Images taken by NASA's (click here) Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 reveal the extent of a massive landslide that has blocked off Big Sur's Highway 1. On the left, an image taken prior to the landslide (April 20), in the middle, an image taken after a smaller landslide that preceded the current one (May 17), and on the right, an image of the bigger landslide (taken on May 22)
The top of the hill increased it's instability.
..."This is a large slide preceded by smaller slides, which is not uncommon," Thomas Stanley, a geologist and researcher for NASA, said in a statement. “Much of the California coastline is prone to collapse, so it’s fortunate that this landslide happened in an unpopulated location.”...
It looks to me as the top of the hill became more unstable over that MONTH, the more and more debris carried down to the landslide area.
There is a reason this area of California is unpopulated for the most part.
DO NOT ENTER THE AREA.
May 27, 2017
By Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad
What a mess: (click here)
The landslide that closed Highway 1 south of Big Sur is shaping up to be a major challenge for engineers. They’re looking at 1.5 million tons of rock and mud over the highway and into the ocean. The landslide was a third of a mile wide and 40 feet at its deepest. What once was a steep drop into the Pacific is now a broad, sloping bench extending almost 250 feet beyond the shoreline. By some estimates, the collapse had added 15 acres to the coast, a little more than 11 football fields including the end zones. And the worst might not be over, said field inspectors who had just returned from the slide. Listen closely, and you’ll hear a sound of water running like rain through the rocks and dirt. The slide at Mud Creek is still moving....
Big Sur 360 degree view (click here)
M 4.1 - 12km W of Isla Vista, California (click here)
So long as Donald Trump is president there is nothing his family can do wrong.
It is always for the good of the country.
Zbigniew Brzezinski (click here)
He lived long with a rewarding life of work.
My sincerest sympathies to his family and friends at a difficult time.
May 27, 2019
By Callum Borchers
...Three months later, (click here) it is increasingly clear that the powers of the president to stop leaks are rather unsubstantial and will be questioned almost daily.
The Washington Post reported Friday — based on information from U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports — that President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, discussed setting up a secret communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin using Russian facilities in Washington when he met in December with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States....
If Mr. Trump wants to continue as the first President from the Tea Party he should be grateful the leaks exist.
May 26, 2017
By Ellen Nakashima, Adam Entous and Greg Miller
...Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador (click here) to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports.
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.
The meeting also was attended by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser....
I won't comment on the facts known to date, except, the reporting in the Post stated Mr. Kushner was insisting on a secret connection with Russia only after there was a transition team. "Salon" reported some time ago there was a secret communication line discovered by a group of professional hackers linking Moscow and the Trump Organization. This relationship with at least Kushner has existed for some time and outside the law.
The idea President Trump is more an ideologue when it comes to China and Russia is convenient for him and it may be his focus, but, he enlisted Russia to help during the campaign. I believe it was after the DNC was hacked and reported. That puts into question his real intent about his "shout out" to Russia and whether or not it was simply a rhetorical statement or a command.
Jared Kushner's father wasn't afraid of the law and he was caught and sent to prison. This is what really should be focused on socially. The wealthy never get enough. They always want more and more and entertain bankruptcy as a means to keeping their wealth while ridding themselves of debt they can never realistically pay. Mr. Trump ran his empire like that. He contracted enormous debt to build. Then, when cash was running short he simply declared bankruptcy with the company while he held a good deal of Trump Organization's FORMER wealth as personal earnings.
As to whether that is legal or not is not for me to assess, however, it is highly immoral and places "The Working People" of the USA in direct opposition of enhancing economic growth. The more the Middle Class has in wealth, while still the Middle Class, the more growth of the USA economy takes place.
As a side note, MOST if not all, union workers are not millionaries. They work. They earn their living by working. If the unions were taking AS WAGES AND BENEFITS such high percentages of monies made by a business, there would no longer be workers, so much as entrepreneurs and wealth management day traders passing through the money machine of unions. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING! Hello, America!
But, as to Kushner and his brothers-in-law, we know they are guilty of harnessing the powers of the USA for their own purpose. There is no doubt about that. That closed meeting in China was enhanced by a USA budget which included VISAS that will be used to provide wealthy Chinese a path to USA citizenship.
May 15, 2017
By Miriam Valverde
A widely criticized immigrant investor program (click here) is back in the spotlight after the sister of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, courted investors for a family real estate project.
Nicole Meyer, Kushner’s sister, earlier this month was in Beijing seeking $150 million from Chinese investors for Kushner Companies’ One Journal Square, a Jersey City housing development, according to media reports.
