has been hospitalized with bruises and abrasions two days after his arrest for allegedly trying to illegally sell drugs.
The 36-year-old reporter for the Latvia-based news site Meduza was jailed on Thursday, but was taken to a hospital on Saturday after complaining of feeling poorly.
His lawyer, Dmitry Julay, told reporters that the journalist had been denied food and sleep for more than 24 hours.
Moscow police said only that an emergency medical squad was summoned and found that Golunov should be taken a hospital for examination, but did not elaborate.
The head of human rights organization Agora, Pavel Chikov, told Russian news agencies the reporter was suspected of having a concussion and a broken rib. In a video taken after his arrest and posted by the Russian news site Breaking Mash, Golunov showed marks on his back....
The world is becoming less safe, all in the name of Daesh.
This is from a Forbes article in 2019. Hong Kong is the second highest number of billionaires in the world, but, not for long. The Chinese government will ruin it's own economy, by instituting an oppressive dictatorship. The people that can leave Hong Kong will leave Hong Kong and take all their money with them.
2. Hong Kong, 79 billionaires (+2) (click here)
Total net worth: $355.5 billion
Richest resident: Conglomerate kingpin Li Ka-shing, $31.7 billion
Housing prices in the city have quadrupled since the Great Recession, thanks to its government’s tight grip on supply. The booming market has vaulted the fortunes of developers like Lee Shau Kee and Peter Woo, and 29 Hong Kong billionaires (and half of its top-ten richest) count real estate as their chief source of wealth. But a correction may be imminent—a Citigroup survey says that 57% of Hongkongers anticipate a drop in residential real estate prices during
2019. June 9, 2019
Hong Kong — Hundreds of thousands of protesters (click here) marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to government-sponsored legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face charges. The peaceful protest turned violent early Monday morning when several hundred protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament and clashed with police.
According to Reuters, demonstrators charged at police lines in an attempt to enter the Legislative Council building. The police charged back, displaying tear gas guns and using pepper spray. The crowd briefly pushed its way into the lobby but police used batons and pepper spray and the protesters were moved outside. There is no confirmation yet if anyone has been killed or injured....
2. Hong Kong, 79 billionaires (+2) (click here)
Total net worth: $355.5 billion
Richest resident: Conglomerate kingpin Li Ka-shing, $31.7 billion
Housing prices in the city have quadrupled since the Great Recession, thanks to its government’s tight grip on supply. The booming market has vaulted the fortunes of developers like Lee Shau Kee and Peter Woo, and 29 Hong Kong billionaires (and half of its top-ten richest) count real estate as their chief source of wealth. But a correction may be imminent—a Citigroup survey says that 57% of Hongkongers anticipate a drop in residential real estate prices during
Hong Kong — Hundreds of thousands of protesters (click here) marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to government-sponsored legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face charges. The peaceful protest turned violent early Monday morning when several hundred protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament and clashed with police.
Related cases to the Special Counsel report.
In reading the report of the Special Counsel I didn't mention all the other cases that have come from that investigation. Before returning to Volume 1, I thought listing these would provide a point of reference to understand the accounts written about in that volume.
U.S. v. Roger Jason Stone, Jr. (1:19-cr-18, District of Columbia)
Roger Jason Stone, Jr., 66, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was arrested in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 25, 2019, following an indictment by a federal grand jury on Jan. 24, 2019, in the District of Columbia. The indictment, which was unsealed upon arrest, contains seven counts: one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness tampering.
U.S. v. Michael Cohen (1:18-cr-850, Southern District of New York)
Michael Cohen of New York, New York, pleaded guilty on Nov. 29, 2018, to making false statements to the U.S. Congress in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001 (a)(2). Cohen was sentenced on December 12, 2018, to serve two months in prison and pay a $50,000 fine.
I find it interesting that Manafort has absolutely no loyalty to his citizenship and willing conspired against the USA.
I find it interesting that Manafort has absolutely no loyalty to his citizenship and willing conspired against the USA.
U.S. v. Paul J. Manafort, Jr. (1:17-cr-201, District of Columbia)
Paul J. Manafort, Jr., of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty on September 14, 2018, to a superseding criminal information filed today in the District of Columbia, which includes conspiracy against the United States (conspiracy to commit money laundering, tax fraud, failing to file Foreign Bank Account Reports and Violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and lying and misrepresenting to the Department of Justice) and conspiracy to obstruct justice (witness tampering). On March 13, 2019, Manafort was sentenced to serve 73 months in prison, with 30 months to run concurrent with his sentence in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The Russians are still out there. They could easily be committing the same crimes on behalf of Putin. What has the Trump State Department done to bring them to justice?
The Russians are still out there. They could easily be committing the same crimes on behalf of Putin. What has the Trump State Department done to bring them to justice?
U.S. v. Viktor Borisovich Netyksho, et al (1:18-cr-215, District of Columbia)
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment on July 13, 2018, against 12 Russian nationals for their alleged roles in computer hacking conspiracies aimed at interfering in the 2016 U.S. elections. The indictment charges 11 of the defendants with conspiracy to commit computer crimes, eight counts of aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to launder money. Two defendants are charged with a separate conspiracy to commit computer crimes.
Kilimnik is still wanted by the USA and the Trump State Department has not brought him to justice yet. He was the one that received election data from Manafort to report back to Putin.
Kilimnik is still wanted by the USA and the Trump State Department has not brought him to justice yet. He was the one that received election data from Manafort to report back to Putin.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a third superseding indictment on June 8, 2018, against Konstantin Kilimnik, of Moscow, Russia. Kilimnik is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice.
