Sorry, I took the wrong one out of my notes. It was New Years Eve. The actual Flint River is much worse.

When a water source for a city is sought, the volume of the water source matters. Often, some cities have water tower to create water pressure to move the water through pipes.

Below is the Flint River USGS water record. (click here) The year 1975 was the record low of 21 cubic feet per second daily discharge.

A water source has to be applied to all the POTENTIAL population and USE. That means a small city has to plan ahead in selecting the water source. It is my opinion the Flint River, without the contamination considered, could not supply water to a growing city.

The Army Corp. of Engineers can assist a city or state with water source plans. It is my belief there are records that date back to the beginnings of Flint, Michigan as a town that calculated the water needed for Flint and a growing population. There was a time when Flint was a vibrant town living in the shadow of the GM plant. The Flint River was not tapped then and should not have been tapped today.

I also am considering the fact this is the Otisville, Michigan gauge. There are other small tributaries into the Flint River between Otisville, Michigan and Flint, Michigan. That is not going to increase the level of water that much. Obviously, this is not a complete picture. 

The reason the Flint River water was so dirty is because of the low level of the river. It is my opinion, the turbulence of drawing a low flow river into the city water supply caused the sediment to be disturbed increasing the amount of contaminants/particulates in the river sediment to be suspended in the water column.

Depending on the height of the river, the water will contain more or less sediment.

The lead in the water came from the pipes because of the chemical reaction between the Flint River water and the lining of the pipes.

Turbidity of the water is a real issue and has to be treated.

Turbidity (click here) is an indirect measure of particulates in the water. It can result from clay, silt, organic matter, plankton or micro-organisms entering the water system. Cloudy water is the result of turbidity. The higher the turbidity level, the cloudier the water looks. Besides affecting the colour and taste of water, turbid water can be difficult to treat effectively....

...The best way to treat turbidity is through a sediment filter & then UV water treatment. This treatment process will first remove the particles that cause turbidity and then the water will be disinfected with Ultraviolet light which will kill micro-organisms and disease causing pathogens. We carry two sediment/turbidity softening options:

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Nextsand Turbidity/Sediment Filter. This filter is for silt and sediment removal to approximately 5 microns. Nextstand is a rare natural mineral that is highly processed and graded. It’s unique properties make it a perfect media for virtually every filtration application in the water treatment industry....

The point is the water would change color because of the height of the river as stated above. The level of the river would increase and decrease depending on recharge. The level of sediment in the water was determined by the height of the river at the place where the water entered the water treatment plant.

What I am saying is the Snyder administration didn't care about the quality of the water or where it came from. If public information was tapped and the river dynamics evaluated it would be completely obvious why Flint received it's water from Detroit.

The reason Snyder wanted to change the water source is because he wanted less expense for the city. If the water was treated properly, the cost to Flint would be higher and not less.

Even with proper treatment the level of water in the Flint River would not be sufficient to supply the people of Flint with water and their source would be dry from time to time, especially, during a poor rainy season. As a matter of fact, Flint was headed to lose its water supply from the Flint River because of the climate crisis and potential drought. 

Michigan has many lakes and tributaries that fill those lakes.

The American state of Michigan borders four of the Great Lakes. The number of inland lakes in Michigan depends on the minimum size: there are 62,798 lakes ≥ 0.1 acres, 26,266 lakes ≥ 1.0 acres, 6,537 lakes ≥ 10.0 acres, 1,148 lakes ≥ 100 acres, 98 lakes ≥ 1,000 acres, and 10 lakes ≥ 10,000 acres.

Profound drought in Michigan is nearly impossible because of the "Lake Level" (not sea level) in the state. The water table is usually enough to provide a reliable water resource. The "Lake Level" of Michigan is 597 feet above sea level.

The below ground water level/table at Flint, Michigan is insufficient to provide enough water to a city of people, yet alone a car factory.

The people of Flint have been exposed to some of the most incompetent leadership a state can have. Snyder literally looked at the Flint River and thought it would be sufficient to provide a water source. This is some of the most irresponsible actions ever witnessed in state governance. Add to that the fact the quality of water was poor and the Snyder administration ignored the letters from the EPA; what transpired was an attempted cover up of the blatant disregard for state and federal law.

