Everyone wants to be rich.

November 19, 2015
By MarEx

An article from GeoExPro, (click here) a petroleum geoscience magazine, says that North Korea has “excellent” oil and gas exploration potential, both onshore and offshore.

The assessment was made by Michael Rego, an exploration consultant with access to North Korean geophysical data that has so far received little international attention.

The article outlines seven locations which could hold oil and gas reserves worth further investigation including North Korea’s western sea and deep deposits off the east coast....

Opening up oil and gas reserves for North Korea will bring a far better quality of life to the people. However, without agreements to abide by the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the wealth of any sales will increase the capacity of North Korea to bring in more talented scientists. A significant income, while spent on the people, will not relieve the worry.     

Does this look familiar or what? Iraq 2.0.

September 29, 2017
By Dan Mika

Boone — The residents of Boone (click here) were joined by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg to give an emotional farewell Friday evening to National Guard troops deploying to the Middle East.

One hundred eighty troops from the Boone-based 248th Aviation Support Battalion are deploying to Kuwait next month. Families and friends packed into every seat in the Boone High School bleachers and wherever they could find room.

Ernst, a former member of the 248th, told the soldiers joining the unit taught her leadership and accepted her as a sister in arms.

“The bonds you will come to have in the next year will lead you through many, many more years,” she said. “When you leave the National Guard, those friends will last you many years.”

Gregg, who became lieutenant governor earlier this year under Gov. Kim Reynolds, said the battalion was shipping out alongside 200 troops from other Iowa battalions to tours of duty....     

The trials may be dragging on, but, the fact Snyder is getting away with murder is an issue of morale in more than the state government.

September 23, 2017

By Paul Egan

Mackinac Island — Criminal charges (click here) against state employees arising from the Flint drinking water crisis are taking too long to get through the justice system and are hurting state employee morale, retention and hiring, Gov. Rick Snyder said Saturday.

Speaking to reporters at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, Snyder said the charges Attorney General Bill Schuette has brought against 15 people — who include seven current state employees — are having "a major impact on state employee morale."

"I've actually had people tell me they took retirement or people didn't want to take a job because of this environment," he said.

"They were charged how many months ago and what has happened?" Snyder asked. "It's been well over a year," and "what has it done to your life in the meantime?"

"All of us have an expectation our justice system works faster than that."...

Snyder should have resigned over the events in Flint. That didn't happen and the employees are the scapegoats to his reckless leadership.

September 23, 2017

By Jonathan Oosting

Mackinac Island — Michigan (click here) is losing state employees because their peers are facing prosecution by Attorney General Bill Schuette in a nearly two-year probe of the Flint water crisis, Gov. Rick Snyder said Saturday.

Snyder, speaking with reporters at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, defended Michigan Health and Human Services Department Director Nick Lyon and questioned the speed of other cases he said has damaged state employee morale.

Schuette and Special Prosecutor Todd Flood have charged or reached plea deals with 15 former state and Flint officials in connection with the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water and a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that killed 12 and sickened another 79 individuals in the Flint area.

“We’ve lost people that have left state government because they don’t want to have that hanging over their head,” Snyder said. “I’ve had people tell me they’ve had retirements or people deciding they didn’t want to take a job because of this environment.”...

            

Ignoring the fact this is Syria, THE OSPREY is not fit for service anywhere!

How many of those terrible planes are still in the air? They are mostly Marine aircraft right? There better not be anymore on order or back order. They all belong in a scrap heap.

September 29, 2017
By Ryan Browne

A US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (click here) has crashed in Syria, two US military officials told CNN Friday.

The US-led coalition, Operation Inherent Resolve, issued a statement Friday, confirming the crash of an Osprey but not specifying the location of the incident, merely saying it took place in "the Middle East."

The statement also said that two US service members were injured in the landing but added that the injuries were "non-life threatening" and said that they have both been released from a medical treatment facility.

The coalition said the cause of the incident is being investigated but one US military official told CNN that it was not due to enemy activity, describing it as a hard landing.

Another official said the aircraft was heavily damaged in the landing and is currently considered non salvageable for military use....

The blasted plane is a flying disaster.

June 5, 2009
By David Hambling

An unfortunate incident last month (click here) when a MV-22 Osprey was damaged in a grass fire is just the latest indication that the tilt-rotor's fearsomely hot exhaust can cause real problems; it can even damage ships' decks.

