Other than Hajj unrest the other consistent story in the Middle East are the sand storms.

September 18, 2015

Makkah: Saudi Arabia (click here) has warned Muslim pilgrims attending next week’s Haj in Makkah to avoid exploiting Islam’s annual gathering for political reasons, reflecting its worry that turmoil in the region may prompt attacks or damaging displays of discord.Wearing the clothes and speaking the languages of dozens of nations, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flocked to Makkah’s Grand Mosque for Friday prayers in a show of religious harmony in a year when the region’s Muslim states are riven by conflict.“The security forces are ready to confront any irresponsible behaviour that might pollute the purity of Haj or endanger the lives of the guests of Allah,” Interior Minister Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef was quoted as saying by state media.The turbulence and sectarian infighting that has plagued Arab countries since the 2011 uprisings has grown even more acute this year, as Yemen and Libya joined Syria and Iraq in plunging into civil war....

The Jerusalem Post is reporting on the attack of the Syrian government against the IS in Palmyra, the crisis of Arab civilization, Venezuela fighters entered Columbia, there is a suspect arrested in the string of Arizona shootings and President Obama assigned the first gay general to lead the US Army.

There is no discussion anywhere besides US papers regarding five al Qaeda members and Iran.

Maybe by tomorrow. Good night, Folks. Sweet dreams.

Releasing al Qaeda members from Iran has been ongoing,

The American public doesn't know half of what actually occurs in the Middle East. They know what they need to know to bias the political culture and effect elections.

I do not see any article about five al Qaeda members released from Iran in foreign papers. It doesn't matter what continent or hemisphere I don't see this issue anywhere except USA newsprint.

Someone might actually think I don't trust the American press or something, huh?

As a rule RT is out with news before anyone else. It ain't there.

...The new accounts (click here) say that Saif al Adel and the others were released fairly recently, in response to a prisoner exchange orchestrated by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). While this is certainly possible, the story of the al Qaeda leaders’ time inside Iran has been especially murky. For instance, it was previously reported that Saif al Adel had been exchanged in late 2010 for another Iranian diplomat kidnapped by al Qaeda.

Al Adel’s ties to Iran date to the early 1990s. During the Clinton administration, federal prosecutors and other official US sources found that Iran and al Qaeda forged a deal during Osama bin Laden’s time in the Sudan. The 9/11 Commission also reported on the Iran-al Qaeda deal in its final report, which was published in 2004. In particular, Iran and Hezbollah agreed to show al Qaeda how to execute attacks such as the suicide bombings that targeted US Marines and American diplomats in Lebanon in the early 1980s. The 1998 US Embassy bombings were directly modeled after these attacks. Indeed, during the US trial of some of the terrorists responsible for the 1998 attacks, al Adel was identified as one of the al Qaeda operatives who received Iran’s and Hezbollah’s training.

At some point after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, al Adel relocated to Iran. His stay in the country became controversial after US and Saudi intelligence officials linked him to the May 2003 Riyadh bombings. Officials told the press that al Adel, while he was in Iran, had been in contact with the network that conducted the bombings....

In the early days of the invasion into Afghanistan, then President Karzai wanted the USA to conference with Iran. It is the neighbor to Afghanistan and President Bush should have invited such meetings to prevent this mess alone.

16 September 2015
By Bill Van Auken
...In recent weeks, (click here) Petraeus has confirmed the thrust of a story that first appeared on the DailyBeast web site, which quoted unnamed sources in Washington to the effect that the retired general “has been quietly urging U.S. officials to consider using so-called moderate members of al Qaeda’s Al Nusra Front to fight ISIS in Syria.”...

25 September 2014
By Joyce Karam

...Abu Ghaith and al-Fadhli (click here) are not the only al-Qaeda figures who have history with or still reside in Iran. Following the collapse of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2001, and the escape of al-Qaeda leaders to Pakistan, many figures reportedly sought shelter in Iran in what appeared as a win-win gamble. Iran is relatively safe since it is not subjected to U.S. airstrikes the way that Somalia or Pakistan or now Iraq and Syria are, and some believe there is common ground in distrusting America and Israel and the Sunni Arab states. It is a convergence that has led, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, al-Qaeda members Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi and Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil (better known as Yasin al-Suri) and five others to Iran....

