It is generational change.

It has always been anticipated even from the marriage of William and Kate. Harry is right. He is the guardian of the future when it comes to a changing monarchy. He is sixth in succession to the thrown and he can, with ease, begin the idea of a self-sufficient monarchy that continues to serve the people and their cultural heritage. I applaud the monarchy for moving forward into a far more inclusive life of royal and private.

I think Harry and Meghan have their place in the royal family exactly right. With Charles to become the next King his role is complimented by a son seeking a higher road. This is new, fresh and very exciting. I am quite confident everyone will want them to succeed.

January 2020

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, (click here) we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”

Their Royal Highnesses, 
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Two different jets. Were they both shot down. It doesn't appear that way.

One of these jets was definitely hit by a powerful missile, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. Care to render a guess? The debris fields are different. I am not an inspector, but, since the authorities are leaving his up to others to decide, I can try to find similarities to find where a powerful explosion from a missile brought down a commercial airliner.

Above:

July 18, 2014
By BellaNaija.com

The final Facebook (click here) post of a passenger who was on the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, is currently trending.

Hours before the plane crashed in Ukraine, a man believed to be a passenger made reference to the missing Malaysian Airlines MH370 which mysteriously vanished in March.

On his Facebook page, Cor Pan shared a photo of the plane he was about boarding with a caption, “Mocht hij verdwijnen , zo ziet hij d’r uit”. It has been translated to “If it disappears, this is what it looks like”....

I really think this is a no brainer and here is why:

How MH17 Came Apart Over Ukraine (click here)

The Malaysian flight was hit at a higher altitude and with a missile strike; the debris field is much larger as the pieces feel from the sky.


The center structure is number 3 and the debris field is huge and on closer inspection is decimated. The other parts of the jet were further downfield and mostly intact. The missile obviously exploded the main body of the jet in Ukraine.


Below:

January 9, 2020
By Jim Sciutto, Pamela Brown, Barbara Starr and Maegan Vazquez

The US increasingly believes that Iran (click here) mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner on Wednesday, according to multiple US officials. The working theory is based on continuing analysis of data from satellites, radar and electronic data collected routinely by US military and intelligence.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he suspected the crash was not due to mechanical issues, indicating that "somebody could have made a mistake on the other side."

Asked during a White House event what he thought happened to the plane, Trump said, "Well, I have my suspicions."...

The disruption of the 737-800 was at a far lower altitude and occurred on take off. It is difficult to believe an Iranian military missile could carry out such a trajectory. It was too low to the ground for the type of missiles Iran was firing into Iraq. This was either something that went wrong with the jet itself which is indicated by the reverse course of the pilot or a rocket fired from the ground similar to that fired at an Israeli jet in Kenya years ago by terrorists.

Wikipedia:

Almost simultaneous to the attack on the hotel, (click here) two shoulder-launched Strela 2 (SA-7) surface-to-air missiles were fired at a chartered Boeing 757 airliner owned by Israel-based Arkia Airlines as it took off from Moi International Airport. The Arkia charter company had a regular weekly service flying tourists between Tel Aviv and Mombasa. Kenyan police discovered a missile launcher and two missile casings in the Changamwe area of Mombasa, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the airport. The pilots planned on an emergency landing in Nairobi after seeing the two missiles streak past them, but decided to continue to Israel. The airliner landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv about five hours later, escorted by Israeli F-15 fighter jets.^[7] Following the attack, all flights from Israel to Kenya were cancelled indefinitely.

It is grossly hostile and negligent to simply accuse the Iran government of downing a commercial jet when absolutely nothing is known officially about this crash, except, that it happened. Here again the Trump administration is putting a political spin on this to benefit some kind of idea of omnipotent knowledge of events as they happen. Trump's administration is FRAUDULENT in their assessment. These assessments don't happen overnight. Evidence to the cause of such downings takes months and years to determine.

January 8, 2020
By Taylor Telford and Douglas MacMillan

As investigators scramble (click here) to determine what caused a Boeing 737-800 to crash early Wednesday, the plane’s maker is grappling with another catastrophe as it continues to reel from its 737 Max crisis.