Eagle-eyed Osprey-watcher Springbored noticed some differences between the Marine Corps explanation of the event and the coverage on a local news channel in North Carolina, where the incident occurred.

In the official version, the aircraft landed due to mechanical problems at 7 pm in Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County, NC. When it was preparing to take off, the heat from the exhaust ignited the grass underneath it.

“The grass fire was quickly extinguished by the crew chief, but caused an undetermined amount of heat damage to the aircraft exterior,” according to a rather bland Corps statement....

Assad still doesn't know who the enemy is.

September 29, 2017
By Kareem Shaheen

Renewed bombing (click here) of hospitals in Syria’s six-year civil war by forces loyal to the government of Bashar al-Assad has sparked strong condemnations by human rights groups and despair among local doctors, who have accused the international community of ignoring attacks on medical facilities.

Doctors said four hospitals had been hit over the past week in Idlib, a rebel-controlled province bordering Turkey, and Hama, the scene of recent fighting despite a months-long ceasefire brokered by Ankara and Moscow.

A fifth hospital in Idlib was damaged on Friday afternoon after a nearby residential building was bombed, killing 14 people, local sources said.

“It is demonstrably evident that hospitals are not safe from bombings in Idlib at the moment, and this is outrageous,” said Brice de le Vingne, the director of operations at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which provides support to one of the hospitals that were hit in recent days....

Retribution after the Kurdish vote to secede is not a good idea. Starting a civil war will fuel insurgency and lead to the rise of opposition leaders.

The voice in the audio sounded (click here) much like previous recordings of the reclusive Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has only appeared in public once.

A member of Peshmerga forces (click here) shows his ink-stained finger during Kurds independence referendum in Sheikh Amir village, Iraq September 25, 2017.

I told you so. Long time ago. I told you so. Long before there was a Manafort, I stated the artificial borders of Iraq would not survive. This should have been anticipated and planned. Instead, it is a mess.

September 29, 2017
By Rudaw

Erbil, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi-imposed ban (click here) on international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region will not affect military aircraft, the chief of Erbil International airport told reporters on Friday, just hours before the ban came into effect.

Talar Faeq said Erbil airport has always been under the supervision of Iraqi civil aviation and has fully complied with all requirements and instructions from the Iraqi authorities.

“We do not understand yet what are the things the airport has not implemented,” Faeq said, noting that Iraqi authorities have failed to point out any irregularities.

She said civil aviation is meant to be an independent institution, not dragged into political matters.

“Why this issue came out only now?” she asked.

Iraq’s defense ministry has denied that they have deployed forces to take control of border gates between the Kurdistan Region and neighbouring countries.

A statement published by Iraq’s Joint of Command, however, hinted that such a plan is in place....

Iran has plenty of oil for southern Iraq. There better not be any attempts to begin another stupid war! International jets are flying in and out of the Kurdish region. This requires diplomacy. I find it very interesting, considering this is the Kurds, Turkey is actually landing it's passenger jets. That is amazing.

September 28, 2017
By Ari Khalidi

Erbil, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) - The national flag carrier of Turkey, (click here) Turkish Airlines, on Wednesday announced it is to resume its flights to and out of the Kurdistan Region's airports, despite a ban the Iraqi federal authorities imposed this week.

The airline's statement came the same day Turkey's Consulate General in the Kurdish capital of Erbil warned that Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and AtlasGlobal were to halt flights by Friday 18:00 local time.

“All our scheduled flights to the two cities of Erbil and Sulaimania will be carried out as planned,” the airline said, reported Anadolu news Agency.

The privately-owned Pegasus airline stated they were in talks with the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority regarding their flights to Sulaimania and Erbil.

"We will be posting news of any further announcements regarding these flights on our website," a press release read....

Undated picture shows a general view of the Erbil International Airport, Erbil, Kurdistan Region

This is still important and Anbar is still suffering. The death of Daesh is the most important battle for Iraq.

September 26, 2017
By Christopher Woody

The formal end (click here) of the fight against ISIS in Mosul in July was heralded as a triumph, wresting Iraq's second-biggest city away from the terrorist group after nine months of intense and destructive fighting.