The Flint River was never a good source of water with profound reasons the people of Flint received water from Detroit. This is reason to impeach a governor and prosecute an administration. I can't believe the complete disregard for public safety.

AND.

The reason for the problems in Flint, Michigan had absolutely nothing to do with race or any other hideous social pattern. It is my opinion the decisions in Flint were racist, regardless, of the ethnics of the emergency manager. The emergency managers embarked on changing the fiscal reality of Flint without any reverence for law or public safety standards.

I haven't written all that I need to and I kept track of other Flint Rivers because I fully expected false replies to my findings. Sorry about the posting yesterday. I wanted to begin this segment of the facts because of the article published regarding minority city populations in relation to water. 

The Army Corp is the standard for city planning. It is recognized by the courts as valid. A full evaluation by the Army Corp would have rejected an emergency managers decision to use the Flint River as a water source.

Have a better new year.

 I think both these maps have been entered before. It shows the Flint River and where it adds to the Saginaw Bay. The Michigan map shows where the Flint River is in relation to the rest of the state.

It is safe to say the Flint River is a part of a larger river system.

While the Flint River is part of a larger river system, it also has it's own watershed.


Each river in this water system has it's own watershed system. 

A watershed system is about geography and geology. The watershed is about the land that receives water from rain and dew. A watershed also has other resources such as lawn sprinklers and in today's society a watershed also receives water from bottles and water deliver.

That may seem like a silly concept, but, it isn't. Those that think about Earth look to the "natural system" for the water and then assess the "foreign system" for the watershed, including such things as water delivery of water from places outside the watershed. To my knowledge and I will make sure this is fact, Flint River watershed does not have a water bottling plant. As a result water is delivered from outside the watershed for use within it.

This is the Flint River watershed. It has tributaries emptying into the Flint River. It also has "overland" flow that runs off the land into the river. Interestingly, it has a watershed that does not contribute to the Cass River. There is land to the south of the river that belongs to the Shiawassee River that does not contribute to the Flint River watershed. 

It seems to me to be a very interesting watershed. It is a significant size for the length of the river. I won't get into specifics, but, during my investigation of the Flint River, it has a unpredictable "recharge." Recharge is the water that flows into the river to replenish the water that runs into a larger river system. When a river has a unpredictable recharge it cannot be a water source. Why? Because a high demand of water use of such a river would mean it could run dry and leave residents without water at all.

My information is from public records, if anyone put an effort forward it could be found.

Setting aside the danger of the water itself, the Army Corp of Engineers would not have approved it for a city's water source for the chance it would not be sufficient for high demand use. The US Army Corp of the Detroit District could be asked to officially evaluate the river flow rate and recharge to determine what I stated as fact. The do all and end all focus on the EPA's responsibility is not the only place that needed to evaluate the work of the Snyder administration.

The Flint River Water Project is ongoing.

As early as December 16, 2016 the USA CIA was stating Russian hacking was to promote a Trump win.

Other media reports are lies and pandering to the President Elect.

December 16, 2016
By Jeremy Diamond

Washington (CNN) President Barack Obama (click here) has vowed the US will retaliate against Russia "at a time and place of our own choosing" for Moscow's hacking attempts to influence the country's elections.

A growing chorus of powerful voices on Capitol Hill -- including Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate -- is calling for a bipartisan probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential vote.

But President-elect Donald Trump has rejected out of hand any suggestions of Russian influence on the election -- despite the CIA concluding that Russia acted to help Trump win.

So why is Trump so quick to dismiss intelligence agencies' findings even as leaders of his own party express concerns about Russia's role in the 2016 election? And how conclusive are the US intelligence community's findings?

Cheap outlets break the USA law.

December 30, 2016

The rap group Run-DMC (click here) filed a $50 million lawsuit in New York accusing Wal-Mart, Amazon, Jet and other retailers of selling products that traded on the group's name without permission.