Pope Francis will be addressing the USA Congress (or at least those that will attend) on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 9:00 AM. The White House will be receiving him and Sister Simone Campbell will be a member of the greeting party. She has been working to promote the issues of the poor. 

I am looking forward to Pope Francis address to Congress. It won't be all about the climate crisis. He is a wonderful leader and will have words of wisdom that everyone should hope to hear. 

CNN viewership during Prime Time with the Republican debate was more than 22,000,000. (click here)

This is the aspect of this election that both parties conveniently ignore. Donald Trump has the numbers. 

The response by people in the USA is quite surprising, but, he has been building a following for a long time. 

The question (click here) is how many of the people following Donald Trump will be new voters? 

It could be said that Carly Fiorina's reply to Donald Trump's comments of her face is based in her personal wish list to be the next Republican Vice Presidential nomination. No one wants a Vice President that is outspoken. Her comments allowed the rift between them to melt and disappear.

The 2016 election has the potential to end careers by mainstream/establishment Republicans. Democrats will simply be disgusted again.

The Democrats need to find what drives Donald Trump followers to greater participation. If the answer is 'Confrontation of Donald Trump,' they might want to stay away from that interaction.  

There is nothing like that feel good feeling that Trump has it tied up so why bother. 

OMG, this is not happening! Yes it is. 

The current Congress might want to mend fences. Nothing is getting done. 

Post debate poll shows Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina.

If you’re a Trump fan, (click here) take heart. This Michigan survey was conducted before last night’s debate, where Carson didn’t perform especially well. And the overnight poll from Gravis was limited to Republicans who watched the debate. It might simply be reflecting momentary “Wow, Carly!” sentiment, something that’ll dim a bit once we’re back to 24/7 Trump coverage on cable news. And Trump fans who missed the debate entirely have no reason to change their vote this morning, so he probably still leads nationally. The big question is by how much.
Even so, if I’m not mistaken, these are the first two polls anywhere since Trumpmania broke big that don’t show him on top.

A Brietbart poll shows things differently.

A Morning Consult poll, (click here) released Friday, surveyed 504 registered voters who watched Wednesday’s Republican primary debate and has only good news for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina. While the poll’s sample size is small (with a 4.4% margin of error), the poll’s trend is worth noting.
In this same poll, prior to Wednesday night’s debate, Trump sat at 33% support. Dr. Ben Carson sat in second place with 17% support. Today Trump enjoys 36% support. Carson is still in second place but with just 12% support.
Trump’s lead increased from +16 points to  +24%. That’s an +8% jump.
With their shared status as outsiders, it appears as though Carson’s support went to Fiorina. Prior to the debate the former-Hewlett Packard CEO had just 3% support. She now sits in third place with 10%, only -2 points behind second place Carson.
Overall, the Republican Establishment is the Big Loser here. Non-politicians Trump, Carson and Fiorina command 58% of the vote, and that piece of the pie is only growing larger.



 

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (click here) had a very important meeting where Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke. It is very much worth listening to.

US DOD seeks deconfliction with Russia in the Middle East.

Washington, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Russia (click here) has sent fighter jets to Syria, U.S. officials said, raising the stakes in a military buildup that has put Washington on edge and led Friday to the first talks between U.S. and Russian defense chiefs in over a year.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, eyeing the possibility of rival U.S. and Russian air operations in Syria's limited airspace, agreed in a call with his Russian counterpart to explore ways to avoid accidental military interactions.
The coordination necessary to avoid such encounters is known in military parlance as "deconfliction."
"They agreed to further discuss mechanisms for deconfliction in Syria and the counter-ISIL campaign," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said after the call, referring to the campaign by the U.S. and its allies against Islamic State militants....

The jets are defensive. I am sure Russia remembers how Daesh can simply take military assets from those it was intended. It occurred with US humvees and tanks when Daesh first began the civil war. It is appropriate for Russia to want to protect/defend the military hardware provided to Assad. The Russian involvement can remove the heinous use of barrel bombs. The civil war can be conducted with conventional weapons and hopefully end the instability Daesh provides. The reason there are so many people attempting to move into Europe is because Daesh only leaves the governance of death as it's constitution. It is a regime, not a government.