But ISIS has held on to pockets of territory in Iraq.

On August 19, Iraqi forces launched an assault on ISIS in Tal Afar, a town west of Mosul. By the end of the month, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was again declaring victory.

While the town of Tal Afar is much smaller than Mosul, they were both urban environments. The ISIS-held territory that remains — around Hawija in north-central Iraq and in western Anbar province — are more rural areas....

It is really about the money, isn't it Ms. DeVos?

July 3, 2016
By Juliet Eilperin

Last month, (click here) Vice President Biden penned a searing letter to the victim in a notorious Stanford University rape case. “I am filled with furious anger,” he wrote, “both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so broken.”

Biden’s letter encapsulated the national outrage that erupted when the woman’s attacker was sentenced to just six months in county jail. It was also a sharp reminder that one of the Obama administration’s most ardent policy initiatives has been a concerted campaign to end the scourge of sexual assault on college campuses.

According to White House officials, top members of the administration — including the president, the vice president, their wives and members of the Cabinet — will not visit institutions whose leaders they consider insufficiently serious about pursuing sexual-assault allegations and punishing perpetrators. Biden said in an interview that he would like the federal government to “take away their money” if a college or university fails to change its ways....

The statistics on Sexual Assault on USA College Campuses aren't accurate enough to support the idea the attacker is a victim of the woman that reports the CRIME.

September 22, 2017
By Maria Danilova

Washington — The Trump administration (click here) on Friday scrapped Obama-era guidance on investigating campus sexual assault, replacing it with new interim instructions allowing universities to decide which standard of evidence to use when handling complaints.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the Obama rules were unfairly skewed against the students accused of assault....

Where are the facts that have just turned back women's rights by five decades? I suppose the best example of the danger women face from the Trump administration when it comes to sexual assault is the President himself. Isn't that right Ms. DeVos? Any crotch grabbing in the halls of the Cabinet? I suppose it is a back-handed compliment in some circles.

September 21, 2017
By Nora Caplan-Bricker

...This stymied, (click here) vaguely apologetic sentiment appears so often in the report that it becomes a refrain. Across the 27 schools, the rate of students who reported nonconsensual sexual contact involving force or incapacitation (as opposed to coercion or lack of affirmative consent, two other categories the researchers used) varied from 13 percent to 30 percent. For undergraduates, private universities had a higher rate than public ones (25.3 percent versus 22.8 percent); for graduate and professional students, that trend was reversed. Don’t ask why....

I am looking forward to the report about this incident, an embassy and housing able to protect it's staff.

"Extremely Loud, Sound as a Weapon" (click here for Google Book)

I don't understand how, with Guantanamo Naval Base right there, no one ever picked up this issue before now. I am also wondering how many Cubans are suffering similar symptoms as our diplomats.

September 29, 2017

By Nora Gamez Torres

The United States (click here) will withdraw most of its staff from its embassy in Havana following mysterious sonic attacks that have caused several health problems to about 20 diplomats, a U.S. government source confirmed to El Nuevo Herald on Friday.

The U.S. government has ordered 60 percent of its staff removed from the diplomatic headquarters in Havana. Additionally, it will issue an alert recommending to the Americans not to travel to the island due to the attacks.

The issuance of visas in Havana was also suspended indefinitely.
The measures, first reported by the Associated Press, seek to protect diplomats and their families from what Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called a “attacks on the health” of diplomatic staff in Havana....                   

Just to add perspective in the year 2017.

School Library Journal (click here) is the premiere publication for librarians and information specialists who work with children and teens. A source of quality journalism and reviews for more than 60 years, SLJ produces award-winning features and news coverage on: literacy, best practices, technology, education policy and other issues of interest to the school library and greater educator community. We evaluate a broad range of resources, from books and digital content to databases, in 6000+ reviews published annually....

Original video content (click here) from School Library Journal’s editors, bloggers, and partners.

Ted Geisel has raised his ugly head again.

I doubt this White House was aware of the dark side of Dr. Seuss; otherwise known as, Ted Geisel in his private life. Whoever helped the First Lady make the selection of Dr. Seuss books should apologize to Ms. Trump, for the lack of sensitivity required in today's world when it comes to racism and education.