The Ukraine-bound 737-800 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s main international airport, killing all 176 on board. Early reports from Iranian state media attributed the crash to engine failure. Ukraine’s embassy in Iran at first concurred, issuing a statement ruling out terrorism, but then removed it without explanation.

A later statement from the embassy said a panel has begun an investigation and “any statements about the causes of the accident before the decision of the commission are not official.”...

Ukraine is taking the correct and best approach to this downing. There has to be evidence, such as what caused the explosion or fire. Residues can be found at a microscopic level if this were an artificial explosion caused by a bomb on board or a rocket in proximity to the jet. Either way, Ukraine will have an answer for everyone once proper forensics occurs.

The statements out of Washington, DC are inflammatory.

I thought the US House had a subpoena for Former Ambassador Bolton and others. They need to honor those subpoenas and give testimony to the House. The people have a right to the truth and to have it chronicled in historic records. These people need to do the right thing and get on the record where investigations have taken place. The people are interested in the truth, especially considering recent events. The country needs them.

Trump saves face. 

January 8, 2020
By Kevin Breuninger and Dan Mangan

Two rockets hit the Green Zone (click here) in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, a day after Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. and other coalition targets at bases in Iraq, according to a report Wednesday....

...Iraq’s military said that two Katyusha rockets fell inside the Green Zone, the section that contains the U.S. Embassy, other embassies of western nations and foreign businesses, according to Reuters.

There were no casualities, according to the statement from Iraq’s military.

The White House and Pentagon had no immediate comment....

This is the new danger in the Middle East when incompetency reigns over the USA military.

Trump needs to resign and it isn't because of impeachment, it is because he is incompetent and dangerous. Incompetency is the kindest work I could think of for the reckless use of the USA military.

The Ukraine has a right to determine the cause of the crash and who is responsible. This is not about the USA, unless of course, Boeing is the culprit which it very well may be. If Boeing is the problem, which there are strong indications it was, then they should be held responsible. THERE HAS TO BE EVIDENCE to hold Boeing responsible. The crash occurred as people were leaving Iraq to get away from the ridiculous tensions that existed and the exchange of missiles is too much for anyone to justify staying much longer. Now there are rockets being fired into the Green Zone.

The international airport in Iraq has been the scene of very unusual dynamics within the past week. If there is no effective investigation no one will be held responsible because of all the chaos at the time. That is not fair to the people who died, including the crew and the families mourning the loss of their loved ones. There can be no cover-up and the evidence field has to be secured and investigated soon.

January 8, 2020

Dubai - Iran will not give the black box (click here) of the crashed Ukrainian airliner to planemaker Boeing, the head of Tehran’s civil aviation organization was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Ali Abedzadeh also said it was not clear which country Iran would send the box to so that its data could be analyzed, semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed earlier on Wednesday, killing all 176 people aboard shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport....

Moscow Mitch McConnell speaks out of both sides of his mouth hoping one will work politically.

Moscow Mitch has openly admitted he intends to work with the president's lawyers for a predetermined outcome. That is a hallmark of a Kangaroo Court.

...As a general rule, (click here) a kangaroo court is any proceeding that attempts to imitate a fair trial or hearing without the usual due process safeguards including the right to call witnesses, the right to confront your accuser and a hearing before a fair and impartial judge. Kangaroo court proceedings are usually a sham carried out without legal authority in which the outcome has been predetermined without regard to the evidence or to the guilt or innocence of the accused....

The US House Speaker really has no option to send the Articles of Impeachment without the reassurances it will be provided a fair hearing. There is no such reassurances coming at all from Moscow Mitch.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is correct in REASSURING the American people every measure of precaution is being leveraged to insure a fair and honest hearing of the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump. It would be remiss of the Speaker to simply expect to have the Articles voted down by a partisan Senate. She is protecting the USA Constitution from such corrupt abuses by waiting for reasonable rules to be handed down for the hearing from the US Senate. She has to provide the best Congresspersons to bring the Articles before the US Senate and that requires an understanding of the rules surrounding that presentation.