A founder of the group and owner of the Run-DMC brand, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, was listed as the plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York.

The complaint said the defendants are "advertising, selling, manufacturing, promoting and distributing multiple products" in the group's trademarked name. The products include glasses, hats, t-shirts, patches, wallets and other items.

The lawsuit alleged that the retailers have improperly profited, diluted and harmed the Run-DMC brand, which it said has generated more than $100 million in revenue since its inception in the 1980s.

Run-DMC was founded in New York in 1981 by McDaniels, Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "DMC" and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, who was fatally shot in his Queens recording studio in 2002....

Not everyone at the Kremlin sees the pot of gold from a prospective USA Secretary of State.

It is safe to say, the Kremlin disagrees with Putin's priority of "Oil First."

December 30, 2016
By Andrew Roth and David Filipov

The Kremlin has issued a stark warning to the United States, (click here) saying it would respond in kind to the U.S. expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and other sanctions following the Russian hacking of U.S. political parties before the 2016 presidential elections.

"I cannot say now what the response will be, although, as we know, there is no alternative here to the principle of reciprocity," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a statement late Thursday evening reported by the Interfax news service.

He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would decide the exact response.

Peskov's remarks were the culmination of a sharply-worded reaction by Russia's establishment to the sanctions, which come at a time when Moscow is looking forward to an improvement in its ties with the U.S. at the start of the Trump administration in three weeks....

Conor Kennedy views harassment among adults as bullying. He doesn't back away from defending his gay friend.

This is not the first arrest for Conor. He has joined the RFK, Jr. legacy.

February 14, 2012
By Deirdra Kaye

Conor Kennedy, (click here) Robert Kennedy Jr. and Daryl Hannah were arrested outside the White House on Valentine's Day morning. But it was for a good cause!...

December 29, 2016
By Jason Auslander

A 22-year-old member of the Kennedy family (click here) arrested after a bar fight early Thursday was defending a gay friend who was being bullied, his father said.

“Conor has always reacted against bullying,” said Robert Kennedy Jr. “I’m happy he stood up for his friend.”

John Conor Kennedy — who goes by Conor — had asked a group of four men to apologize to his friend for calling him a common homophobic slur an hour before the fight erupted at about 1:40 a.m. outside the Bootsy Bellows nightclub, Robert Kennedy said.

One of the men did come over and apologize to his friend at that point, he said. But when the crowd began leaving the club an hour later, at least two of the men began using homophobic slurs against Conor Kennedy’s friend again and he told them to stop, Robert Kennedy said.

One of the men asked what he was going to do about it and took a swing at Conor Kennedy and the fight broke out, he said. No physical contact occurred between the men and Conor Kennedy’s gay friend, Robert Kennedy said, terming the incident “menacing.”...

Tough talk about Iran is nothing more than tough talk.

December 29, 2016
By Trefis Team

Sold: Fifteen 777-300ER, fifteen 777X-wide body which is under development, but, the main workhorse in the Iranian commercial airline is fifty 737MAX-single aisle jet.

Boeing ( BA ) and its main rival Airbus (click here) have been plagued by a slowing commercial airplane market. The weak economy has forced air carriers and governments to delay or cancel orders for new aircraft in recent quarters. Furthermore, airliners built more than 20 to 30 years ago are still flying regular routes after being refurbished multiple times. This has increased pressure on both companies to lower prices on their jetliners to win deals. At present, Boeing has only been able sell 558 planes this year, that's a whopping 36% drop in sales year over year.


Earlier in the month, Boeing had announced that the company had finalised a deal with Iran Air to sell it 80 planes at a market value of close to $17 billion. That said, one must remember that aircraft sales are almost never made at list prices. In this respect, the Iranian leadership has mentioned that due to the nature of the particular order and the choice possibilities, the deal is actually worth only half the of the book value . This has helped calm tensions in Iran at a time when hardliners have heavily criticized President Hassan Rouhani over the costs of the purchases....

The 777MAX is actually in competition with the Dreamliner, except, for the number of passengers which is about half the capacity of the Dreamliner. The Dreamliner is a unique class of jets composed with New Age materials to provide fuel economy while being uncompromising with larger passenger capacity.