I like the First Lady. She is an autonomous and independent woman as well as being married to a socially inflammatory man that has serious questions to his own sensitivity to racism. But, I would not hold her responsible for every book chosen for each school they were sent. I think the gesture was genuine and not intended to hurt anyone.

Ted Geisel at his drawing board.

After his book (click here) The Cat in the Hat burst upon the scene in 1957 Dr. Seuss became a household name deeply ingrained in our collective experience. No one who has grown up in the last 50 years can imagine their childhood without the wonderfully zany images and poetically comic verses of Theodor Seuss Geisel, writing under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss....

...While children and adults worldwide know about the extraordinary creativity of Dr. Seuss, most people don’t realize that many of his ideas came from his years growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts. So many of the scenes he’s most known probably came from buildings or parks or other locations he knew as a child....

The dark side of Geisel was not at all childish and rarely discussed.

The Japanese man (click here) portrayed in this political cartoon, also by Dr. Seuss, has the same characteristics of a pig-nose, glasses, slanted eyes, etc. that were used to distinguish Emperor Hirohito. The repetition of these characteristics on all Japanese portrayed in Dr. Seuss’s cartoons also fuels the loss of the individuality of the Japanese people. In the cartoon above, Dr. Seuss goes as far as to use the caption “Wipe That Sneer Off His Face” to call upon the characteristic “sneer” he uses in his caricatures of the Japanese. It calls Americans to act against the sneer, to “wipe it off” the Japanese man’s face by buying war bonds....

Librarians are suppose to be experts on the books they house and care for as well as the patrons that frequent a library.

September 29, 2017

Cambridge, Mass. – A librarian (click here) at the Cambridgeport Elementary School in Massachusetts is facing backlash for declining a shipment of books from first lady Melania Trump.

The school's librarian, Liz Phipps Soeiro, wrote a lengthy editorial for the Horn Book's Family Reading blog explaining why her school does not need the books.

The librarian's school was among one from each state chosen to receive 10 Dr. Seuss books from the first lady for National Read a Book Day. But the librarian penned a letter for a blog saying her school has "plenty of resources" and doesn't need the books. She called Dr. Seuss "a bit of a cliche."...

Ms. Liz Soeiro is correct in pointing out to the First Lady the troubling issues surrounding books within her library. There is an issue with this decision that can be pursued in regard to censorship, however, these are children's books and their experience should be free of ill placed values.

Every library in the country has a right to stock books that will bring readers and enthusiasts to be a part of the community. The Dr. Suess books, given today's climate in attempting to erase racism, are best stored in a special section reserved for adults for the purpose of understanding the influence or lack there of, by the author.

Personally, I never found any of the Dr. Suess books interesting or entertaining to read to my children. I found them distortions of the joy meant to be a child. I find the same sort of mess exists today with all that 'thing' affiliated with "The Night Before Halloween." (click here for "Rotten Tomatoes" rating)

I believe a child should be lovable and their reality full of joy and query. It is wrong to taint a child's reality with recreational racism or any such influence that may exist, even by implication.

The question here is would I find the library Ms. Soeiro oversees as SAFE for my child's learning and enjoyment? I would say, "Yes." Anyone that can be not only interested in the book, but, the author and his or her influence in society is a librarian valued above all. 

I thank Ms. Soeiro for her thoughtful letter to express what she perceives as a danger to her readers, but, also the thoughtful expression of the community, in hiring her.

I wish the First Lady and her son a very good day.

"...people are dying story." is a tragic news story. The media addresses these issues to bring resolve, not information.

The response to the territories of the USA is and was horrible. According to CNN yesterday there were significant supplies at the docks in San Juan with no way to distribute them because there were no trucks or truck drivers. Evidently, any chance of notifying any truck drivers on the island was impossible because there was no wide spread island communication. 

Elaine Duke needs to put a stopper in her enthusiasm for horrendous and tragic news. She needs to put on her Homeland Security uniform and GET DOWN THERE! It is far better to be on the ground with necessary personnel to direct efforts than to sit in DC in an air conditioned office and GUESS at the outcomes of relief efforts.

September 29, 2017
By Louis Nelson

The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, (click here) lashed out at acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke's comment that the Hurricane Maria relief efforts are a "good news story," saying that in reality, it's a "people are dying story."