There is no current precedent. This impeachment did not stem from a Special Prosecutor. This impeachment was conducted by the US House. There is no precedent for the US Senate hearing. Moscow Mitch needs to SERIOUSLY set down rules with Minority Leader Schumer. This hearing is not about politics, it is about the Constitutional process of the USA Constitution. Dangerous and glib precedent can grow out of these Senate Rules that can taint the future and the high regard of the process laid out in the USA Constitution. There is an oath and the USA Constitution demands a fair hearing.

Moscow Mitch's rantings is about politics not the well being and esteem of the USA Constitution.

January 7, 2020
By John Wagner and Colby Itkowitz

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (click here) accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of being “contemptuous of the American people” Tuesday as tensions flared over the continuing impasse on President Trump’s impeachment trial.

Pelosi has held on to the articles of impeachment as Democrats seek guarantees about the scope of a trial in the Senate, including whether witnesses will be allowed. Earlier Tuesday, Trump highlighted objections to the prospect of testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton, as Bolton’s announcement that he is prepared to appear at a trial continued to roil Capitol Hill.

The crux of the Democrats’ case is the allegation that Trump tried to leverage a White House meeting and military aid, sought by Ukraine to combat Russian military aggression, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as a probe of an unfounded theory that Kyiv conspired with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 presidential election....

As if Puerto Rico needed one more tragedy to hamper it's recovery.

January 6, 2020
By Jim Wyss

One of Puerto Rico’s (click here) iconic natural wonders — a soaring stone arch along the southern coast known as Punta Ventana or Window Point — collapsed early Monday as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the island.

Denniza Colon, a 22-year-old resident of Guayanilla, said she went by the area Monday morning and was shocked to find the arch, a place that she visited frequently as a child, had simply vanished....

USGS
January 7, 2020

M 6.4 - 8km S of Indios, Puerto Rico

• 2020-01-07 08:24:26 (UTC)
• 17.916°N 66.813°W
• 10.0 km depth
• Shake Map (click here)
• 
  

On Jan. 7, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake (click here) struck the region at 4:24 am local time (08:24:26 UTC). Significant damage is possible. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of small earthquakes have occurred in the Puerto Rico region, beginning in earnest with a M 4.7 earthquake late on December 28 and a M 5.0 event a few hours.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake was widely felt. According to ShakeMap, strong to very strong shaking occurred across parts of Southern Puerto Rico closest to the event and moderate shaking occurred across the rest of the island. The NOAA Tsunami Warning System states no tsunami warning or advisory. The USGS summary page on this earthquake includes an aftershock forecast. Aftershocks will continue near the mainshock. 

Over the past several weeks, hundreds of small earthquakes have occurred in this same region, beginning in earnest with a M 4.7 earthquake late on December 28 and a M 5.0 event a few hours later. Since the M 4.7 event, over 400 M 2+ earthquakes have occurred in this region, ten of which were M 4+, including today’s M 6.4 event and yesterday's 5.8 quake. The preliminary location of today's 6.4 earthquake is within about 7.5 miles (12 km) of the January 6, 2020, M 5.8 earthquake. The proximity of these events to Puerto Rico, and their shallow depth, mean that dozens of these events have been felt on land, though with the exception of the latest two earthquakes, the M 6.4 and the M 5.8, none are likely to have caused significant damage.

The January 6 and 7, 2020, M 5.8 and M 6.4 earthquakes offshore of southwest Puerto Rico occurred as the result of oblique strike slip faulting at shallow depth. At the location of this event, the North America plate converges with the Caribbean plate at a rate of about 20 mm/yr towards the west-southwest. The location and style of faulting for the event is consistent with an intraplate tectonic setting within the upper crust of the Caribbean plate, rather than on the plate boundary between the two plates....

The reporting of Barbara Starr regarding the tensions in the Middle East has been established for nearly two decades.

