Get the insurgents off the jury.

Pastor Will Morgan reflects on Flint’s Water Crisis.(click here)

“Is this economic racism?” (click here) asks Pastor Will Morgan, a lifelong Flint resident, General Motors retiree and reverend of the Apostolic Church, which has become a water distribution point for residents on Flint’s impoverished east side....

August 4, 2022
By Ron Fonger

Flint - The jury in a civil Flint water crisis trial (click here) that started more than five months ago has told a federal judge it is deadlocked in its deliberations, creating the potential for a mistrial.

A source familiar with the case told MLive-The Flint Journal that the jury told U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy about the stalemate in a note on Thursday, July 29, and that Levy instructed jurors to continue trying to reach a verdict.

The five-woman, three-man jury is scheduled to resume deliberations when it returns to court after a 12-day break on Tuesday, Aug. 9. If it remains divided, Levy could be faced with a mistrial in the case, which was brought by four Flint children who accuse two city of Flint water consultants of professional negligence.

A mistrial would be a setback for the children and their attorneys, who would be faced with the prospect of trying the case again in front of a different jury with no assurance that they recoup their upfront investment in another trial.

In addition to the years attorneys have spent preparing for the case, the four children and the companies -- Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam -- have each invested in multiple expert witnesses and prepared scores of legal motions, costs that could be duplicated if the case is litigated again....

July 18, 2022

By Beth LeBlanc

The state has spent nearly $53 million since 2016 (click here) for both the prosecution and defense of Michigan's top officials in the Flint water criminal and civil litigation, with costs spanning four departments and at least 25 state employees, according to records obtained and reviewed by The Detroit News.

About $15.8 million of the $53 million total has been spent by the attorney general's office since 2016 to investigate the actions surrounding Flint's lead-tainted water, prosecute state and local officials, and defend against civil lawsuits. 

About $37.1 million has been paid to at least two dozen firms for legal contracts associated with the defense of state employees and state departments since 2016, according to state records....

What is Orban's intention with these people? What was he paid for his appearance?

August 4, 2022
By Elaine Godfrey

The Hungarian flags are on sale at Amazon (click here).

...Today in Dallas, (click here) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave a speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. You heard that correctly! The leader of an Indiana-sized European country traveled 5,000 miles to speak at an American political gathering best known for its fringe characters and own-the-libs merchandise. If it sounds strange, that’s because it is. Strange and bad....

...“We must find friends and allies in one another. We must coordinate a movement of our troops because we face the same challenge,” he told the audience. Coming elections in the U.S. and in Europe “will define the two fronts in the battle being fought for Western civilization.”...

Orban is aligning with the insurgents of January 6th to bring about a violent and deadly overthrow of the US Constitution. Who does he think he is? Hungary is a member of NATO. It is time President Biden address this issue at NATO and end this ideology inspired by Russia to feed Trump's insurgency.

Whatever CPAC paid him, it was more than what he cares about becoming an insurgent himself to spend the rest of his life in prison. This could be moved to the Hague because Orban is obviously talking about an alliance with insurgents within the sovereign borders of the USA. 

He’s parlayed his election victories into constitutional changes that make it harder for his electoral opponents to win. Elections are free, in a sense, but they are not fair, experts say.

He’s cracked down on the Hungarian media. Orbán and his allies now own many of the papers in the country, and few independent outlets survive. This means less airtime for his opponents and less criticism of him.

He’s a socially conservative Christian nationalist. He’s staunchly anti-immigration, and in a recent speech, he said that he wanted to keep Hungary from becoming a “mixed-race” country.

Orban, now TWICE (once in Hungary and once in Texas) has declared an alliance with USA criminals to run a civil insurrection to end the governance of the USA Constitution. This is not remotely an issue of topic in the USA. Orban is declaring war on the USA as soon as his alliance lines up while he is among NATO countries. 

Lock them up!!!!!!!! 

All of 'em!!!!! 

Orban, too!!!!

The picture to the right is Orban speaking to CPAC convening in Budapest, Hungary.

Anyone in attendance at either meetings in Budapest and Texas are suspect.

Hurricanes

August 4, 2022

...NOAA is predicting 14-20 named storms (click here) (winds of 39 mph or greater), including 6-10 hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater) and 3-5 major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater). This, again, is only a slight adjustment compareed to May’s outlook which predicted 14-21 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes, and 3-6 major hurricanes.

“We’re just getting into the peak months of August through October for hurricane development, and we anticipate that more storms are on the way,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D....

Grain is moving out of Ukraine at Odessa.

August 4, 2022

Stanbul – Three ships carrying a total of 58,041 tonnes of corn (click here) have been authorized to leave Ukrainian ports on Friday as part of a deal to unblock grain exports, the organization arranging the operation said on Thursday.

A first vessel carrying Ukrainian grain set sail from Odesa on Monday, arriving at the Bosphorus Strait some 36 hours later under a deal between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, that aims to ease a global food crisis stemming from the war.