Saudi Arabia is getting involved for what seems as though the first time when it comes to this day.

I also don't recall Israel taking strategic positions on the mosque before either. I can understand why that would be upsetting to Saudi Arabia. A place or worship should be a sanctuary and not a place of violence.

Israeli police officers take positions on the roof of the Al-Aqsa mosque during clashes with Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City on September 15, 2015. (REUTERS/Baz Ratner)

Jeddah: (click here) Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has condemned Israel for its blatant attacks on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The king has spoken on phone with US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to express his concerns over Israel’s actions.
He called on the UN Security Council to take urgent measures to stop the violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, protect the Palestine people and holy sites, and ensure Israel grants Palestinians sovereignty, according to the SPA.
He said the attacks violate the sanctity of religions, and contribute to extremism and violence in the world. The Saudi government would hold the Israelis fully responsible for the aggression, the report stated....

Today is Palestines' Day of Rage.

18 September 2015

By Peter Beaumont

Israeli border guard during clashes with Palestinians near the West Bank settlement Beit El, north of Ramallah. Photograph: Abbas Momani

Israel (click here) has announced an emergency call-up of police reserves amid an escalation in violent confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians that saw seven Palestinians and three Israeli policemen wounded on Friday.
Following days of tension around Jerusalem’s flashpoint religious site known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, Israel deployed hundreds of extra police around the city for Friday prayers.
The latest violence – both in the West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem – has come after three days of rioting earlier this week which followed a raid by Israeli police on the al-Aqsa mosque.
It comes too as Israel’s prime minister has warned that he is seeking to give security forces greater latitude to use live fire against Palestinian stone throwers, a threat that has been echoed by several other prominent Israeli politicians and condemned by human rights groups....

Good news for FAMILIES.

There is some good news to families who have a difficult time in maintaining a pregnancy.

Background (click here)
Between-hospital variation in outcomes among extremely preterm infants is largely unexplained and may reflect differences in hospital practices regarding the initiation of active lifesaving treatment as compared with comfort care after birth....

There is one study that was published in May 2015 in the "New England Journal of Medicine," that has found it reasonable to think a severely preterm infant can be considered for the Neonatal Critical Care Unit for infant survival.

In years past severely preterm infants had little to no lung function due to surfactant. There might be reasons to believe this can change and give expectant parents hope.

Republicans have a political agenda defined in saving every PREGNANCY to result in an institutionalized child. It is a cruel agenda and grossly ill conceived. It is based in religious self-righteousness and has no place in our laws. The Republicans carry out this political agenda while they cut food stamps, refuse the Medicaid extension and end federal funding to support college educations. The Republican Party is an abhorrence to this country and nothing short of it.

Religion has a right to define life at conception, government does not!

The persecution of Planned Parenthood is about politics, not the law.

Before any Congress can determine weeks of gestation, it has to determine a valid method of defining conception.

Prenatal medicine depends on the age of the fetus. That gestation determines whether a viable fetus can be maintained in intensive care.

Women's clinics need to have a better standard than the guestimate of one's last period/menstruation. In order to insure prenatal births are receiving medical care, the definition has to be understood. The women of the Senate and the House should hold hearings to determine the best way to define a prenatal baby that is viable to survive a prenatal nursery.

Currently, the practice of a prenatal physician states care for such fetus occur at 27 weeks gestation. There is no consistent way of measuring those 27 weeks. It varies with each obstetrician and each patient. The patient is suppose to have the exact moment her menstruation turned into a pregnancy. It is unrealistic to expect women to know that moment. A pregnancy occurs but not at the moment the last menstruation ends.

The country doesn't need to legislate the permission of a prenatal physician, it can however hold hearings to learn the best method to determine the age of a fetus. Until that is noted, there cannot be any understanding about regulation of a woman's pregnancy. If there is not a consensus to the best time of conception then the science is not perfected and women should not be burdened with such hideous control of outcomes that is her's or her fetus.