January 7, 2020
By Barbara Starr

US forces and air-defense missile batteries (click here) across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday to possibly shoot down Iranian drones as intelligence mounted about a threat of an imminent attack against US targets, two US officials tell CNN.

The alert reflects the heightened tensions between the US and Iran in the wake of last week's US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani. US officials have claimed the strike against the general was carried out to prevent an "imminent" attack in the region that would have put American lives at risk, but have so far declined to provide details about the intelligence.

US intelligence also has observed Iran moving military equipment, including drones and ballistic missiles, over the last several days. US officials said the movement may be an Iranian effort to secure its weapons from a potential US strike, or put them in positions to launch their own attacks.

"There were indications that we needed to monitor the threats" even more closely than is already being done, one of the US officials said, referring to Monday night's state of heightened alert. The second official described it as "all Patriot batteries and forces in the area on high alert" against an "imminent attack threat."...

The video below is from August of 2018. (click here)

Let's hope American military intelligence regarding Iran's capacity under Trump is current and not simply old information. The Russians have been selling weapons to Iran for a long time. (click here) I would expect Iran to obtain more sophisticated weapons through trade with Russia, hence, a proxy war against The West.

...the guidance is Infrared Imaging. (click here) This also explains the black protective cap on the missile nosecone. If guided by good INS to the general location, with IIR taking over for terminal guidance, a missile equipped with Mobin guidance could very accurately hit any target on land with no input from GPS or other guidance. This is the same technology used in the Khalije Fars ASBM...

The climate crisis is a highly moral and strongly ethical problem that only a society can solve through its choices

The climate crisis is about the decisions we make as consumers, but, it is also strongly decisions we make as a society at the societal and not personal levels. I do believe most people sincerely concerned know the change needed to save Earth has to occur at a societal level, while personal choices help reinforce the demand for societal change.

The climate crisis also has a legacy dynamic. To some whom find greed more fulfilling than "benevolence to society as a standard" will disregard the legacy of the climate crisis. That voice needs to be replaced with strong statements of benevolence and GENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Truncation is not permitted.

Human nature is based in a FULL TIMELINE and not just the truncated timeline of here and now. The greed paradigm is a here and now dynamic that robs human nature of it's basic instincts and desires. Human beings relate to the past because of memory and love by family. In that, the aged of society are embraced in the extent they are able to function. Human beings carry out that same level of understanding and compassion to the disabled and infirmed. Some of that instinct is about self-projection in which a person realizes their vulnerability to life's twists and turns.

Human nature also demands THE FUTURE. The future is as soon as the next second and as distant as our dying days, but, there is also a truncation that takes place with addressing the climate crisis in DENYING the future.

Human nature sees beyond death to the generations embrace within one's own life. The future sees benevolence at a social level, but, the idea of SURVIVAL is instinctively limited to here and now. When human beings think about the future it is within the understanding the world view that exists today will exist forever. It is that idea springboards decisions made by society. That springboard is broken.

There is currently a disconnect from living today, embracing tomorrow and the expectations all generations to come will survive the consumerism of today and the world view currently PRACTICED in financial markets such as energy.

Did I mention the idea of a long time line is mostly limited to the human species? It is up to us to save ourselves and the future. There is no steady state in the world UNLESS human beings make it so. The biotic Earth bends to physics without conscience.

The Future, ethically, is not to be bargained with for the sake of greed. The futures of the stock market is based in anticipated earnings and wealth, not the steady state of Earth. "The Future" is an issue and it is seated deeply in morality, ethics and love of a non-truncated timeline for all generations current and those to come. The well adjusted adult will view the future as a generational responsibility and mentally healthy. That is not a value system enforced by society today.

Finally, government has to legislate. Government is an act of society. It is an institution demanded by people, that when it is a democracy, demands morality, JUSTICE and benevolence. Government has to act to secure the future. Government sets the STANDARD for business to follow, so therefore, the absence of GENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT is an assault on the untruncated timeline that is human nature, hence, happiness. Happiness as described in an untruncated timeline is the very meaning of benevolence.

