I think the dismissal of Chris Christy from a Trump administration tells the tale. Donald Trump is not in control of his transition.

Chris Christy, regardless of how one might see the Bridgegate scandal, was at Doanld Trump's side during his election. Chris Christy as the leader of the Republican Governors' Associaion was very connected to move Donald Trump's success in states across the country.

Then, comes the transition and vindictiveness and nepotism takes over. I think there is a great deal to worry about when false loyalities rules the day. The reason for Chris Christy's alliance was dismissed was not about Bridgegate. It was because revenge was more important than effective government.

November 15, 2016
By Jennifer Jacobs

Power struggles inside Donald Trump’s transition team (click here) are hobbling efforts to form a new government -- including what some say is an effort by the president-elect’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to clear out the ranks of loyalists to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

The turmoil burst to the surface Tuesday with the abrupt departure of former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who had been tapped by Christie to lead national security planning for the transition. Two people close to the transition, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, described Rogers’ departure as a firing, a move that came about because of friction between Christie and Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and one of the most influential voices in the campaign.

As U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Christie in 2004 prosecuted Kushner’s father (click here), Charles, for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions. A plea agreement led to a two-year prison sentence. Kushner is believed to have been one of the leading voices who kept Christie off Trump’s presidential ticket.

Kushner didn’t respond to requests for comment. Some transition aide....

The Flint River Water Project

I have run into a few interface problems this week. I have been provided with people to call, email and codes assigned to my FOIA request to insure cooperation in resolving these speed bumps.

We are being taken seriously. That is a good thing. 

Thank you.

allafrica.com - Like it or not, the Clinton Foundation fills in the gaps in USA policy.

Perhaps President Obama and First Lady Michelle will continue their involvement in foreign affairs with the Clinton Foundation as well. It is times like this that the Clinton Foundation has served a vital role in maintaining global security by increasing the quality of life of people.

Will the incoming Trump administation (click here) fundamentally change U.S. relations with Africa? Republicans with African expertise are promoting continued engagement with the continent which they argue serves American interests. But others believe the bipartisan consensus that has characterized policy for several decades could be upended. Whatever the downsides, could there also be an opportunity for Africa if governments make reforms to attract investors?

Donald Trump should keep an open mind in foreign policy. The status quo is the best if countries are to understand the future and achieve goals. That is especially true of Africa.

18 November 2016
By John Allen

Atlanta — Top U.S experts (click here) who have advised Republican leaders on Africa are concerned about President-elect Donald J. Trump's failure to include any Africans, except Egypt’s ruler, in the first round of calls to foreign heads of state. Two of the advisors are urging Trump to pay attention to the continent, which they argue would serve American business and national security interests.

In a guest column published by AllAfrica, Herman J. (“Hank”) Cohen, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa in the administration of the first President Bush, says the Trump administration would do well to maintain President Barack Obama's “excellent” programs to boost electricity supply and modernize agriculture in Africa, known respectively as Power Africa and Feed the Future.

The programs are good for American national interests, Cohen says: “Under 'Power Africa', American investors can make good profits selling electric power to African utilities while also contributing to African development – a win-win situation. As for agriculture modernization, the more food that Africa produces on its own, the less food the United States will have to send as humanitarian assistance.”...

The words Donald Trump has many meanings. Did Donald Trump turn the USA on it's head?

November 17, 2016

By Ivy DeJesus

The Wolf Administration (click here) on Thursday issued directives aimed at addressing the troubling incidents of racism and religious intolerance that have played out across Pennsylvania schools in the wake of the election.

The administration has directed schools to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education Safe Schools office and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission whenever an incident of hate or intolerance takes place.

State offices will dispatch counselors to the school and along with commission staff take appropriate measures to provide assistance. The Pennsylvania State Police will also play a role, monitoring threats and providing support to victims and other law enforcement agencies.