The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which groups Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. personnel, said two ships would leave from Chornomorsk and one from Odesa on Friday.

“The three outbound vessels are estimated to depart in the morning from their respective ports,” it said.

From Chornomorsk, the Polarnet would leave for Karasu in Turkey with 12,000 metric tons of corn and the Rojen would take 13,041 tons of corn to Teesport in Britain.

From Odesa, the Navistar would take 33,000 tons of corn to Ringaskiddy in Ireland.

Turkey earlier said there were plans for three ships to set out from Ukrainian ports on Friday, adding Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had held talks with Ukraine’s defense and infrastructure ministers to discuss grain deliveries....

Container companies are using New York/New Jersey ports for storage.

August 4, 2022

Motor carriers (click here) are quickly raising driver pay and fuel surcharges as the costs of drayage spiral. 

...As of Thursday, (click here) numbers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey showed 19 containerships at anchor awaiting berthing space. A glut of empty export containers awaiting pick-up by ocean carriers contributed to the problems, prompting the port authority to announce this week a new “container imbalance fee” for ocean carriers. Under the program, which will be effective as of September 1, 2022, ocean carriers’ total outgoing container volume must be 110% or more of their incoming container volume or face a $100 per container fee over the benchmark.

“When ocean carriers continue to bring thousands of containers per month to a port and only pick up a fraction of that number, it creates an untenable situation for terminals, importers and exporters, trucking companies, and the port itself,” said Chairman Maffei. “The Commission has already been investigating reports of carriers charging per diem container charges even when the shipper or trucker cannot possibly return the container due to terminal congestion. I will ask that this investigation be broadened and intensified to cover instances where shippers and truckers are being forced to store containers or move them without proper compensation.”...

Hate before economy.

China should be worried about it's economy rather running "let's pretend we are at war" drills. China does not know what it is doing. It is firing missiles any place it wants without regard for shipping or Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

August 4, 2022
By Kevin Varley

The drills reached 3 times into Japan's EEZ. (click here)

Shippers rerouted vessels as China (click here) began its most provocative military drills in decades around Taiwan, with at least one owner barring ships from transiting the strait. 

Taiwan said China fired 11 missiles in waters around the island as of 4 p.m. local time Thursday. The maneuvers, in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island this week, are taking place in six areas surrounding Taiwan, and China advised ships and aircraft not to go near the regions.

A statement by the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army said it had completed live-fire training and lifted relevant air and sea controls. It didn’t clarify whether that meant all exercises had ended, but the state-run People’s Daily later said controls off the eastern coast of Taiwan have been lifted. The drills began at noon on Thursday and were set to last until Sunday.

Ships continued to travel through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While the data showed approximately 15 vessels in the drill zones at noon, those may have moved out of the impact areas before exercises began. There were no ships in the zone closest to the China mainland in the Taiwan Strait or to the east of the island....

Russia doesn't pump it's own oil.

We all know how things turned out when Russia nationalized McDonalds.

August 1, 2022
By David Wethe

Baker Huges Co. (click here) has become the second of the big three oilfield service providers to plan a sale of its Russian business to local employees following international sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.

The No. 2 global crude contractor will sell its oilfield services unit in Russia to its local management team for an undisclosed price in a deal that’s expected to close in the second half, according to a statement Monday. The Houston-based company took a $365 million charge in the second quarter for the suspension of all oil drilling and other work in Russia.

Halliburton Co. said late last month it executed a non-binding letter of intent with its Russian employee group in May and is negotiating final sale documents. Schlumberger, the world’s biggest oilfield contractor, hasn’t gone as far as rivals to disengage from the oil and natural gas powerhouse. It says its unique corporate structure gives it flexibility to work in Russia while complying with sanctions....

While on the subject of Halliburton, a little "oil baron" trivia.

August 1, 2022
By Sami Zaptia

The Tripoli-based Libyan Ministry of Oil and Gas (click here) has refuted reports that U.S. oil services company, Halliburton, has evacuated its employees from Libya’s oilfields

The Oil Ministry said it reassures the Libyan oil sector that what was published regarding the departure of the Halliburton ‘‘is a distortion of reality and has no basis’’.

It stated that Halliburton is still continuing its normal work with the Libyan oil sector, and that it is a large and experienced company that manages its operations professionally.

The Oil Ministry’s rebuttal comes after social and traditional media news alleged that Halliburton was evacuating its staff, implying that fighting was about to take place between Libya’s opposing militias.

HALLIBURTON COMPANY (HAL) (click here)

Nobody is dumping Halliburton because of the Russian war into Ukraine. It has a good return on investments.

July 10, 2022

...Return on equity can be calculated by using the formula: (click here)

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity


So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Halliburton is:

22% = US$1.6b ÷ US$7.0b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).

The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of $0.22.
Does Halliburton Have A Good Return On Equity?

One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As is clear from the image below, Halliburton has a better ROE than the average (5.7%) in the Energy Services industry.