The form of legislation that must take place sets a standard for a climate conscience overlay to all measures of human activity that impact Earth's climate. It will impact infrastructure, education and destroys truncation of any timeline for generations. Additionally, it recognizes the disruptive human activity of the past and through scientific investigation devises measures to reverse the ignorance of past generations. That means there will be two lanes to legislation, one that ensures the future and one that actively removes the egregious nature of the past through intervention. To legislate benevolence in energy is one dynamic, but, what the heck is everyone doing to end the abuses today and of the past. The past has sins that need recognition and intervention; the future planning alone will not correct the course of Earth which has seen several tipping points already. Those tipping points are not simply consequential, they require mitigation.

Refuse to surrender. End the abuse. Ensure the future. Demand Justice.

Surrendering is not an option.

...On one level, (click here) my answer to “How can you have a child now?” is simple. I have never been tempted to think we should all stop having children and disappear. Part of the reason climate change is so terrible is the threat it poses to human life and culture, and I want to help them go on. So the question I ask myself every day is how to explain this suffering world to a newcomer. This is what I find myself saying, to this little person who can’t understand me quite yet: “The world is good, for all the bad in it—a good place. And you are good: full of joy, born innocent. But you are not good for the world. When you do all the things you will do—work, play, love—you will be breaking down its systems, making it unlivable. And there is very little that you, personally, can do about it.” What kind of welcome is that?...

...A love for imperfect and impermanent things isn’t a bad starting point for passionate democratic politics. We’ll be sure to tell him that being personally powerless to change the world doesn’t mean being collectively powerless, that we can still make a politics big and generous enough to change course. James was less than a month old when tens of thousands of people rallied in New York City for the global climate strike. We walked him down Riverside Drive and quietly joined in with the chants of elementary-school children marching for the planet. “Look, James,” I whispered, “big kids!” I hope he and his classmates will assume that the Green New Deal is only the beginning of what we need to make peace with the planet, and with one another....

Where to begin to understand the Climate Crisis in Australia.

This is the areas on fires in Australia. (click here)

This might sound like a scoulding but what did everyone expect both in the USA's California and in Australia when there is no comprehensive climate crisis policy? The only solace to anyone alive are scientists who can say, "We told you so." That RIGHT in stating every effort to PREVENT the climate crisis is not a reason for in action now that the reality is upon the world.

13 September 2019

Australia (click here) is experiencing one of its most severe droughts on record, resulting in desperate water shortages across large parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Dams in some parts of western NSW have all but dried up, with rainfall levels through the winter in the lowest 10% of historical records in some areas.

The crisis in the far west of the state became unavoidable after the mass fish kills along the lower Darling River last summer, but now much bigger towns closer to the coast, including Dubbo, are also running out of water.

Residents of three distinct areas talked to Guardian Australia about the state of their towns under extreme stress from water shortages, expressing anxiety about their future but also determination to keep communities alive....

8 November 2019

NSW and Queensland bushfires: two dead and 100 homes destroyed (click here)

At least 100 homes have been destroyed in the New South Wales bushfires, with two people dead and seven unaccounted for.

More than 35 people were injured, including 16 firefighters, and 81 fires were still burning throughout the state as of Saturday afternoon....

The land has reached the point of the complete absence of water because of DECADES of a climate crisis. There was a tipping point in California and now in Australia due to the dryness of an entire planet.

The water has to be returned to the land and it is most likely it will have to come from the oceans in order to reverse the lack of water vapor. How the oceans? I have stated this before over and over, desalination plants will have to return moisture to the land and ultimately when the land is moist enough it will return to the air.

There are greenhouse gas levels that have to be dealt with, carbon dioxide and methane. The permission of these gases in growing presence in Earth's atmospheric troposphere is barbaric. The ALLOWANCE of these gases at these levels and growing levels is completely opposed to the decades of scientific research, reporting and advocacy.

Scientists can go to work to return water to the land, at great expense I might add, but, if the levels of greenhouse gases doesn't come down, all of that effort will be thwarted.