"We need to fight racism and bigotry when it arises and my administration will work actively with school districts and other public institutions to stand up to intolerance," Gov. Tom Wolf said in a written statement. "Our schools must be safe and open spaces where all children can learn and grow free of concerns for their physical, mental, and emotional safety."...

The name Donald Trump has many translations globally. 

November 17, 2016

By Henry UmorU

Femi Fani-Kayode

Abuja-Former spokesperson (click here)  of ex- President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode said yesterday that the President- elect of the United States of America, USA, Donald Trump would confront those in government with hidden agenda to islamise Nigeria and turn Nigeria into a nation of ethnic and religious vassals that must bow before President Muhammadu Buhari and his kinsmen.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Fani- Kayode who personally signed the statement congratulating the President- elect, said that his victory was a fulfilment of prophesing, said, “He will also confront their hidden agenda to islamise Nigeria and turn us into a nation of ethnic and religious vassals that must bow before President Muhammadu Buhari and his kinsmen....

Donald Trump's name also takes on far different meaning than President Obama.

November 16, 2016

By Michael Stone

Trump selects radical religious conservative for Supreme Court. (click here)

Earlier this week President-elect Donald Trump sent a confusing message concerning abortion and gay marriage while appearing on “60 Minutes.” In essence, Trump said that he would fight to overturn Roe v. Wade, but believes that the Obergefell v. Hodges decision granting marriage equality is settled law.

However, at least one of Trump’s top picks for the Supreme Court is not so tolerant of same-sex relations.

Last May Donald Trump released a list of 11 people he would consider as potential Supreme Court nominees. On that list was William Pryor, who is considered to be “the most demonstrably anti-gay judicial nominee in recent memory” by the legal advocacy group Lambda Legal.

In the past, Pryor, who now sits on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, has made the deplorable argument that consensual sexual activity between same-sex partners should be criminalized....

For some Americans the name Donald Trump means regression into social isolation. Again. I think it can be called segregation. To raise hate as a legitimate state for the USA is to segregate communities and increase victimization.

November 16, 2016
By Donne Levy, Sparks

The longtime trend in America has been to increasingly accept diversity. (click here) 
Demographically our country has changed. Yet, Donald Trump was elected while veering in the opposite direction.
Trump called Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, although their rate of violent crime is lower than that of American citizens.

Rapists and murderers is the excuse for the hate and the wall of hate at our southern border.

Trump expressed religious bigotry by proposing to ban Muslims from our shores and threatening to take citizenship rights from American Muslims. Some Muslims fought for America and are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump has been timid about denouncing his white racist and anti-Semitic supporters. He can begin by condemning the Ku Klux Klan chapter that scheduled a victory parade following his election.
We must communicate to the new president and all public servants that we reject any movement toward religious, ethnic or racial bigotry. The same holds true for prejudice against gender or sexual orientation.
We want America to be a great country for ourselves and our children. Greatness means respecting diversity.

...and oppression...

November 16, 2016
By the Collegian

Try to imagine (click here) what it must be like to be a member of a diverse, multicultural and multiethnic community of approximately 1.6 billion Muslims (just under 25 percent of the global population). You visit the website of President-elect Donald Trump and read, “Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

How do you think you’d react to these words from the next President of the United States? A little empathy is all it takes to consider a range of possibilities, which include fear, insult and pain from having been so negatively stereotyped, merely because of one’s religious affiliation.

Kansas State has many Muslim students, staff and faculty. Many are international students. Our Muslim colleagues are one of many sources of the diversity that enhances the educational experiences that K-State offers. Would K-State be a better or worse university if President-elect Trump’s proposed policy becomes law? I think the answer to this question is obvious.

If a Muslim engineering international student is trying to decide between attending K-State in America or the University of Toronto in Canada, don’t you think President-elect Trump’s proposal will make it very difficult for us to recruit this student? And if a Muslim biology professor from Europe is thinking about whether to take a teaching or research position at K-State, don’t you think President-elect Trump’s proposal will make it difficult for us to recruit that professor? In fact, it might be impossible to recruit this student or that faculty member if the proposal becomes law....