Rick Gates has provided information to the Special Counsel which allowed other criminals to be charged. It is amazing to me how these Americans could simply disregard USA law and do as they please. There is no conscience in committing any of these crimes.
Wealth. It is the carrot and stick. All the more reason to worry about the country and demand they pay their share to the USA Treasury.
Rick Gates has provided information to the Special Counsel which allowed other criminals to be charged. It is amazing to me how these Americans could simply disregard USA law and do as they please. There is no conscience in committing any of these crimes.
Wealth. It is the carrot and stick. All the more reason to worry about the country and demand they pay their share to the USA Treasury.
U.S. v. Richard W. Gates III (1:17-cr-201, District of Columbia)
Richard W. Gates III of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty on Feb. 23, 2018, to a superseding criminal information that includes: count one of the indictment, which charges conspiracy against the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371 (which includes conspiracy to violate 26 U.S.C. 7206(1), 31 U.S.C. 5312 and 5322(b), and 22 U.S.C. 612, 618(a)(1), and 618(a)(2)), and a charge of making false statements to the Special Counsel’s Office and FBI agents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001.
Besides committing crimes as individuals, Manafort and Gates committed crimes as a team.
Besides committing crimes as individuals, Manafort and Gates committed crimes as a team.
U.S. v. Paul J. Manafort, Jr., and Richard W. Gates III (1:18-cr-83, Eastern District of Virginia)
Paul J. Manafort, Jr., of Alexandria, Va., and Richard W. Gates III, of Richmond, Va., were indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 22, 2018, in the Eastern District of Virginia. The indictment contains 32 counts: 16 counts related to false individual income tax returns, seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts, five counts of bank fraud conspiracy, and four counts of bank fraud. On March 1, 2018, the court granted a motion to dismiss without prejudice the charges against Gates, following his guilty plea in a related case in the District of Columbia (1:17-cr-201). On Aug. 21, 2018, a federal jury found Manafort guilty on eight counts: counts 1-5, subscribing to a false individual income tax return for tax years 2010-2014; count 12, failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts for year 2012; count 25, bank fraud; and count 27, bank fraud. The court declared a mistrial on 10 counts (counts 11, 13-14, 24, 26, 28-32). As part of his plea agreement on Sept. 14, 2018, Manafort admitted his guilt of the remaining counts against him in this case. On March 7, 2019, Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
U.S. v. Alex van der Zwaan (1:18-cr-31, District of Columbia)
Alex van der Zwaan, of London, pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2018, to making false statements to FBI agents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001. Van der Zwaan was sentenced on April 3, 2018, to serve 30 days in prison and pay a $20,000 fine.
Here again, is a Russian entity that committed crimes against the USA. Their identities are yet to be realized.
Here again, is a Russian entity that committed crimes against the USA. Their identities are yet to be realized.
U.S. v. Internet Research Agency, et al (1:18-cr-32, District of Columbia)
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment on Feb. 16, 2018, against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of violating U.S. criminal laws in order to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes. The indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States, three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft.
People like to say Pinedo had a minor role in the crimes committed that assaulted the 2016 elections. Considering what he facilitated, without a care about the USA, he was no minor player.
People like to say Pinedo had a minor role in the crimes committed that assaulted the 2016 elections. Considering what he facilitated, without a care about the USA, he was no minor player.
U.S. v. Richard Pinedo, et al (1:18-cr-24, District of Columbia)
Richard Pinedo, of Santa Paula, Calif., pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2018, to identity fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1028. On Oct. 10, 2018, Pinedo was sentenced to serve six months in prison, followed by six months of home confinement, and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
Pinedo (click here) had a shady online website that sold stolen US bank account numbers to help people circumvent PayPal’s identity verification features. And some of his customers just so happened to be Russians involved in the so-called “troll farm,” a social media propaganda effort to influence the 2016 campaign. The operation was mainly run from a group called the Internet Research Agency and financed by oligarch and Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Pinedo (click here) had a shady online website that sold stolen US bank account numbers to help people circumvent PayPal’s identity verification features. And some of his customers just so happened to be Russians involved in the so-called “troll farm,” a social media propaganda effort to influence the 2016 campaign. The operation was mainly run from a group called the Internet Research Agency and financed by oligarch and Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin.
U.S. v. Michael T. Flynn (1:17-cr-232, District of Columbia)
Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn (Ret.), of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to making false statements to FBI agents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001.
U.S. v. George Papadopoulos (1:17-cr-182, District of Columbia)
George Papadopoulos, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty on Oct. 5, 2017, to making false statements to FBI agents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001. The case was unsealed on Oct. 30, 2017. On Sept. 7, 2018, Papadopoulos was sentenced to serve 14 days in prison, pay a $9,500 fine, and complete 200 hours of community service.
I believe it was Wednesday that a supersonic jet flew over the USA. It was terribly loud for a sustained period of time because it must have broken the sound barrier at lead by 10X it's speed. It was so loud I could not hear the radio. It was so loud that a journalist reporting from Washington, DC the television about two minutes later could not be heard. It probably wasn't two minutes either, it was probably less.
No one reported it.
It had to be military. The commercial jets some want to see operating again, aren't that fast.
What I want to know is, was it out of Venezuela?
Trump moved the B52s. Russia wants to attack if it can.
It is also a piss poor decision to keep four of those jets in one place. Idiots.
No one reported it.
It had to be military. The commercial jets some want to see operating again, aren't that fast.
What I want to know is, was it out of Venezuela?
Trump moved the B52s. Russia wants to attack if it can.
It is also a piss poor decision to keep four of those jets in one place. Idiots.
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