The West has to adopt significant policy and laws to match to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases. The view of energy will change and must change. Restoration of moisture to land has to begin, but, it has to be met with laws that will uphold the priority of a "normal troposphere" and not one with deadly consequences to human activity. Human activity has to reflect the morality the climate crisis demands.

Global CH4 levels of ridiculous. (click here)  Currently 1863.6 PPB as of August 2019.

The fight is not over Congerssman Lewis. The country is with you.

January 6, 2020
By Stacy M. Brown

Two Nashville Police officers (click here) carry John Lewis after he refused to obey orders during a protest at Herschel’s Tic Toc restaurant in Nashville in 1962.

Millions adore Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) (click here) for his selfless and lifelong dedication to civil and equal rights.

Some idolize Lewis like a rock star, while most revere him as an icon.

It is why presidents, politicians, members of Congress, and everyday people have taken time this week to pay tribute to the 79-year-old, 17-term congressman, who announced that he’s battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“If there’s one thing I love about Rep. John Lewis, it’s his incomparable will to fight,” former President Barack Obama wrote on his official Twitter account....

January 6, 2020
By Lynn Elber

Los Angeles - Alex Trebek has a message of support for (click here) Congressman John Lewis as both fight pancreatic cancer.

“We’re starting a new year, and let’s see if we can’t both complete the year as pancreatic cancer survivors,” Trebek said when asked what he would tell Lewis. He noted they’re the same age, 79.

The Georgia Democrat and veteran civil rights leader announced his diagnosis of advanced cancer in late December. In making his announcement, Lewis made clear that he has no plans to step aside and said, “I have a fighting chance.’’

Trebek made his illness public last March and has shared his progress and setbacks.

The “Jeopardy!” host struck a resolute but realistic tone in discussing the disease, including its toll, during during last month’s taping of a prime-time special, “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time,” with top contestants Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer, The contest begins airing Tuesday on ABC....

Last night, the Golden Globe Awards and today the Harvey Weinstein trial.

The Golden Globes (click here)

Leading up the trial those surrounding Harvey Weinstein still lived in complete denial of his problems. How is it that an entire industry allowed a very wealthy producer to sexually assault their starring ladies? How did that happen? That is still a question no one is answering.

January 6, 2020

By Irin Carmon

As New York prepared (click here) to publish this week’s look at the coming trial of Harvey Weinstein, along with a portfolio of women who have made allegations against him, I reached out to his current publicist, Juda Engelmayer, for comment. After some back and forth, Engelmayer sent me a 57-page PowerPoint presentation, dated December 2, entitled “The Proper Narrative for Addressing the Harvey Weinstein Case.”

The document presents oppo research about Weinstein’s accusers, including text messages and photographs, with the goal of vindicating him in the press. (The email from Engelmayer said only “just for your review”; at no point did we ever put any part of our communication off the record.) Asked about its authorship, Engelmayer said it had been written by “a research team prior to me.” The document also refers to “the detailed refutations we have described in this meeting.” What meeting and with whom? “The meeting is really any room in which these slides were presented,” Engelmeyer replied mysteriously. “Stakeholders of various sorts.” I’ve since become aware of an earlier version dated this past July....

There are many women, not just a few, that have reported the disgusting culture of Weinstein and now there are charges on the other coast of the USA.

January 6, 2019
By Richard Winton and James Queally

Harvey Weinstein has been charged with four counts of sexual assault (click here) in Los Angeles County, deepening the legal peril faced by the fallen Hollywood mogul as his trial on similar charges in New York City is set to begin this month.

The charges stem from accusations brought by a pair of women who say Weinstein attacked them in hotels in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills in 2013, Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacy said during a downtown news conference Monday morning.

“We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit crimes against them,” Lacey said in a statement. “I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them.”

Weinstein has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Donna Rotunno, his defense attorney in the New York case, declined to comment on the Los Angeles County case. His lawyers in Southern California could not immediately be reached for comment....