The Kushner business seeks to raise funds for the project through the EB-5 immigrant investor program, which allows wealthy foreigners to invest at least $500,000 in American projects and in turn, if conditions are met, get lawful permanent residence in the United States.
Critics say the program is a conduit for fraud and abuse....
It was all planned. The presidency and all that followed, while ridiculing The Western Press, was planned by the family and the Kushner family to resolve their greed and DEBT. The country was not the top priority. It was the ACCESS to bend the laws of the USA that was the goal. There is no doubt about it.
The EB-5 Visa program needs to be eliminated. It is a crutch to Wall Street.
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program (click here)
...Congress created the EB-5 Program in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. In 1992, Congress created the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as the Regional Center Program. This sets aside EB-5 visas for participants who invest in commercial enterprises associated with regional centers approved by USCIS based on proposals for promoting economic growth.
It is all there concerning Trump and the Kushners. It is the extent of the legality and whether it reflects treason or not. Add to that all the breaches in national security by President Trump and there is a real problem for him and his continued time in office.
This is just me, but, I found the Russian Foreign Minister, when at the White House after Comey's directorship was terminated, more jovial than any other time I witnessed him publicly. There is a side to this that theorizes the fact that Russia may have acted in willingness to contain the threat. That is the work normally found in allies. Russia would do that. Russia could not care less about the USA and would have gone along with the secret communications anyway. But, there is no doubt in my mind Vladimir Putin is grateful it was Russia the Kushners and Trump came to.
For the Kushners and Trumps, it is time to pay the piper.
Melania Trump's first official White House portrait
To begin, every woman in power can take lessons from the lovely First Lady.
This picture is very soft, but, very powerful. She is making eye contact with the camera and that comes from her TALENT as a model. She can connect with emotions expected at the other end of the camera.
I think the back drop is brilliant. She is obviously in a house (which most women identify with) and the house has windows to the world.
She is lavishing her diamonds, but, she is allowed. I am certain she is a millionaire several times over all by herself. Her engagement ring is loud and that is her spouse and she is willing to display his love of her.
I also want to bring to the surface the fact she is a very autonomous woman. She criticized her husband for his brackish behavior in the interview where he said he could fondle any woman he cared to because of his enormous wealth. She wasn't putting up with it.
As far as walking behind her husband; she wears high heels for crying out loud. She doesn't feel insecure and if one remembers the announcement for President; Mr. Trump was behind her as she descended the elevator. And about the way she gets in and out of "The Beast," so what! She likes getting out on her side of the car because she'd probably catch a heel on the carpet to move to Donald's side.
Now, if you want to rip Donald to shreds, I really don't mind. He probably deserves to be ripped to shreds as he pays little 'gentleman like' attention to his spouse. He rarely is seen waiting for her or holding the door, but, maybe that is the point. We simply don't do that anymore. In my experience, men feel the need to do that more than women stand in belligerent offense of the fact they didn't hold the door.
May 26, 2017
By Rachel Lubitz
We learned (click here) a whole lot about Melania Trump this week.
Apart from those awkward hand-holding debacles, this was Melania Trump's week to shine, making more appearances during her first trip abroad with her husband than ever before, which also means we got more outfits from Trump than ever before.
In total, at time of publishing, this week gave us 16 outfits total — that's a record! — which shines a new light onto what her style is really saying. Over at the Washington Post, her early looks this week were described as "controlled" and "self-contained," which isn't inaccurate at all.
But that being said, she also took risks. She wore more patterns than ever before, as well as colorful coats and decorative shoes. Although a majority of her outfits were predictable — girl loves a black or white dress or coat — she experimented with designers on this trip abroad, not just wearing Ralph Lauren but people like Reem Acra and Stella McCartney....
I am not going to recant every detail where I believe First Lady Melania Trump is her own woman. She is. She has been autonomous and it is my estimation no matter what the future holds she always will be and then reflect on Barron. He has a great Mom that loves her son and is setting the absolute best example of "woman" that can be set. She is strong, autonomous and yet loving.
As far as the fashion she displayed while with her spouse on their first international trip, she was exceptionally appropriate in every setting. She wore a great deal of black from a particular designer. I am not surprised when she had a chance to break out of the color midnight black.
As to the price, it is exceptionally shameful and she needs to be aware of that. Americans far less able to obtain such a jacket will try. She should always be aware that she is in the one percent of the wealth in the USA. There is a social and political price that goes along with that.
I like her. I think she wears the pressure of public life exceptionally well. She has yet to really let the American people down and as pointed out by Rachel Lubitz this is her 18th week as First Lady. I wish her well.