When comparing the Dreamliner fuel per passenger may be better than the 737MAX.

October 18, 2014
By Mark Huber

Dramatically better fuel economy and range (click here) coupled with attractive pricing and faster and less expensive completion options could rekindle Boeing’s (Booth 1598) sluggish single-aisle BBJ programs, if customers can step into the middle of a flood of airline orders and pry aircraft off the assembly line.

Driven by the airlines’ desire to cut costs and increase fuel efficiency, Boeing announced the 737 Max program in 2011 after contemplating–and ultimately rejecting–a completely clean-sheet design replacement for its 737 twinjet. Even before Boeing could finish the details of the Max’s design, the airlines, eager to boost earnings, began placing massive orders. Although Boeing won’t deliver the Max until late 2017, as of August it already has more than 2,200 orders for the airplane. The first BBJ Max is expected to be delivered without an interior in 2018 to California’s AvJet on behalf of a private client who currently owns a BBJ....

Left is a picture of a Cessna Citation now missing.

December 30, 2016

By Kurt Chirbas

A small plane heading for Ohio State University vanished (click here) after taking off from an airport on the shores of Lake Erie late Thursday.

The Cessna Citation 525 departed at 10:57 p.m. Thursday from Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland. Air traffic control officials lost contact with it a short time later....   

Russia is joyfully breaking treaties.

When Russia begins it's nuclear arms race it will be dissolving important treaties. "W" replaced nuclear weapons treaties with a 3 page document. Trump and Putin are simply throwing all the treaties related to nuclear weapons in the trash can and restarting the Cold War.

Putin is not stupid. He is hiding Russian aggression in "Nukes for Peace" with an arms race. 

First Trump's so called Secretary of State will open drilling in Russia and then with re-infused funds there will be a restart of an arms race. I would think all this to be obvious of a very weak USA President Elect. Trump is a fool for money no matter the monster that lies with such removal of treaties and arms escalation. 

The chart below: Strategic Nuclear Arms Control Agreements (click here)

December 30, 2016
By Polina Devitt and Polina Nikolskaya

President Vladimir Putin (click here) said Moscow would not expel anyone in response to Washington's decision to throw out 35 suspected Russian spies and sanction intelligence agencies it believes were involved in computer hacking in the 2016 presidential election.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier proposed expelling 35 U.S. diplomats after outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama ordered the expulsions and sanctions on Thursday.

But Putin said he would wait for the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, before deciding on any further steps in relations with the United States.

"We will not expel anyone," Putin said in a statement on Friday. "While keeping the right for retaliatory measures, we will not descend to the level of 'kitchen', irresponsible diplomacy."

In withering remarks, Putin even invited U.S. diplomats and their families to a party in the Kremlin....

The children should attend the celebration as a sign of how the measure of peace lies with the future and the children should have every opportunity to realize it.

She is beautiful.

December 27, 2016
By Kelli Steele

The Brandywine Zoo’s Amur tiger, Zhanna, (click here) is scheduled to be transferred to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo in New York early in January 2017, according to DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation in partnership with zoo officials and the Delaware Zoological Society.

The relocation is prompted by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan – a robust and scientific endeavor to manage the genetic diversity of captive species. Zhanna’s genetic profile and age make her a good candidate for breeding and consequently, for transfer to a zoo with a successful tiger breeding program.

“As an AZA Accredited institution, the Brandywine Zoo is committed to species conservation,” said Brandywine Zoo General Curator Lynn Klein. “We rely on the cooperation among zoos to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse population.”

Amur tigers are an endangered species, with fewer than 500 living in small populations in far eastern Russia and northeast China. The tigers are losing their habitat due to logging activities, human encroachment and poaching. The AZA supports habitat protection and anti-poaching programs and at the same time, also supports careful matching of breeding pairs in captivity within the AZA accredited facilities. Zhanna was born at the St. Louis Zoo and she is one of only 300 tigers in zoos accredited by the AZA....