The unborn baby (click here) spends around 37 weeks in the uterus (womb), but the average length of pregnancy, or gestation, is calculated as 40 weeks. This is because pregnancy is counted from the first day of the woman’s last period, not the date of conception which generally occurs two weeks later, followed by five to seven days before it settles in the uterus. Since some women are unsure of the date of their last menstruation (perhaps due to period irregularities), a pregnancy is considered full term if birth falls between 37 to 42 weeks of the estimated due date.

A baby born prior to week 37 is considered premature, while a baby that still hasn’t been born by week 42 is said to be overdue. In many cases, labour will be induced in the case of an overdue baby....

What is occurring in the US House is based in hearsay and sentiment, basically POLITICS. That is not the way legislation of any kind should happen, unless it is naming a US Post Office. The Republicans chronically legislate based in emotional status and not sound principles or facts.

ie: Rep. Stutzman is proposing a bill be passed based in videos. You've got to be joking. There is no validation to the authenticity of the video. The USA's capacity to legislate should not be based in magical thinking.

Congress is going to tie the hands of doctors and there will be women that die. Worse yet, doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology will run the other way if the US Congress is going to assign prison or worst to a physicians practice.

Congress is over reaching it's authority when there are peer review of practice. Murder is murder, but, practicing medicine should not have legislation that defines prison or more when caring for patients. This is outrageous.

Rep. McCarthy is basing a bill to control the lives of women and their physicians based on a 7 and one half month birth. It is well known a fetus that is born at seven months have the potential of life. That is not new. That is as old as pregnancy itself. The hearing her refers to were people stating they were aborted when they were the baby of the abortion. Where are the medical records. I already know there isn't any because hospitals don't save records beyond ten years within their archives. There is no validation for the bill McCarthy is advocating and it is definitively overreach.

Going down the road to legislate birth and abortion is very misguided. The eighth month old fetus has more chances of dying than the seven month old fetus. (click here)

Leave the birth of Americans to physicians. Congress belongs nowhere near the topic. Culture enters into pregnancy. It just does. Parents have preconceived ideas about the pregnancy. There can't be a Congress removing those cultural beliefs including the superstition that may exist. It is simply wrong.

In the case of the eight month pregnancy, the practice is linked directly to culture from the Talmud. Enough of this. This is cultural speak between mothers and daughters. Leave it alone!

Politics should never pre-empt that of a person's culture. There is no need for any of this and to know McCarthy is disturbed by the undocumented survival of a 7 and a half month old fetus that supposedly survived  and abortion is nothing short of outrageous.

Kermit Gosnell was prosecuted without this legislation. This legislation is nothing short of politics and victimizes a nation of women.

The culture of pregnancy should never be tampered with. Bonding is important. A families involvement is vital. When the government takes over and demands certain behavior of physicians it is the end of solid and sound practice. The idea of intervention to save a fetus life begins and ends with the desire of the woman to keep the pregnancy. There is nothing that should stand in the way of her decision or that of her physician.

The US government carries a great deal of power in every American's life and this should always be off limits.

It is easily stated the family oriented society would be effected if Congress starts to legislate it's inception. This is blatantly wrong.

Children Awaiting Parents (CAP) (click here) is a national nonprofit organization that recruits adoptive families for children in foster care. CAP has helped bring together more than 6,000 children and families over the last 41 years.

This organization has placed 6000 Foster Care children in families through adoption. There is not a big demand for children from Foster Care. What are the babies kept alive going to do for parents when they are admitted into a pre-natal nursery?

Basically, the Congress is demanding a fetus to remain live only to have it enter the Foster Care network. There are few children in Foster Care that go on to be adopted by their Foster Care families. Why is Congress interfering with pregnancy? Foster Care is suppose to assign children to a court system because of abuse of children within a family. Since when is a Foster Care system going to provide childcare for babies without parents?

Nationally, (click here) 235,000 children exited foster care in 2012. Of these children, 207,000 (87 percent) were discharged to a permanent home (i.e., were discharged to reunification, adoption, or legal guardianship).