Speaking outside the White House on Thursday, Duke said that she was “very satisfied” with efforts to aid Puerto Rico in the wake of Maria, which devastated the island and has created a humanitarian crisis. Duke said “it is really a good news story,” an assessment that San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz scoffed at....

A real and good news story. Elaine Duke is a member of a presidential cabinet that does not even recognize the Climate Crisis. This expression of satisfaction with 'reality news' is not only negligent, but, a human rights violation. Why doesn't everyone just sit back and count the dead and dying instead of actually acting to protect people from THEIR PARTY'S HUGE, DANGEROUS AND DEADLY MISTAKES?!?

Acting to ignore real danger to the American people is not a competent administration. The Climate Crisis and it's aftermath is real danger to the American people.

Talking about corruption...and I understand the proposed Trump Tax Bill cuts Social Security. Excuse me?

September 28, 2017
By Brett Arends

Don’t call it “tax reform.” Just call it “Ivanka’s law.” (click here)

Donald Trump’s new tax plan would slash his family’s estate-tax bill by up to $2.8 billion — yes, billion — at a time when the federal budget is in deficit and Social Security and Medicare are hurtling toward financial crisis.

If that doesn’t tell you what’s really going on here, you’re not paying attention.

Trump’s proposed reforms would eliminate the 40% estate tax on those who inherit massive estates, along with the associated gift and generation-skipping taxes.

The president has claimed that his net worth — not counting the intangible “value” of his personal brand — is about $7 billion, meaning that under current law his five kids would have to share about $2.8 billion with the rest of the country upon his death assuming they are named the inheritors in his will.

Less heroic calculations by Forbes and Bloomberg put Trump’s net worth around $2.9 billion to $3.5 billion. But that still means his kids would have to hand over between $1.5 billion to $1.4 billion....

Hey, Ryan, you sure you don't work for the Russians?

...If his new tax plan goes through, they wouldn’t have to hand over a nickel. This doesn’t include any other tax savings they might get from the tax reforms, which include cuts to corporate and individual income taxes.

Trump said on Wednesday that he wouldn’t benefit personally from the reforms. It’s possible he was just being clever: It would be his kids, rather than him, who would save the estate taxes. There again, it’s possible he was just lying.

Right now the top rate of estate tax on very big estates is about the same as the 39.6% top rate on incomes. So someone who inherits $100 million gets taxed about the same as someone who earns $100 million through their own hard work and ingenuity.

But not under the new Republican tax plan. They want the schmucks who actually work for a living to pay much higher tax rates than people who inherit it. The proposals would cut the top rate of income tax from around 40% to 35%, but the top rate of inheritance tax from 40% to 0%....

The great honor for the average American is that we get to pay for the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Let me guess, this so called "Tax Reform" was engineered by the many Goldman Sachs brokers now working for Trump's White House.

Do tell. Who was the rich and famous that wrote this paycheck for the wealthy? 

September 26, 2017
By Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Rejane Frederick, Angela Hanks, Rachel West, and Michela Zonta 

Despite vowing to support America’s veterans, (click here) President Donald Trump and congressional Republican leaders have put forth budget proposals that are poised to do great damage to the economic security of veterans and their families—all to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and corporations. In fact, new analysis by the Center for American Progress reveals that the tax cuts Trump wants to give corporations and businesses, which will cost $4.3 trillion over 10 years, amount to 28 times as much as the deep cuts he is proposing to services and benefits for veterans.

And these cuts are just the tip of the iceberg....

The wealthy absolutely hate Americans. I know it now. We have FOX News and Talk Radio for the rhetoric of hate. The CEOs don't show up for interviews to participate in the paradigm of hate, but, they are revered as icons of immense power and the way to happiness as a capitalist.

...Additionally, CAP estimates that over the next decade, 400,000 veterans on average could lose access to critical nutrition assistance each year if the cut proposed in President Trump’s budget were applied directly to participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If instead the cuts proposed in the House of Representatives Republican budget were applied, more than 554,000 veterans could lose SNAP each year between 2023 and 2027. Previous congressional Republican attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would have cost close to half a million veterans their Medicaid benefits by 2026. And the most recent repeal effort, which makes devastating changes to Medicaid, would be even worse, costing an estimated 579,000 veterans their Medicaid coverage within a decade....