2016/12/27
By Global Times in English

The Beijing Zoo (click here) has created a sperm bank for endangered animals in the hopes of preventing their extinction.

Workers at the 'Frozen Zoo' rush to collect sperm from animals immediately after they die so that they can be preserved in liquid nitrogen for later use.

"Once the animal dies, veterinarians inform zoo laboratory technicians as soon as possible to collect samples," said an zoo employee at a conference Friday.

So far zoo employees have successfully collected semen from a panda, a golden monkey, a white crane and a black-necked crane.

Only a tiger at the zoo failed to produce viable samples due to its advanced age.

"We periodically thaw the samples to check their vitality and condition," said the employee.

The zoo has yet to use the collected frozen sperm for artificial insemination, opting for samples from living animals, the employee said.

The Beijing Zoo joins a number of zoos across the world with sperm banks for endangered animals.

Over 40 years, the San Diego Zoo in California, US has collected more than 10,000 organic samples from over 1,000 different species.

In Japan, the Kyoto Zoo and Kyoto University opened a similar operation in 2013, that uses a special method to freeze dry sperm for later use. 

Beijing Morning Post

A rare Rothchild's giraffe is born and is doing well by standing a short time after birth.

28 December 2016
By Sarah Knapton

A rare Rothschild’s giraffe calf (click here for video) was born on Boxing Day at Chester Zoo.

The six-feet-tall youngster, which is yet to be sexed or named, arrived to first time mother Tula and father Meru at around 7am and was up on its feet just minutes later.

Rothschild’s giraffes are one of the most endangered subspecies of giraffe and one of the world’s most at risk species....

The Rothschild species (click here) are considered one of the tallest giraffes. They can be an astonishing 20 feet in height. They can also weight about 2,500 pounds with the males weighing more than the females by several hundred pounds. You will notice that the coloring of the Rothschild Giraffe is very unique when compared to the other species.

Their coat consists of dark patches and then areas of beige through them, almost like the sight of water running through a small creek. They have a brown and orange color to them that is very beautiful. Their markings are often along the lines of those as leopards. You will also notice that their markings stop at the top of their very long legs.

As that area of the body comes into the picture, their spots turn into speckles that get smaller and spread further and further apart. Everything from that point down is one of many different shades of white. For some of these animals, the pure white can start at the knee caps....

The IUCN Red List of this species of giraffe. (click here)

The ssp. of the species name is "subspecie" and is sometimes written "subsp."

President Obama has never been more correct, Russia is not trustworthy.

No one finds Donald Trump racist?

No one finds the profound disrespect Donald Trump exhibits to President Obama racist?

I do.

I also believer there is a strong probability of a nuclear release. The first strike will come from Russia while Donald Trump is lulled asleep by Russia's promises of riches. A President Clinton would not be asleep at the switch.

There are too many underlying tensions with Russia and China.

Moscow is playing both sides of the street. 

December 27, 2016
While Moscow supported the resolution, (click here) Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to Israel Alexander Dubrovin told Army Radio on Tuesday morning that his country tried to delay the vote but was opposed by the rest of the Security Council members....

I think Russia is confusing the global community for a reason. The Russian Deputy Ambassador is stating he tried to delay the vote to please Donald Trump. Russia supported the resolution, period. Playing games with the President Elect is the continued gaming Russia began with it's covert cyber connections with the Trump Organization when it was outlawed by sanctions.

Donald Trump wants to sooth over the idea he was a businessman when he was elected so any interest he and his family has in that business was understood when elected. Not. I haven't heard anyone I know say it is going to be interesting to watch the new President balance his responsibilities in the Oval Office with his business interests.

So, with Russia doing the bidding of Donald Trump at the United Nations' Security Council as a gesture of friendship, Russia's interference with the USA election to favor the outcome that occurred and it's aggression into Ukraine that escalated during the election process; one has to conclude there is a far greater premeditated agenda with Russia and it's hope to coddle the ego of Donald Trump.

Sorry, it just seems to scream traitor to me. I can't withhold a view about the power structure of the Oval Office. 