Peace, prosperity and security

August 4, 2022
By Qin Gang

To the left is a map of Formosa in 1870. (click here) That waterway is the Formosa Strait. That was a long time ago and the island has become an autonomous state and is no longer called Formosa.

Taiwan has been an inseparable part of China’s territory for 1,800 years. In 1943, the leaders of China, the United States and Britain issued the Cairo Declaration (click here), which clearly states that all territories Japan stole from the Chinese, such as Taiwan, shall be restored to China. The Potsdam Declaration of 1945 affirmed that the terms of the Cairo Declaration would be carried out. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, recognized that the representatives of the government of the People’s Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations....

It appears the Chinese ambassador is stuck in the past. In 1943, Japan was a very different country. It was terrorizing the world and a peace agreement hadn't been reached. Japan surrendered September 2, 1945 which brought the end to World War II. To say the influence of this document is the current state of affairs in the world is ridiculous.

The Potsdam Declaration (click here) simply states the Cairo Declaration will stand and Japan would have limited possessions. The Potsdam Declaration turned the corner for Japan and removed the emperor and replaced it with a democratic government. The Potsdam Declaration clearly states it's understanding of democracy. Nowhere does it say that any land China claims can continue as a slave state to China. It states clearly the understanding that democratic principles will dominate Japan and in that relationships going forward with all other entities shall be governed by a government elected under democracy. 

The UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 allows China to the United Nations, not Taiwan. As a matter of fact the history of Taiwan opposed being named Formosa. Formosa is a Portuguese name for the island at the time of past dynasties when the Chinese could not keep control of the island nation. Taiwan is the name of the island nation and it went back to being called Taiwan to regain it's identity and culture. Basically, no different than the past insults to native people in the USA, past Chinese dynasties attempted to change the culture completely. At one point, the Taiwan people would defeat landings of the Chinese as headhunters claiming the Chinese were the most desired by the native inhabitants. China never had control of Taiwan. 

Pescadores means fisherman in Portuguese.

Formosa being a Portuguese reflects the relationship "The West" has always had with Taiwan. As a matter of fact, the Chinese allowed the Dutch to settle the island. The Dutch were then followed by the Spanish. The fact of the matter is the past documentations claimed by China to OWN Taiwan are highly insulting to the Taiwan nation of people as China as a sovereign power was never accurate in the REALITY of the island governance.

The Spaniards settled the island and would trade with The East from Taiwan. All during this time the dynasties within the Chinese borders of what can be called the mainland were at war chronically with turnovers in governance authority. China had no interest in Taiwan. AT ALL!

Taiwan was actually liberated from The West by the rejected dynasties of China. When a dynasty lost a war they went to Taiwan to live. The idea China actually has a claim to Taiwan is grossly misrepresented. China has no history with Taiwan as a possession. At the best it was a sovereign island where the rejected and defeated Chinese dynasties then set up Government of the Republic of China. 

That Government of the Republic of China was a democracy consisting of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other islands that remained a population of rejected and defeated Chinese dynasties. Mainland China has never had a long history of ownership of these areas, but, for some reason the Chinese communists seem to think they can simply expand their borders without regard to peace and prosperity of the peoples long living in this part of the Pacific.

These lands are no longer a part of Japan, but, they were NEVER, EVER determined to be a sovereign state of the communists of China. Quite the contrary. Taiwan has always been autonomous and NEVER, EVER relied on China for governance and it's prosperous economy PROVES IT!

China can huff and puff all it wants, but, the truth is if China ever invades Taiwan it will be committing a CRIME!

The so called agreements decades ago were signed by The West in complete ignorance of the actual sovereign state of these lands. The West believed China and China was never a governing authority.

As China has no right to these lands, The West had no right to agree to their possession by China. It was all bogus. The Japanese never owned the islands either. These lands were about defining sovereign borders because they feared the USA genocide atomic bombs.

So, China needs to get over itself and decide to be a prosperous nation rather than a Trump Scheme Opportunist expansionist. China has no right to Taiwan and it never did.  

The genetics of Taiwan will reveal Chinese heritage, but, it was the defeated dynasties that contributed, not the governing Chinese of the so called Mainland. One can only have a Mainland if there are other lands. China is a sovereign country, but, not hardly a mainland to any islands.

The United Nations needs to get their history strait and rule in Taiwan as a sovereign country member.

There is no reason to get excited, these were just inappropriate military drills by China (click here). China's borders do not include Taiwan.

The current Chinese Communist rule is rather violent, actually.

On October 1, 1949, (click here) Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), which broke out immediately following World War II and had been preceded by on and off conflict between the two sides since the 1920’s. The creation of the PRC also completed the long process of governmental upheaval in China begun by the Chinese Revolution of 1911. The “fall” of mainland China to communism in 1949 led the United States to suspend diplomatic ties with the PRC for decades....

PRC is only 73 years old, yet it claims rights to land dating back to 1800 years. I don't think so.