Too many cooks in the kitchen and the public's confusion is the result. Interestingly enough Donald Trump is now guilty of conducting offical business on unsecure communication paths.

November 16, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump’s first addition (click here) to his inside group at the White House, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff, is a sound one.

Priebus is a well-connected Republican with access to congressional leaders, especially with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, whose assistance Trump will need in pushing his agenda.

The selection of Priebus quiets the fear of many Republicans that Trump will go it alone, forsaking any relationship with congressional members of his party.

Priebus will provide continuity and understanding of the need for some bipartisanship, as the Democrats in the Senate can filibuster to prevent the passage of laws and selections of which they disapprove.

The appointment of Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen Bannon as Trump’s senior counselor is, however, a different story.

Bannon is a right-wing ideologue — an extreme one — who has denigrated minorities and their representatives as well as being quoted as having made anti-Semitic and anti-minority remarks.

Whereas Priebus could be classified as a political moderate, Bannon is a political extremist of the right. His blog has, over the years, been a carrier of white supremacist rhetoric.

The return of racial and religious bigotry to our country at the highest levels is intolerable.

It is easy to understand the concern of the thousands of people marching against Trump. They are reflective of an America that deplores racial and religious discrimination. These are ideals that are well worth marching for.

We hope our new president will quickly realize what Bannon stands for and move him casually to the side as a domestic adviser and a foreign adviser before the Trump administration becomes identified with the bigotry that Bannon represents.

Did right become left and did the truth become wrong? Did the USA lose it's character? It is up to us to define the country and maintain it's integrity?

Everyone wants to ignore how Comey pulled off a coup. It is true there has been a White revolt, but, the palpable change in direction came from the announcement of his potential continuing investigation of Hillary Clinton. It completely shifted the down ballot races.

Fascism? It is true the Republicans always have had this 'specific social order' and authoritarian leadership, but, will it lead to fascism in the USA? Certainly the potential is there, but, the USA has learned what a Republcan White House can do when faced with the potential for war; 911. 

War has it's own fascism built into it. The entire military structure is nothing but authoritarian structure. If war becomes the dominant focus of a country as the USA did with Bush, there can be dangerous outcomes as noted in Iraq. I think the USA did learn a lesson from "W" and Cheney with the illegal and immoral invasion into Iraq. The real question is can Americans self-police their own tendancies that lead to such illegal wars? I believe they can now that they have recent experience with it. I do not believe Americans want another expensive war outside it's borders when it hasn't even concluded the present wars.

The real fascism to the USA is not necessarily war with others, but, the potential to violence within the borders of the USA and whether or not it can escalate into a civil war.

...Why did Trump succeed electorally? (click here) As The Indian Express has explained,

The economic crisis of 2008, arriving on the back of neoliberal reforms that eroded the certainty that this generation’s future would be better than the last, created a paranoiac, angry society, where racism, xenophobia, and sexism flourished. Those who warn Trump has no real agenda to address the inchoate rage of voters are right, but they also miss the point. His authoritarian populism at least offers the illusion of dismantling a hated establishment. How the US now addresses the deep fractures of race and class that a Trump Presidency will open up remains to be seen. But the coming years will, more likely than not, be the most tumultuous since the 1960s. 

Writing in The New Yorker well-known journalist David Remnick notes:  

Trump was not elected on a platform of decency, fairness, moderation, compromise, and the rule of law; he was elected, in the main, on a platform of resentment. Fascism is not our future—it cannot be; we cannot allow it to be so—but this is surely the way fascism can begin. (Emphasis ours)...

There is a real danger in the USA today and it began with an election gone wrong. There absolutely has been an uptick of hatred and violence following the election returns. The assessments need to be made to know whether this is a contained grassland fire that is good for the production capacity of the land; or is it a wildfire without definition or limits on it's duration. 

In reality, it is healthy for a country to purge itself of inhibitions, hatred and fear. We have to decide if that is what is occuring or is it something with depth that will turn the USA into a fractured society with a return of oppression, fear and underground methods of living to cope.