Outcome 4: Reduce time in foster care to reunification without increasing reentry

The 2012 data suggest that, in many states, a majority of children discharged to reunification were reunified in a timely manner. Across states, the median percentage of reunifications occurring in less than 12 months was between 65.8 and 68.6 percent (measures 4.1 and C1.1). The median length of stay in foster care for reunified children was 8.0 months (measure C1.2).

Reunification is the majority outcome of Foster Children. What happens to the child who's parent is the USA federal government?

Between 2009 and 2012, states declined in performance with regard to the percentage of children entering foster care when they were age 12 or younger who were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). The national median for this measure increased from 4.2 percent in 2009 to 4.6 percent in 2012 (an 8.1 percent increase). Fifty-seven percent of states did improve their performance on this measure, but 35 percent declined in performance and 9 percent exhibited no change.

The Bucharest Early Intervention Project (click here) looked at the outcomes of children placed in institutions from a young age. There is something lacking. It is love. Children in institutions have delayed development. The bad news doesn't end there. There is also stunted physical develop while the young children develop mental health issues.

Children are hardwired to survive and have certain needs that it demands and parents in turn respond to those demands. The love between parent and child is vital. If the USA is willing to be this cruel because it has a religious and political legislation there is profound wrongful pathways. When the right wing seeks to end abortion they are damning children assigned to institutions and the lack of love it requires to develop into a healthy adult that has capacity to thrive in society.

"Neglect in America is a huge problem." If the federal government wants to be a parent, I suggest they solve the problems at 'point of care' before it outlaws a woman's demand for abortions.

Harvard Center on the developing child (click here).

We know for a fact the majority of abortions are within the first months of pregnancy. We also know when there is a late term abortion it is doctor advised. The US Congress belongs NOWHERE in this issue!

The USA has many allies.

British Foreign Minister Phillip Hammond stated about 40 percent of the migrants are actual refugees. The Foreign Minister was asked about the USA's steadfast resolve in the Iranian agreement. He recognized the strong Democratic resolve in the US Senate to be sure there would not be a veto needed. The Democrat's resolve is very important to the British Foreign Ministry as it provides the ability to continue to develop policy that goes forward to promote British investment into Iran to help the economy improve with better relations resulting. So, the Iran agreement is directly related to the global economy and it's stability.

As we know there is a sincere reliance on foreign investment for the British economy. This opportunity in Iran provides for growth for Great Britain. That is important and US policy should recognize this when deciding on policy and how it effects allies. Strong allies creates a stronger NATO and better national security for the USA. 

Such investments cost the USA nothing, but, has a  side effect of a better global economy that provide stronger national security. This is rarely discussed in the US Senate or House when bills are reaching passage. The security of allies is important and the USA needs to realize that when making policy in foreign relations.

It should have been obvious during the debate there are other allies besides a sadly right wing Israel. There needs to be a balance when US foreign policy is being used by right wing political rhetoric in Israel. 

The new administration in Israel is proving to be very extreme to the detriment of some of the ethnic populations within it's borders. Israel is on a dangerous trajectory into the future. The USA cannot simply stand by and allow such victimization of people without voice in support of them. 

All allies are important in US foreign policy. Israel's future is a concern and it has nothing to do with Iran or Palestine or Hamas. Israel risks a great deal if it continues on a path of demoralizing it's own people and impedes educational opportunity for some ethic and religious groups. I am rather surprised at Israels' willingness to victimize. I would never expect that ever from Israel. The USA needs to have policy in mind when such actions are taken by Israel's governing infrastructure.

Southern Democrats should pay attention to this recorded vote.

Steve King voted PRESENT to the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Three Republicans voted no. 

Southern women depend on organizations such as Planned Parenthood. Southern women do use contraception and occasionally abortion. This is definitely a priority for Southern women. They may not discuss it openly, but, they do use these services, including mammograms and checking for cervical cancer. I would be sure the issue was noted when challenging an incumbent especially in the south. Steve King voted present because he knows there is enough need for women that it would matter. 