What is so upsetting is the fact women, even today, are still being treated as second class citizens. These women are held in high esteem in our society. They are adored by millions. Teenage girls try to mimic their charisma. What do they get in return? A silent industry exploiting them for their sexual attractiveness which nations of women emulate in their day to day lives.

It is absolutely the most disgusting reality ever to grace the lives of women, but, "hey, we are used to it."

I will say this, it seems as though Weinstein had Trump's act beat.

It is a mess. Trump is creating refugees out of people once believed to be a stable presence to the region and CREATES TENSIONS. IT IS A MESS !!!!!!!!

December 26, 2019
By Tzvi Joffre

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019

American and Russian troops (click here) brawled in Tell Tamer in northeast Syria on Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Russian forces were present in the area at the same time as US troops and when the two parties met it devolved into a fist fight, "due to their presence in the same area," according to SOHR.

The American troops were in the area with an interpreter to get to know the opinions of local residents. According to SOHR, all the people described the US forces as traitors.

Tell Tamer was one of the cities that US troops withdrew from after a decision by President Donald Trump. Syrian troops entered the town after the Syrian government reached an agreement with the Kurdish-led forces controlling the region to deploy into the area to counter an attack by Turkey. Residents of the Christian community in Tell Tamer are threatened by Turkish-backed Syrian militias who caused many Christians to flee towns near the Turkish border after the US withdrawal.

Let me make this extremely clear as to the impetus of the deaths of Iranian generals. IT WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE PICTURE!

Less than one month ago the USA was leaving the Middle East. 

HELLO!

There is no way any additional actions by the USA to escalate any conflict was expected. There was nothing in the ACTIONS of Trump's White House to indicate there was going to be additional anything by the USA.

ADDITIONALLY, there was every expectation other foreign military presence would move into the areas once occupied by USA forces, including the military of Iraq. There was every expectation that Iranian General Soleimani was going to become a greater presence in the region. THAT FACT was known when Trump decided to pull troops out of Iraq.

Russia moved into Raqqa (click here). Everyone should know Raqqa was the Daesh capital. The reason Russia moved their troops into Raqqa is because the USA was abandoning any presence there and it was the first place Daesh would seek to re-establish it's forces.

None of these troop movements and/or presence of leadership was a surprise and was expected to help stabilize the region while Trump was leaving. Just that simple. When a significant military presence is removed from a region it is an absolute decision. This is not a ping pong game! The presence of Daesh is life and death to the people of the region. The idea an Iranian General, who particularly dislikes the USA, was going to demand the entire mess Trump was dealing was to end is not surprising. What is surprising is Trump's idea of political pawns, namely Iranian generals that conveniently died before his impeachment trial.

The sudden and unannounced reversal of Trump's decision not only shocked many, but, changed the perceived posture of the USA when it comes to it's military presence. One day it is out of a region and within the next 24 hours all that changes. That is not the way the USA handles it's military deployments. There is no knee jerk reactions when it comes to military involvement anywhere in the world, but, Trump is the exception and he has no excuse.

AN OPPORTUNITY to kill Iranian generals is appropriate for the Middle East? That's the rhetoric regarding this mess? I don't think so.

December 9, 2019

Moscow - Russian forces have entered Raqqa, (click here) the former de facto capital of the Islamic State caliphate, in one of the starkest examples yet of how Moscow has filled the vacuum created by President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces from northern Syria.

Russian troops were shown in footage on the defense ministry’s Zvezda TV channel shaking hands with Syrian children and unloading humanitarian aid bundles with the slogan “Russia is with you” from the back of trucks.

Raqqa was captured two years ago by U.S. troops and their Kurdish-led Syrian allies in the biggest victory of Washington’s campaign against Islamic State in Syria. But since Trump abruptly ordered a pull-out in October, Moscow has swiftly advanced into territory where U.S. troops had operated.

Russia is a close battlefield ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which was invited by the Kurds into territory they controlled after Trump pulled his forces out of the way of a Turkish assault against Kurdish-held areas....