16 November 2016
By Matthew J. Belvedere

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (click here) told CNBC on Wednesday that he's being considered by the Donald Trump transition team to become secretary of state.

The Tennessee republican said on "Squawk Box" he's "in the mix" for the job, but said others closer to the campaign are also interested. "Sure we've had some conversations with them," he said.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, is rumored as the leading candidate for secretary of state in Trump's incoming administration....

There needs to be someone keeping an online record of all the lies Donald Trump states, so the elections can be accurate to his inaccuracies.

November 15, 2016
By Reuters

“There will be no job impact (click here) whatsoever with this move,” CEO Mark Fields says
Ford Motor F -1.08%  is moving ahead with plans to shift production of small cars to Mexico from Michigan, while “two very important products” will be built in its U.S. factories, Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields told Reuters on Tuesday.
President-elect Donald Trump has criticized Ford for the decision to shift production of Focus small cars toMexico in 2018, and said he would consider levying tariffs on Mexican-made Fords. Trump has also said he wants to scrap the North American Free Trade agreement, which also includes Canada, and to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to stop undocumented immigrants....

Ford is not correct either. The UAW needs to make the facts regarding Ford's move to Mexico blatantly clear to Donald Trump. See, there was Senator that propagandized all kinds of allogations when VW was taking a vote about the UAW. So, as long as the Republican Congress states they are in lock step with Donald Trump, it is time the unions make a visit to the White House and Congress to pass a tarrif that penalizes a company for lost USA jobs. 

The Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, builds the Ford Focus, according to CarsDirect. Beginning Focus assembly at this plant in 2012, Ford calls the Focus built at this plant the third generation of this model.

A compact car that was introduced in Europe in 1998, Ford began selling the Focus in North America during the 1999/2000 model year as a replacement for the Ford Escort. Ford manufactured the first generation of the Focus from 1998 to 2005 and the second generation from 2005 to 2010.

The Focus has received many awards. Car Magazine listed it as one of the top 50 cars of the last 50 years.

Ohio US Representative Tim Ryan is correct in the push back needed in the US House, but, I am not convinced that the Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi can't deliver it.

Whomever the Democratic House Representatives choose as their Minority Speaker; kindly remember every House bill will have to be checked for the fine print.

I am looking forward to Foster Campbell being Senator Foster Campbell. He is a sincerely kind man with compassion in his heart and a real ear for the people of Lousiana. The people of Louisiana need a good, decent and honest man to take care of them. Senator Foster Campbell will be the exact person Louisiana needs. I am thrilled the American people found him and supported him for Senate. He is great.

Homeownership is on the chopping block again.

Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellin, needs to take all this into consideration in her remarks soon.

November 16, 2016
By Richard Leong

U.S. homeowners (click here) and potential buyers are feeling the sting from the global bond market sell-off stemming from Donald Trump's stunning U.S. presidential victory as mortgage rates posted their biggest weekly rise in 3-1/2 years.

A measure of U.S. mortgage application activity fell to a 10-month low as 30-year mortgage rates jumped to their highest levels since January, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association released on Wednesday showed.

A deceleration in mortgage activity would not only be felt in the housing market, but also banks and other home-related industries, posing a drag on the overall economy....

The Federal Reserve Board had already decided on increasing rates as of December; that might not remain the plan given the bad news about home mortgage rates.

November 17, 2006

...“A rate hike in December (click here) is a done deal, barring a significant surprise in the next jobs numbers or in financial markets,” said Jonathan Wright, an economics professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a former Fed economist. “But the pace of firming is likely to continue to be glacial because the funds rate will then be within about a percentage point of the FOMC’s estimate of neutral,” he said, referring to the level of rates that neither spurs nor slows the economy....

The surprise has arrived.

Look to Pence to be the evangelical lobbyist of the Trump administration.

We already know Donald Trump is not transparent. Don't expect Pence to be any better at it. Pence will use his capacity of President of the Senate to leverage power.