August 13, 2015
by Feminist Newswire

The Center (click here) purportedly spoke with officials from Alabama and Louisiana, two states moving to take away funding from Planned Parenthood clinics, warning the officials that doing so “may illegally restrict beneficiary access to services.”
State Medicaid programs are federally mandated to cover family planning services for anyone of child-bearing age. According to HHS, closing Planned Parenthood clinics in Alabama and Louisiana may cut off access to these services, violating Medicaid law.
Planned Parenthood serves more clients of publicly funded family planning centers than any other provider in the country. 79 percent of Planned Parenthood health care patients have incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Ending Planned Parenthood’s services would put women’s lives at risk, especially low-income women who would not be able to afford care elsewhere.
In states like Alabama and Louisiana, affordable family planning and access to these services is greatly needed. Almost one third of Alabama children live below the poverty line, and Louisiana is ranked 49th in the country in poverty rates....

...“Pure and simple, a public health crisis would be the result of this bill,” Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) remarked on the floor....

Iridescent clouds

July 18, 2015
By Lara Sorokanich

...Iridescent clouds, (click here) known as "fire rainbows" or "rainbow clouds," occur when sunlight diffracts off water droplets in the atmosphere. And the recipe for these heavenly sights is actually pretty simple.

Like common cloud-to-ground rainbows, iridescent clouds usually accompany thunderstorms. 

According to atmospheric phenomena expert Les Cowley, they often appear in the late afternoon, on very hot and humid days. This stems from the fact that most rainbow clouds form on top of cumulus clouds—the fluffy cotton-ball-shaped clouds we often see in children's drawings....

The Republicans are willing to cause harm to American women for their political volleys.

If these bills pass and Planned Parenthood is singled out for fiscal assault, it has to file a lawsuit stating discrimination.This is the first time Congress has singled out an organization for political purposes.

This is an organization that always follows the law and has provided quality health care to women for decades. This is a direct assault on women and it has to be challenged. No political party can simply destroy a major part of the infrastructure (over $360 million in assets in 2014) to send monies to other organizations that please them, because Planned Parenthood supposedly falls short of their ideology. 

The Republican Party is picking winners and losers and here again is practicing politics from the floor of the House and Senate.
  
September 18, 2015
By David M. Herszenhorn 

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans (click here) said on Thursday that they would take up legislation outlawing all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and the House voted to move forward with a bill that would end government financing for Planned Parenthood, intensifying a fight over abortion that threatened to paralyze budget talks and force a government shutdown at the end of the month.

Despite the Republicans’ push, which was a response to videos showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing the use of aborted fetuses in medical research, there were also signs that congressional leaders were counting on a fallback plan to keep the government functioning temporarily, roughly at last year’s spending levels....

The impact of China's aggression is what held the percentage rate where it is.

I wasn't surprised. If one paid attention it would be hard to expect an increase in the percentage rate after the stunt China pulled.

I was more concerned about the very fact the interest rate did not progress because of China's aggression. China may as well have dropped a bomb in the middle of the global economy. China's export business is shrinking. It has to develop it's middle class to pick up the slack. China's middle class is not the dominant economic force in it's economy, exports are. Their labor is cheap and that is what provided wealth, but, with a shrinking demand for it's export products it has to look to a stronger middle class to take up the slack.

September 18, 2015

The Federal Reserve (click here) held interest rates near zero on Thursday, raising questions over how it will ever manage to lift them off the floor and how effectively it will communicate plans to do so.

Only just over half economists polled have predicted such an outcome, a rare occurrence, and a sign of just how hard it has become to read the Fed these days.

So, 50 percent of economists got it right. That should tell everyone something about the other 50 percent. 

Prior to the rate decision, Fed Chair Janet Yellen had not spoken in almost two months. Two of her closest allies had spoken late last month but delivered seemingly contradictory messages just days apart.

After the decision, Yellen said while it was an "unfortunate state of affairs" that every comment by a Fed official is parsed for hints about the Fed's next move, "uncertainty in financial markets" is natural when a policy shift is near, as it is today....

What concerns me is that this would happen again and once again the interest rate would remain the same. It was too soon to develop an indicator of a shift that large and the Fed was not about to rattle the markets anymore than had already occurred.