Try this on for size; Russia promised there would be no nuclear war if Donald Trump was elected, but, would occur if Hillary Clinton was elected. Russia should be running to the Oval Office to present non-proliferation to die for. Is that occurring? No. It isn't.

And by the way, if there was a real initiative for increased non-proliferation there would be far less tensions with Ukraine and a reason to return to peace between the two countries. 

Putin's justification for nuclear proliferation in fear of Ukraine, was to start an arms race with the USA to force every other nation in the world to surrender their nuclear capacity in recognition of their foolishness. Where has that ever worked?

One more time: I think Russia is confusing the global community for a reason.

I demand a return to Minsk II and a strong non-proliferation movement beginning with Russia. 

I think this is emblematic of the dual identity of Donald Trump.

I am going to refer to the 'walk through' about the first week of December, the President Elect corrected statements to the media made by his spokesman. It clearly illustrated to me there are two Trumps, the "media Trump" and the "Real Trump."

That paradigm is very dangerous. It allows people within Trump's inner circle to treat his image as a puppet. There are other people making statements about his view points not based in fact. It proved the only person that can be counted on to deliver the President-Elect's message is himself.

He has a very inflammatory inner circle of people running a forever campaign. This 'media front' can provide messaging to others, including his nominees only to be corrected when the President Elect speaks directly to the media. This structure will become untenable simply because the President Elect will be unable to comment as soon as a misstatement is made.

In this paradigm the image of the USA will take on a very different and misdirected path. The DNC can have spokespersons to answer all the controversy not addressed by the President Elect. This paradigm, however, will become equally untenable and a run away train. The DNC risks their own policies if it is always chasing Trump's propaganda machine.

His inner circle is carrying out an agenda different from that of the President Elect. He thanked a journalist in that early December walk through where she corrected the statement made by his media front. The statements by his media front are fraud. An inner circle's agenda will overtake the real Donald Trump and it allows for lies that will befuddle what is occurring in Congress. It is a negative spiral that will allow corruption to flourish.

December 29, 2016
By Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin and Arlette Saenz

President-elect Donald Trump today touted the creation of 8,000 jobs (click here) in the U.S., but the two companies involved in those plans say the positions are part of a Japanese technology company’s previous pledge to create 50,000 jobs in the country.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida today, Trump announced telecommunications company Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs “back” to the U.S. while technology start-up OneWeb would create 3,000 jobs here.

“I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States,” Trump said. "Also OneWeb, a new company is going to be hiring 3,000 people so that is very exciting.”

“Because of me they’re doing 5,000 jobs in this country,” Trump later said of Sprint’s decision.

Sprint and OneWeb tell ABC News the jobs Trump referenced are part of Japanese technology company SoftBank’s previously announced commitment to create 50,000 jobs.

On December 6th, Trump met with SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, who announced his company would invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal at the time, Son said the investment would come from a $100 billion investment fund SoftBank established with a series of partners, including Saudi Arabia’s government-owned investment fund....

The statements of Donald Trump having protected and created USA jobs are misleading. They are definitely misleading. It is possible, however, he believes the statements he makes provided by a misleading inner circle that is looking for opportunities for the forever campaign propaganda. 

It is completely possible for Donald Trump to make statements provided by his inner circle without realizing they are misleading statements. He may actually be a puppet in the propaganda he speaks.

So, while he points to protected and created jobs; it may be nothing more than misleading facts provided to him my his media front. 

I point to the power within the speeches to the American people when President Obama would enlist the people to write to their federal legislators. He would ask the American people to break a standoff between the Executive Branch and Congress. President Obama would have support to achieve the outcome he asked for with Congress. 

That power can be misdirected by the President Elect, either intended or unintended, as well. It is a problem. The USA can be blind to the truth by this paradigm. I think the DNC has to have a loud megaphone to provide the truth and a path forward established by the truth. The only clear path out of this mess is the truth and a strong DNC presence. The price to be paid is too high to accept passively all the lies and misleading statements by the Trump propagandists.

I have to point to the influence of White Supremacists within the Oval Office staff. There is also an increase in violence in the country. I don't believe in coincidence.

The Obama Administration should protect the country across the board before their term is concluded.