November 17, 2016
By Kristine Guerra

For the past year and a half, (click here) Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has been mired in a legal dispute over government transparency as his lawyers fight to withhold the contents of an email that some say should be considered public record.

Critics of the vice president-elect's decision to not release the records — specifically an email attachment sent to Pence's chief of staff in 2014 — say it sets a dangerous precedent that would give the executive branch the ability to decide what's public and what's not, without much accountability....

It appears protocols of the USA will be far more casual. Know Mr. Trump is in the neighborhood when the Secret Service stops in.

And let me say this for Mr. Trump, "All gifts welcome, including stock shares." Just in case Wall Street is at a loss for gift giving.

November 18, 2016

By Lynnette Eyb

Details (click here) have emerged of the conversation between US president-elect Donald Trump and Theresa May, the British prime minister.

In an exchange that has astounded political observers in the UK, Mr Trump told Mrs May: "If you travel to the US, you should let me know," seemingly oblivious to the months of preparation that go into an official visit, not to mention the usual diplomatic protocols.

The details emerged after a transcript of the call was leaked to theTimes newspaper in the UK.

In the call, Mr Trump also asked Mrs May to pass his regards on to the queen during her next visit to Buckingham Palace.

Mr Trump told Mrs May the UK was a "very special place for me and my country". 

He spoke about his late mother, who was born in Scotland, saying that his mother had been a big fan of the queen's....             

Jarod Kushner may be taking example as to how to be a billionsire from Trump.

September 2, 2016

By Greg B. Smith

...Leibowitz, (click here) now 88, managed several Trump buildings in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Wilshire Apartments in Jamaica Estates.

Early this week he recounted for The News a disturbing incident involving the use of the vile racial epithet that took place in 1963 involving father and son Trump....

I doubt Donald Trump will want to be a puppet to Jarod Kushner. If that turns out to be the case it is a sad reality to the Executive Branch. I really believe Mr. Kushner needs to stay in New York City and do something about his decaying real estate.

Real issues are sacrificed when identity politics dominate an election.

November 17, 2016

By 10News Staff

Miami -- Three new cases of Zika transmission (click here) were announced by the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday.

Two of cases of Zika were acquired locally by Miami-Dade residents. The third case is a Broward County resident who frequently traveled to Miami-Dade.

Investigators are working to pinpoint where the Broward victim was exposed to Zika, but said that the transmission did not occur in Broward.

A fourth Zika diagnosis was found in an individual who had traveled outside of South Florida. The exact location of transmission is unknown and the case is undetermined....

Testing for Zika should apply to all donation centers and hospitals.

November 16, 2016
By Rhonda Roberts

Appleton, Wis. (WBAY) – The Community Blood Center (click here) is testing all blood donations for the Zika virus.
That means the waiting period for donors who have visited active Zika areas is no longer necessary.
Previously, people who visited Zika areas or could have been exposed to the virus were prevented from making blood donations.
“This additional test allows us to welcome back donors who had traveled to an active Zika area and were deferred,” says Kris Belanger, Vice President, Donor Services.
Wisconsin has no locally-acquired cases of Zika, a virus which is transmitted by mosquitoes. Zika can be transmitted by pregnant mothers to a fetus and cause babies to be born with small heads....

There are more complications to a Zika infection that will weaken victims response to therapy.

November 14, 2016
By Maggie Fox

Two studies out Monday (click here) show that the Zika virus may not be working alone in causing strange infections in South America. It may be getting help from dengue and chikungunya, too.
One team found that mosquitoes can be infected with Zika and chikungunya at the same time and could, in theory, infect people with both viruses in a single bite....

Zika lives on surfaces outside the body for at least eight hours. Proper disinfecting is a requirement when ending dangers to Zika.

November 15, 2016

Zika virus (click here) can be transmitted from an environmental source—underscored by a worker infected from a needle stick injury in a Pennsylvania lab earlier this year—and a study today found that it can survive several hours on nonporous surfaces but is easily killed by commonly used disinfectants.