Right now, the FBI is attempting to scour the NCAA of corruption and some of the worst issues a coach has to contend with is what brand sneaker the players are wearing this year. The lust of money is pervasive in the USA and this tax plan shows the worst side of this country.

The false sense of entitlement.

September 26, 2017
By Lauren Thomas

The FBI has arrested 10 people, (click here) including four NCAA basketball coaches and an Adidas manager, in a bribery investigation involving recruitment efforts.

The probe has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid to assistant and associate basketball coaches to exert influence over student athletes, according to documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The papers were unsealed on Tuesday.

Among those arrested were Lamont Evans, an associate coach of Oklahoma State University, Chuck Person, an associate coach of Auburn University, Emanuel "Book" Richardson, an assistant coach of the University of Arizona, and Tony Bland, an associate coach of the University of Southern California.

NCAA President Mark Emmert called the nature of the charges "deeply disturbing" in a statement released later Tuesday.

"We have no tolerance whatsoever for this alleged behavior," Emmert said. "Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust. We learned of these charges this morning and of course will support the ongoing criminal federal investigation."...

There is wide spread concern about how this is going to effect the organization and financial liability for existing contracts. There will be economic impacts to these issues. The law is the law and it needs to be respected. Money does not talk as loud in the USA today. That is important. If only our elections and politics were able to be cleansed of corruption and money.

September 27, 2017
By Mark Cooper

At the end of the day Wednesday, (click here) Lamont Evans’ status at Oklahoma State remained the same as it did Tuesday afternoon.

Suspended, with pay.

Evans’ salary for the upcoming season is $600,000. He signed a three-year, $1.875-million deal that includes a $25,000 raise after each season.

But if Oklahoma State does terminate Evans -- for what would be just cause -- it may not matter whether it occurred immediately or later this week.

According to Evans’ contract, which the Tulsa World received through an open records request, the university’s obligations for payment cease at the end of the month in which he is terminated for just cause. The last day of September is Saturday....

There is a bigger picture to this as well. Young people take example from sports figures. What kind of example is it to have bribery be a part of the REALITY of the NCAA? What does it say about the sport and it's place in the ambitions of young people?

September 28, 2017
By Jap Bilas

...Right now, (click here) as the sky seems to be falling in college basketball, some are suggesting that things will really change going forward. Grassroots basketball is dead. Agents will no longer be able to get their hooks into players. Coaches will not be able to pay players. Now, thanks to federal law enforcement officials, college sports will be clean and moral.

While this is horribly unpleasant and far from over, I don't see meaningful change coming to college sports. The reason? Money.

The same things were said about Wall Street after the 2008 financial crisis. Things were going to change, and no longer would the big banks be allowed to do whatever they wanted and put the world economy at risk with collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps. Yet, years later, it is back to business as usual on Wall Street.

While this ugly scandal seems to be the NCAA's worst ever, it is not. We have seen big scandals before, and as long as we maintain the current corrupt system and rules, we will be here again. We have implemented rules after each scandal to make ourselves feel better, but they don't do any good. They can't do any good. The reason? Money....

Corruption. When will it ever stop in all aspects of American life? The real question is why does it exist?

Leave "Facebook" alone, you lousy bully!

Whoever expected Russia to be investing in "Trump for President." Then to realize Facebook did what it could to alert officials in the FBI is enough to realize it had no policy to follow and whoever thought it would need one.

The FBI was completely flat-footed to this reality and the final outcome to the elections of 2016 proves it. Not only was the FBI flat-footed in it's response to issues of foreign government interference in US elections, it was openly hostile to woman candidate in the race for the White House.

September 27, 2017
By Mike Isaac and Melissa Eddy

San Francisco — President Trump (click here) took aim at Facebook on Wednesday, calling the social network “anti-Trump.” But the social network insists it is pro-democracy and pro-truth — and the German election shows it.

The president’s post on Twitter added to the pressure that Facebook has been under, facing accusations of partisanship from both sides of the political aisle. The social network has been accused of spreading fake news that influenced the outcome of the presidential election last year, and more recently, it acknowledged that Russians used fake accounts and Facebook ads to push divisive issues during the campaign....