I find it alarming to realize the President Elect dismisses the intelligence in the USA. This would directly effect elections in the USA and shows Donald Trump will do anything to win an election, including lies that delude the electorate and now accepting the help of a foreign power to win his presidency. That is not someone that loves this country, but, wants the power of the USA to use for his own purpose.

Donald Trump has changed his direction on nearly every campaign promise he made to his constituency. He is not a moral man. He cares not about this country and it's people. He is a Republican hack that represents more of the establishment than any other president before him. "W" still holds the record for lies in entering Iraq to carry out an agenda that was to benefit cronies. People died in Iraq, including our soldiers, that should be alive today. Saddam Hussein was never that much of a threat to the USA and could have been dealt with differently. So, we'll see if Trump tops "W"s record.

The way in which Donald Trump disregards USA intelligence is very troubling.

December 29, 2016
By Dustin Volz and Joel Schetman

The Obama administration plans (click here) to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday....

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency and Office of Director of National Intelligence agree that Russia was behind hacks into Democratic Party organizations and operatives ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. There is also agreement, according to U.S. officials, that Russia sought to intervene in the election to help Trump, a Republican, defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Russia has repeatedly denied hacking accusations. Trump has dismissed the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community....

It is important Israel took the United Nations' vote seriously.

There can still be a Palestine. If Israel ends the militarization of settlements, there can be a Palestine.

Israel is currently using militarized settlements as a means of maintaining an advantage over the Palestinians. That is a strategy to end the plans for Palestine. These settlements are armed with Israeli soldiers to prevent any danger to the settlers. The settlements are deeply embedded in Palestine and stand alone without connection to the rest of Israel. That is not a legitimate Israeli settlement.

Palestine is diminished in the amount of land comprising that nation of people and the strategy by Israel has stranded Palestinians from other people. There is no defense of Palestinian isolation or Israeli settlements established to end any possible sovereignty of a Palestinian country.

I don't buy the ideology that says there can be no Palestinian country because of all the Israeli settlements scattered strategically throughout those lands. The Palestinians never consented to the settlements NOR were they able to defend their land. The Palestinians have far less militarization than Israel.

Israel wants to be secure and that is important, it is important to the USA, but, it can't be at the cost of an entire ethnicity in this world. The profound loss of Hebrews in this world was met with the development of a country to call their own. How, in good conscience, can the world simply turn from the need for a Palestinian homeland?

This resolution is a reflection on the future for both Israel and Palestine. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated the UN is biased against Israel.

..."Decades of political manoeuvrings have created a disproportionate volume of resolutions, reports and conferences criticising Israel," Ban said. "In many cases, rather than helping the Palestinian cause, this reality has hampered the ability of the UN to fulfil its role effectively."...

The single reason there has been such maneuvering is due to the veto power of the USA. Whenever there was an attempt to end the settlements by Israel in Palestinian Occupied Territories, the USA vetoed any potential. Every strategy to obtain a Palestinian homeland was either vetoed by the USA or defeated by Israel. This can't continue. It would be best if all previous resolutions be set aside to allow this new resolution ending the settlements with the hope of a more harmonious future that allows the Palestinian people their own sovereignty takes hold.

The President Elect of the USA and the US Congress can come up with their own resolution, but, that would simply bring global disdain for such unilateral actions. The USA does not need to increase tensions in the region. The USA has to be a beacon of peace through diplomatic victories. This new resolution has the potential to bring a real peace for the future.

The current culture in Gaza is depraved. The culture in Gaza has guaranteed a piece of land, but, not a future for their children. Palestine has to carry out hope for the children that have inherited a fight and not a future. The problem with Gaza is the decades of hate and war with Israel. That has left any resources limited to nurture children of peace and abundant for children of war. Childhood is not valued in Gaza. That has been learned over decades.

The moral future of the region is to value their children enough to embrace childhood and the future of peace while rejecting further war. The settlements create far more hardship than just the lack of land for a Palestine, they end the future for the Palestinian children.