In other developments, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in a holiday travel warning yesterday said local spread is occurring in many of Mexico's most popular tourist destinations and in one state that borders Arizona....

Vaccinations from Yellow Fever seem to be entering the demographics of micrpcephaly. It seems as though women vaccinated from Yellow Fever do better in defending their fetus from the effects of Zika. The evidence to the Yellow Fever vaccine is not conclusive, but, early estimates point to that as a potential in ending the horrors of Zika.

There is another variant that has not been explored and that is abortions. Women are learning about the disease and as they do there can be more abortions performed to eliminate Zika effected pregnancies. That may also be the difference between Columbia and Brazil.

Columbia receives a fair amount of USA support. (click here) That has been true since the 1990s and again after September 11th. There may be a stronger Western presence in some of Columbia's structures. Anthropologists may want to record the difference in culture, including medical culture, between the three countries of Brazil, Columbia and the USA. Columbia tends to take international policy from the USA as well.

November 16, 2016
By Dina Fine Maron

...In Colombia, (click here) where the number of known Zika infections is second only to Brazil, there have been relatively few cases of related birth defects: 57 compared with more than 2,000 in Brazil, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. has the third-highest number of Zika-related birth defects, with 31 combined cases and lost pregnancies due to miscarriage. The exact ratio of Zika infections to birth defects in each country remains difficult to determine, partly because so many Zika patients do not appear symptomatic, but what is clear is that birth defect rates are uneven.
That inexplicable geographic variability fueled speculation among scientists attending the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting in Atlanta this week about what is causing the disparate patterns of Zika-related birth defects. Some answers may come from comparing the northeastern part of Brazil, where birth defects are the most common, to the rest of Brazil and Colombia, says Pedro Fernando da Costa Vasconcelos, director of Brazil’s National Reference Laboratory for Arboviruses....

Mr. Trump has a real challenge. FIX Puerto Rico.

Besides the financial problems of Puerto Rico, the island territory is plagued with Zika and phycian shortages. Currently, in Puerto Rico it takes months for a child to see a physician. The condition of Puero Rico is very poor and the USA should be ashamed of it's condition.

November 16, 2016

by Nick Brown and Jeffrey Benkoe 

A federal judge (click here) has blocked Puerto Rico creditors from pursuing litigation to knock down the U.S. territory's moratorium on debt payments, saying the cases are frozen under a federal law designed to solve Puerto Rico's debt crisis with oversight by a federal board.

Creditors had argued their lawsuits were exempt from the so-called automatic stay provision of the Puerto Rico rescue law known as PROMESA because they did not seek to force payments on the debt.

U.S. District Judge Francisco Besosa in San Juan disagreed on Tuesday night, in a coup for Puerto Rico. The commonwealth had argued the lawsuits would cost too much money to litigate.

Cause and effect.

The USA Congress has to stop their financial punishment of Puerto Rico. The Republican Congress has created a Third World country in Puerto Rico. The USAid provides more monies to the global economy than it does to Puerto Rico. The US Republican Congress has created an island of human rights violations.

This is what USA fiscal policy looks like in the absence of humanity and compassion. This is a USA territory and it is a disaster under Republican Congressional leadership. This is more than a blight on the USA reputation, it is a crime against humanity.

November 14, 2016
By Timothy Toussiant

As Puerto Rico (click here) continues to deal with its economic recession, professionals in the medical industry have started to become directly affected by the crisis.

Many Doctors, including pediatricians, surgeons, orthopedics, neurologists; are leaving Puerto Rico because of the economic downturns that persist. Doctors are leaving and citizens are losing their healthcare providers. Up to 700 doctors are expected to leave the island this year. The territory’s number of doctors have dropped from 14,000 to 9,000 in the past decade. They leave towards the US mainland for higher wages and lower living costs. There is a huge shortage of specialized doctors. For example, the island of 3.5 million residents has only two pediatric urologists and one pediatric cardiologist....