What is even more alarming is that if it weren't for Special Council Mueller, the issue with Facebook would be swept under the carpet. Where would we be even in awareness to these events if Robert Mueller hadn't come forward to investigate this mess. It is outrageous in every sense of the word.

The information is not enough. There needs to be policy by Congress and the investigative agencies to handle these realities. I believe it was then National Security Director Hayden that did in fact alert the public to tampering, but, the message was drowned out.

WHY?

Maybe the USA intelligence services should have a Facebook account of it's own if that is what it takes to counter such a Russian invasion. One that is legitimate and alerts the public to specific entries that are invasive and illegitimate in American elections. The USA intelligence agencies need to realize the depth commercial and social media has become in American elections and have an equal response to such measures.

Oddly, though, Mr. Comey's message about former Secretary Clinton had plenty of media penetration. I think there needs to be a strong contrast and compare to realize the ability of the FBI to deliver an important message to the country.

Russia, on the other hand, is very adept at manipulating information and opinion. There should be no mistake this attack on the elections of 2016 is an issue of the relationship the USA has with Russia now and in the future.

September 20, 2017
By Levi Maxey

...But, (click here) much like the Panama Papers leaks in the spring of 2016 – which revealed the shadowy financial dealings of Putin’s inner circle – the Russian state-owned media was able to spin it to minimize their impact. “The security organs of an autocratic society can clearly identify when non-traditional information starts to exist in their society,” says Wise. “This is a lot easier for them than democracies because they already tightly control their information.”

What’s more, retaliation in kind – propagating false or one-sided narratives through digital media – could fall for the bait set by autocratic regimes, causing freedom of speech and democracy to be lost in the process.

“We are moving into an area where we would allow all types of content to be considered potential weapons, and therefore there can actually effectively be no free speech,” says Alexander Klimburg, the Director of the Cyber Policy and Resilience Program at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. “We cannot conserve information warfare as the new normal by engaging in it or sanctioning this type of approach. If we go down that road, we have no room for democracy anymore.”

Alternatively, General Michael Hayden, the former director of the NSA and CIA, said at the same Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that given that Russia attacked American foundations of democracy – its elections – the U.S. could respond by using “tools to attack their foundations of autocracy.” This could involve, according to Hayden, introducing anonymizing technology and encryption that make it more difficult for the Russian government to track their own citizens and allow the public to speak freely and anonymously without fear of government reprisal.

Unfortunately, more and more former government officials are leaving because of the lack of respect, by Trump, to law. Ah, sweet loyalty. But, the facts are obvious, the USA is highly vulnerable to attack by such entities as Russia and now with personnel leaving may very well remain so. 

Assisting the populations of autocratic regimes in determining their own truth perhaps is the appropriate response to disinformation campaigns seeking to obscure truth in democracies. Engaging in a full-on propaganda war over the internet, however, could bring the end of collective truth as we know it.

I strongly suggest it is time for Speaker Paul Ryan to act on impeachment given all the problems, both ethical and legal, of the Trump White House before it is too late! Unless, of course, Ryan is in Russia's pocket, too.

Coward!

Maria and Lee are still a team.

September 28, 2017
1230.18z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

Maria beat up the Outer Banks of North Carolina with a house or two being lost to the ocean.

Maria has been oscillating between a Cat. 1 and Tropical Storm. On the other hand Hurricane Lee has sustained as a Cat. 2 in the open ocean.

Maria

34.90 -72.90 09/27/00Z 60 975 TROPICAL STORM
35.10 -72.90 09/27/06Z 60 976 TROPICAL STORM
35.60 -72.60 09/27/12Z 65 978 HURRICANE-1
36.20 -72.10 09/27/18Z 65 979 HURRICANE-1
36.80 -71.50 09/28/00Z 65 979 HURRICANE-1
36.80 -71.00 09/28/06Z 60 982 TROPICAL STORM

Lee

30.00 -55.50 09/27/00Z 95 971 HURRICANE-2
30.20 -56.30 09/27/06Z 95 971 HURRICANE-2
30.60 -56.80 09/27/12Z 100 963 HURRICANE-3
31.20 -57.10 09/27/18Z 100 962 HURRICANE-3
31.70 -57.30 09/28/00Z 95 966 HURRICANE-2
32.50 -57.20 09/28/06Z 95 966 HURRICANE-2

The Virgin Islands have been devastated this year. After Irma destroyed infrastructure, along came Maria and completely flooded the islands. The human tragedy of Americans is unmatched to any other year. Between the Gulf storms and those from the Atlantic there are significant numbers of Americans left homeless and many believing life right now is hopeless.