December 28, 2016
By Joshua Mitnick

An Israeli planning committee (click here) backed down on Wednesday from approving hundreds of permits for housing projects in east Jerusalem, hoping to avoid fanning controversy over settlement activity hours before a policy speech on Israeli-Palesitnian peace by Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Jerusalem municipal planning commission had been scheduled to vote on about 600 building permits in neighborhood settlements located in parts of the city that make up the proposed capital of a future independent Palestinian state. But amid a week long spat between the Obama administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning settlements, the permits were taken off the agenda.

Approval of the permits was postponed “at the request of the prime minister in order not to create an unnecessary conflict with the U.S. administration,’’ said Jerusalem council member Hanan Rubin, in an with Israel’s Channel 2 television. 

“We aren’t interested in creating a storm out of nothing,’’ Rubin wrote on his Facebook page. “Building in Jerusalem isn’t something political.”...

If Congress wants to reduce the food stamp recipients raise the minimum wage.

Food Stamps (SNAP) and Medicaid is Wall Street Welfare. Raise the minimum wage and eliminate the need for Corporate Welfare.

DOW at nearly 20,000 with innumerable of million-billionaires with record USA deficit and debt with 20 percent of Americans on SNAP. I think that picture and why it exists is obvious.

March 11, 2016
By Tyler Durden

Record Dow Jones, (click here) record US debt ($16,701,846,937,879.74), and now, once more, record number of Americans on foodstamps. According to the USDA, an all time high of 47,791,966 Americans closed 2012 in possession of the highly desired Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, managed by who else but JPMorgan. And with a civilian non-institutional population of 244.4 million in December, this means that a record 19.56% of eligible Americans are on Foodstamps.

In December an additional 109,924 Americans became reliant on foodstamps for their poverty-level needs, bringing the total to 47.8 million....

The billionaire families such as Trump, Koch and the Waltons aren't a part of the markets. They are private industries. So, it is slightly unfair to accuse all Wall Street counting on Corporate Welfare. The truth is there are disproportionate wealthy families receiving Corporate Welfare in SNAP and Medicaid.

Before a Republican Congress decides to reduce SNAP and/or Medicaid they need to look at their donors and those billionaires lining the new administration's cabinet and find out where improvements can be made in the minimum wage in the USA!

The best paying janitor jobs are in Alaska. (click here)

Broken hearts are real.

December 28, 2016
By Mark Barnes

Debbie Reynolds, (click here) the vivacious actress, dancer and pop star who wowed ’em in the musicals Singin’ in the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, died Wednesday, one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, passed away, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. She was 84.

"She's with Carrie," said Reynolds' son, Todd. 

Reynolds died Wednesday night after being hospitalized for a medical emergency. On Tuesday, her daughter, the Star Wars actress, author and screenwriter, died of complications from a heart attack she had suffered four days earlier while on a flight from London to Los Angeles....

It is as I thought.

The vote to preserve a Two State Solution was brought to the UN Security Council appropriately. The USA has not changed it's support for Israel, the fact the USA had voted in "abstained." It was not a vote against Israel it was to support a Two State Solution which is the only real path to peace. 

The "Two State Solution" was being abandoned by the President-Elect through extremists nominated and/or appointed to the country of Israel. The "Two State Solution" is the only path to peace. Realizing the President Elect would carry out an extremist platform with Israel was dangerous and it would not be a surprise to find there are already great threats being conceived against Israel.

Secretary Kerry would never indict the President Elect for extremism regardless of his actions to date.

It is important Israel be at peace with the region as it is a vital to the safety of the Israeli people. The Israeli Prime Minister should be grateful to the USA and Secretary Kerry for their steadfast position acting only to protect the potential peace in a "Two State Solution."

This is not the only issue with the President Elect, he has recklessly alarmed China in regard to Taiwan. These extremist positions will not be tolerated in the world and he needs to get used to the idea the USA stands for peace and not war to an extremist end.

There was singing, standing and swaying and clapping to the music and that was just the audience.

The Kennedy Center Honors (click here)

It was spectacular. The Honorees were James Taylor, Mavis Staples, Martha Argerich, Al Pacino and The Eagles.