I am sure the Fed is evaluating data that will develop and indicator of what the future holds to stem any inflation. It has to develop an indicator. This could go on forever and the global market place will be at the mercy of China. That cannot be the case.

This last episode did damage and it cannot be allowed to continue. Investors juggled their focus to find other markets that would remain stable in the fact of the huge exposure to China. Now, either the markets will remain as they are or it will be able to find an indicator that provides insight to more instability in China. 

Today, as a couple of weeks ago the Chinese markets were a weapons against investors and the global economy, today it is less so. But, the future cannot be left to chance. There has to be an indicator of trouble in China otherwise there can be too much volatility and  too much damage. 

The US economy is strong and making progress in the face of weakness in China's export industry. That is because the USA has a strong infrastructure of small businesses that are not touched by China's economy. There is every reason to invest right here in the USA and limit the exposure to China. Our local economies are very stable. There are not large numbers of shuttered buildings to the dismay of the international markets. We need to keep it that way. 

International markets need to learn from the health and vitality of the USA's recovery and the stability of local economies, rather than coveting them and taking them over. LEARN and make the lives of their people better than catering to Wall Street and the wealthy. 

Our local economies like what we have and we don't want manufactured products from half way around the world.

Enough. 

Pope Francis proves a security challege, but, I think everyone is up to it.

Pope Francis has no intentions of over looking the poor in the USA. He may very well come to the street to find those most in need of his blessings.

September 17, 2015
By Kris Ankario

...Each Wednesday evening Kitty (click here) stands on the sidewalk of G Street as St. Maria’s Meals sets up outside Catholic Charities in Chinatown to serve hot meals to the homeless. The pope will be visiting the charity, along with adjacent St. Patrick’s Church, on Sept. 24th. He is expected to bless the food and possibly serve alongside the volunteers.
“Here’s a guy who around the world he mimics what Christ wants us to do and just to be there next to him and watch him doing it – it would be breathtaking,” says volunteer Chris Thomas. “You know, something you will always remember and can always hold true for the rest of your life and just to be able to touch so many people here and see their faces.”
On Wednesday evening, the line for St. Maria’s Meals stretched down the block as the homeless and those in need waited for a blessing before being served chili-mac, salad, potatoes and some dessert. Among those serving was a group of students from Blessed Sacrament School in D.C....

Why did Carly Fiorina sensationalize lies about abortion in the USA?

September 18, 2015
By Julie Pace

WASHINGTON (AP) — Carly Fiorina's (click here) first challenge in the Republican debate was simply getting a spot on the main stage. Now, after a standout performance, her next quest is to convert a burst of enthusiasm for her candidacy into actual support from voters and donors.
Her success or failure will determine whether her breakthrough moment becomes a turning point in the Republican primary or simply a footnote.
Supporters in early voting states said they were encouraged by the flood of local officials who reached out in the hours after the debate to pledge their support....

Her appearance on stage was her best hope to stay alive in the Republican primary. She needs money. She'll say anything to achieve that goal.

She had to give the audience something. She could not simply stand there and expect her gender alone to bring support for her candidacy. Heck, she is the only woman able to get to the stage, so, she gave a 'she speech.' She is this and she is not that. 

Her speech contained a lot of imagery and rhetoric, but, little on substance.  

You know what makes me appreciate Hillary Clinton more and more?

She overcomes every hurdle in her path with grace and without seeking sympathy for any adversity in her life. Her dedication to this country was more important to her than looking for 'an out' because she was still suffering from effects of a concussion.

That is what makes me notice Hillery Clinton and what makes me believe she is a great woman. Nothing gets in her way to serve and protect this country. Nothing.

What is wrong with his answer?

The crowd laughed when he stated, "We really need this as the first question." What is wrong with that? He made a choice. Either argue with the laughable man or let him finish and provide an answer. No one understands that is what occurred? 

If a person doesn't understand that is what occurred then the problem is with you and not Donald Trump. The answer he gave was a neutral answer and it was legitimate. He will be looking at many things and he does not have intelligence information at this point in his candidacy. What is strange about that? The strangeness belongs with the questioner and not the response. 

Why do nothing but argue during the entire time he had set aside for questions? The man was laughable, that isn't enough?