September 27, 2017
By Jeremy W. Peters

The Caneel Bay resort on St. John was heavily damaged.

Cruz Bay, V.I. — Even before two Category 5 hurricanes (click here) struck the United States Virgin Islands with punishing fury this month, the notion of paradise here was already about as brittle as a sand dollar.

The local treasury had barely enough cash to keep the government funded for three days. Its debt had grown so large that Wall Street stopped lending it money. The unemployment rate was more than twice the national average.

The one-two punch of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria 14 days later was especially cruel. In many places across the three major islands of this American territory, the second storm drowned what the first couldn’t destroy, ravaging what was once one of the Caribbean’s most idyllic landscapes....

The American mainland has vastly neglected it's territories and it shows. The commercial investment was the primary income for the territories and it simply is not enough. The people don't have sustainable incomes, thus the governments do not have sustainable taxes or treasuries.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the U.S. Territories (click here)

There has been no recuperation since 2008 across the spectrum of USA Territories. That is true for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. There is no way the USA Congress or any other entity can hold these islands responsible for debt. It is not possible. The USA has to study and work the problem faced by these Americans.

Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2010) -- The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) (click here) released its first set of estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).1

Objectively gauging changes in economic activity is difficult in the absence of comprehensive economic metrics, such as GDP. Until now, a framework did not exist to estimate the GDP of these four U.S. territories. The Statistical Improvement Program, funded by the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has made it possible for BEA to develop formal methodologies for measuring the GDP of the territories.

The estimates released today for the four territories cover the period 2002 to 2007. The estimates show that real GDP -- GDP adjusted to remove price changes -- grew over this period in each of the territories except the CNMI. From 2002 to 2007, American Samoa’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of 0.4 percent, Guam’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of 1.8 percent, and the USVI’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of 2.9 percent; in contrast, the CNMI’s GDP decreased at an average annual rate of 4.2 percent. (For comparison, the average annual growth rate for the United States (excluding the territories) was 2.8 percent over this period.) More detailed information for each territory is presented on the following pages.

In constructing the estimates for the territories, BEA used methodologies consistent with the methods used to estimate U.S. GDP. Information from the Economic Census of Island Areas was used to establish levels of GDP for each territory for the years 2002 and 2007. Annual series were then developed and used to estimate GDP for the intervening years. Because the territories are not included in most of the major surveys used by BEA to estimate U.S. GDP, the support of government leaders in the territories and the assistance provided by the territorial statistical offices were critical to the successful production of these estimates.

Until President Obama came into office there was complete negligence of the economic VIABILITY or economic STABILITY of these territories. How can Congress ever hold the territories responsible for any type of GDP if they never held an interest in the quality of life of these people at all.

Now, with the climate crisis causing complete devastation of infrastructure of the Caribbean territories there needs to be a task force implemented to decide the viability at all of living on these islands. The Pacific territories could be as open to the same devastation as those in the Caribbean.

September 27, 2017
By Ed O'Keefe

The Trump administration (click here) is restricting lawmakers in both parties from visiting storm-ravaged Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands aboard military aircraft this weekend in order to keep focused on recovery missions there, according to multiple congressional aides.

The decision comes as the Pentagon is intensifying its relief efforts on the islands as the U.S. government struggles to respond to devastation caused last week by Hurricane Maria and earlier by Hurricane Irma.

Multiple attempts have been underway in recent days for members of both parties to travel to Puerto Rico aboard military aircraft. Once there, they would have met with officials with the military and Federal Emergency Management Agency responsible for ongoing missions on the ground....

The Congress members need to assess the damage and return with real plans for the future of the islands hit by two major hurricanes within two weeks. The plans have to include ways to return viability to these Americans and a timeline to have it happen. 

I don't see tax cuts for anyone for some time actually. I see increases in taxes to Americans in the upper 10 percent of income earners in the country. I think Congress has a great deal of work ahead with these territories. The territories should be the focus of this Congress and the political agenda of rhetoric needs to be abandoned. There is real work to be done here.