As president, Trump is a very dangerous ally. His unpredictable administration is a gross concern.

There is simply nothing Trump can say that will reverse the ill effects of his administration. Are the American people to believe the UK can't be trusted with classified information and potential movement of the USA military? If Trump even tries to imply allies can't be trusted, he is lying. Our allies SHARE an entire military operation with NATO. There is no way Trump's actions can be condoned or repeated.

As it is, every USA ally has to watch their backs wondering when and how Iranian retribution will occur. The entire action by the Trump administration is destabilizing.

January 6, 2020
By Mark Landler

Boris Johnson (click here) and his girlfriend are spending a week in Mustique and he is expected to register the holiday as a gift, it emerged yesterday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (click here) was on the Caribbean island of Mustique, still basking in the glow of his recent election victory, when the news came last Friday that President Trump had ordered the killing of a powerful Iranian general — without tipping off, let alone consulting, his British ally.

The British government was livid about the lack of notice, according to current and former officials, particularly because there are about 400 British troops deployed in Iraq, and Britain has historically been more closely aligned with the United States on combat operations there than any other country.

But Mr. Johnson held his tongue until Sunday evening, after he returned to London. Even then, he issued a carefully worded four-paragraph statement that said he would not “lament” the killing of the general, Qassim Suleimani, warned Iran against reprisals and said nothing about Mr. Trump’s action.

It was a circumspect reaction for a politician not known for his circumspection, and it underscored Mr. Johnson’s dilemma as he confronts what is arguably the first foreign policy crisis of the post-Brexit era....

The US Senate must allow witnesses to give testimony at the Senate Impeachment Hearing.

No one knows what Former Ambassador Bolton will say in his testimony, but, the country has a right to hear it. This impeachment is based on lawlessness by Donald J. Trump and not because anyone hates him. The USA Constitution demands the actions the US House took and it is up to the US Senate to allow for a fair trial. Witnesses must be allowed considering developments by the courts since the House impeachment took place. It is outrageous to think the former ambassador can't provide answer to questions that most Americans are concerned about.

January 6, 2020
By Kylie Atwood, Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju

Former White House national security adviser John Bolton (click here) said Monday he is willing to testify — if he is subpoenaed — in the Senate's impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

Bolton issued a statement Monday after the courts did not rule whether he would be compelled to testify during the House's impeachment proceedings, saying he was trying to meet his "obligations both as a citizen and as former national security adviser."

"Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study," Bolton said. "I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify."

Bolton is potentially a crucial witness, as he had firsthand knowledge of many of the events that formed the House's impeachment of the President over his dealings with Ukraine. The House sought his testimony but ultimately never subpoenaed Bolton, and Democrats withdrew their subpoena for his former deputy after it was challenged in court, as Democrats wanted to move forward with their impeachment probe and not wait for the court's decision....

Speaker Pelosi is correct in that the attack on Iranian generals that caused their deaths is disproportionate and Congress must act to limit Trump’s powers to conduct war against Iran.

No one is saying Iran is a friend to the USA, but, Trump’s foreign policy is endangering American lives. He has no foreign policy. He has no policy that is predictable. The only actions that can be predicted is his hatred. The deaths of Iranian generals was shocking to everyone. That is not policy that is abuse of the powers of the presidency and endangers the USA. There is no way Trump can justify his decisions.

The USA has allies and a handful of people at Maralogo decided to escalate international hostilities. Excuse me? Because there is no immediate response to Trump’s actions doesn’t mean it is not coming, it shows the unexpected nature of the Trump administration. That reality alone changes the international assessment of the USA. Before the actions by Trump the Middle East was a tinderbox, Trump has now changed the flashpoint internationally in response to the USA.

Congress must act to limit Trump’s war powers with Iran. This is a president that was pulling out USA troops out of the region, other powers were going to take up that gap for real world reasons, namely Deash. There is no way Trump did anything to stabilize this region of the world. No way. Trump needs to be limited in his unpredictable nature with Iran. His hatred is completely obvious and he indulges it using USA assets.