The financial sector can now end their doomsday prediction of Brexit.

November 16, 2016
By Ben Chu

The jobless rate (click here) edged down to 4.8 per cent in September, the lowest since 2005

The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest rate in 11 years, but analysts warned of signs of a hiring slowdown in the wake of the 23 June Brexit vote.

The Office for National Statistics reported that the jobless rate edged down to 4.8 per cent in September, from 4.9 per cent previously, the lowest rate since the summer of 2005....

Brexit is a full financial quarter old and all the sour predictions of the financial sector are "W"rong!

More working citizens is far better than syphoning jobs to a Third World Country. From now going forward Brexit is part of the financial landscape and the Parliament is a highly inappropriate place for removing Brexit conditions. The financial sector didn't like it because they were over extended and lost at least three of their seven shirts.

If the British Parliament interfers with Brexit the people will have to put more Brexit friendly politicians in place in the future. Brexit is now a political standard to use as a measure of political choices.

Brexit = less investment monies flowing out of the United Kingdom and far less turbulence in what defines the economy of the United Kingdom.

Removing the Electoral College from elections in the USA would end the 'power' states and return the vote to the people.

It would return the value of every vote to the country. Every state - every vote. I sincerely believe the Electoral College was useful in the day it was created, but, it inhibits full participation of the electorate. The fifty state strategy would return sincere majorities to the presidential election as down ballot elections do today. The US Senate and House are determined by the popular vote and not any special circumstance.

There should be recognition of the popular vote in the proceedings of the Electoral College. There is no legal recording of the popular vote in the federal system as there is in the state systems.

Isn't it the Vice President that over sees the Electoral College? This year the Vice President should introduce the popular vote into the proceedings of the Electoral College. Vice President Biden needs to set precedent this year and record the popular vote and the fact the country has outgrown the Electoral College. Vice President Biden needs to review the history and obsolete findings of the Electoral College and record the first time this consitutional hurdle is to be discussed every time the Electoral College meets. It is important to introduce new concepts to that consitutional provision. With such dialogue it may even be challenged through the courts.

Removing the Electoral College will most likely effect gerrymandering as well. There would be less reason to create gerrymandered districts when the Electoral College is amended. The courts have acted on that in the past, too. Those court decisions could be entered into the record to reflect the unfairness of the Electoral College. The unfairness is established based in removing the importance of the people's every vote.

The Office of the Federal Register, (click here) on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, prepares Electoral College instructional materials for the Archivist to send to the governors of the 50 States and the mayor of the District of Columbia....

Removing the Electoral College would demand every aspect of oppression of the vote be lifted and Voter ID could return to simply a signature at the time of balloting.

These are the instructions (click here). The forms sent to the federal government from the states should also include the popular vote. A dialogue about this can be conducted during the Electoral College meeting this year. I am sure there is a recording secretary or a video tape or an audio tape to the proceedings. I prefer the recording secretary that generates a paper copy of the proceedings. Every member of the Electoral College should receive a copy of the proceedings as well. It is a historic moment and the objection to the Electoral College going forward in 2000 should have been the beginning of the record.

The people of the USA need real change and not simply political manipulation. Vice President Biden should determine the scope of such a change and enter a written assessment of the impacts of the Electoral College to the entire process in the USA. When I make testimony to the USA Federal Register through federal hearings of the people it is with a written record following verbal testimony. Vice President Biden needs to consider doing exactly that. There needs to be a period of public comment before the consitution is amended.

Ulimately, ending the Electoral College would also reduce costs to the people and the districts when absentee ballots no longer are necessary. A USA citizen could vote anywhere in the USA with the understanding they have sufficient identification to prove they are citizens. Such a practice will take time and practice to eliminate errors. I don't see such widespread change taking place without dual systems in place and the new method proven CORRECT.

Start the process.

November 17, 2016

By Med Anderson

Every four years, (click here) the Electoral College creeps back into the lives of American voters. In some presidential elections, the strange, indirect system used to select the next U.S. president can feel like a formality that doesn't seem to matter much.

In other elections, it matters very much indeed. This is one of those years.

On Nov. 8, Donald Trump surpassed the necessary electoral votes to become the nation's president-elect. But if you look at the popular vote, which is the direct number of votes cast, Hillary Clinton beat Trump by about 1 million votes.

He's the fifth person to win the presidency this way. The most recent was George W. Bush in 2000. The other three times all happened in the 1800s.

It's been an extremely divisive election, and a lot of people this year are having trouble accepting the outcome. Some — like California Sen. Barbara Boxer — have argued in the wake of the results that it's time to get rid of the current system altogether.

The Democrat introduced legislation Tuesday that would abolish the Electoral College and use the popular vote instead to determine the presidency. She has public opinion behind her. According to a 2013 Gallup poll, 63 percent of Americans would get rid of the electoral college....  

Bob Dylan should rethink attending the ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

I am sure the Nobel committee can accommodate some of the expense of his travel. I am also sure Europe would like to know him better and welcome him into their world as well. This could be an entirely new audience for his work and he should welcome that.

Bob Dylan may even find inspiration for new lyrics in Europe. He should take all the factors of his trip before completely decliniing the presentation.

16 November 2016
By Hannah Ellis-Petersen

...He underlined (click here) that he feels “incredibly honoured by the Nobel prize,” they added.

The Swedish Academy said it “respects Bob Dylan’s decision” but stressed it is “unusual” for a Nobel laureate not to come to Stockholm to accept the award in person.

Dylan is not alone in not attending the ceremony. Novelist Doris Lessing was too old, playwright Harold Pinter was in hospital and writer Elfriede Jelinek had crippling social phobia. Nonetheless, the academy noted: “The prize still belongs to them, just as it belongs to Bob Dylan.”

As this year’s Nobel laureate, Dylan is required “to give a lecture on a subject connected with the work for which the prize has been awarded”. The lecture should be given before, or no later than six months after, the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm in December.

Making the award announcement in October, Danius the academy “hoped the news would be received with joy, but you never know.”

She compared Dylan’s work to that of ancient Greek writers Homer and Sappho. Asked about the comparison, Dylan said: “I suppose so, in some way. Some [of my own] songs – Blind Willie, The Ballad of Hollis Brown, Joey, A Hard Rain, Hurricane and some others – definitely are Homeric in value.”...

Maralago is easier to secure. Donald Trump should rethink his White House off property.

My understanding is that the facility is more secluded, can be reached by plane and has one road into the area.

Mr. Trump should assess his properties and decide which can be best suited for his White House away from Washington, DC. The cost for securing Trump Tower will be costly to the city and there may be significant loss of income to the area surrounding Trump Tower including his tenants on the bottom floors.

It is unwise to tie up a city for the sake of having a president on the top floors.

I have no doubt there will be protesters at any location where Donald Trump finds himself as president, but, the security will be easier to secure the estate/business in Palm Beach. There will be less impact on the local economy as well.

 “Mar-a-Lago,” which is Spanish for “Sea to Lake.” (click here)

I believe the Trump Organization also has a facility in Washington, DC. Again, it should be assessed for the ability to secure it versus being at the White House. I am sure the family can decorate the "Family Quarters" to their taste and comfort. Mr. Trump has to consider the expense of securing his facilities as well as his comfort.

Case in point:

November 16, 2016
By Sarah Maslin

All Karen Hendrickson (click here) wanted was the latest pocketbook from Gucci, the Sylvie, with a glittering gold chain down the front.

But she had to explain herself over and over to police officers who stopped and questioned her, and searched her shopping bags as she sought to cross Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. She was trying to reach the Gucci flagship store on the corner of 56th Street, but her shopping trip had an unusual impediment: Gucci is inside Trump Tower. Fifty-eight stories above is the penthouse of President-elect Donald J. Trump, who was engaged in the rocky business of selecting his administration....