January 31, 2018
By Shimon Prokupecz, Laura Jarrett, Jim Sciutto and Abby Phillip
FBI Director Christopher Wray (click here) sent a striking signal to the White House Wednesday, issuing a rare public warning that a controversial Republican memo about the FBI's surveillance practices omits key information that could impact its veracity.
The move sets up an ugly clash with the President who wants it released.
"With regard to the House Intelligence Committee's memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it," the agency said in a statement. "As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy."...
I appreciate the idea the FBI reviewed the memo, but, it is not worthy of any release. The memo has been tampered with for political purposes. It lacks accuracy.
Quite frankly, Trump asked for such surveillance to occur, because, he placed very controversial figures within his election campaign.
Paul Manafort, who is a nice guy on the surface, is a very worrisome person. Manafort alone would draw attention to any Russian involvement. What are you kidding me? Yanukovych? Give me a break. Trump has been stupid about this entire thing. He knew the kind of work Manafort conducted and then put him in the middle of his campaign. That's nuts. Trump deserves every bit of surveillance and there were and continues to be issues.
It is my best guess Putin suggested Manafort to Trump because of the work he did in Ukraine. It is so very obvious with so many people involved with Russia, Putin was exerting control however he could be accommodated, including the poisoning of the political well on the net. You may as well have had Putin at the podium for the State of the Union address, because, it is so very Un-American. That speech was delusional and simply horrible and lacked a real love of the country. The National Anthem? Those are warning signs about a greater agenda.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
The Democratic Response to the State of the Union address was wanting.
It was so wonderful to hear a Kennedy speaking again. They are wonderful people and their involvement with the country is vital for the morality they bring to our vision. "Joe" was great and did a wonderful job, however, there is a chronic problem with Democratic speeches in that they lack specificity.
I agree with every word he said, however, if he would have just referenced potential legislation that can't get out of committee or onto the US House floor and Senate floor for that matter; it would have brought his speech to life. Democrats fall into the habit of relying on their morality to carry their speech; that isn't enough. It was enough in the day of JFK, Robert and Teddy; but, these days Americans want to know what the picture looks like so they can touch it and feel it and try it on for size.
If I were making a speech as a Democratic candidate I would state what exactly I would propose when elected. I would bring my understanding, especially in the US House, of the district I represented and provide clear paths to healthier lives and problem-solving. The Democrats are great people. Their values are rock solid. It is hard to argue with a path forward when it is painted clearly and with INVOLVEMENT by the voters. The way to involve voters is to present an idea and have them scrutinize it. It would bring people's attention to an issue, help them understand it and provide ways to form their opinion so they know where their vote is going.
The Democrats don't have hate to fall back on to drive voters to the polls, but, a real sense of owning the solutions to the problems will bring about involvement that will make a difference.
January 30, 2018
Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., (click here) delivered the rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. Democratic leaders called Kennedy a "relentless fighter for working Americans" in their announcement of his selection. At 37, Kennedy has served in Congress since 2013.
"It would be easy to dismiss the past year as chaos. Partisanship. Politics," he said. "But it's far bigger than that. This administration isn't just targeting the laws that protect us — they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection."
I agree with every word he said, however, if he would have just referenced potential legislation that can't get out of committee or onto the US House floor and Senate floor for that matter; it would have brought his speech to life. Democrats fall into the habit of relying on their morality to carry their speech; that isn't enough. It was enough in the day of JFK, Robert and Teddy; but, these days Americans want to know what the picture looks like so they can touch it and feel it and try it on for size.
If I were making a speech as a Democratic candidate I would state what exactly I would propose when elected. I would bring my understanding, especially in the US House, of the district I represented and provide clear paths to healthier lives and problem-solving. The Democrats are great people. Their values are rock solid. It is hard to argue with a path forward when it is painted clearly and with INVOLVEMENT by the voters. The way to involve voters is to present an idea and have them scrutinize it. It would bring people's attention to an issue, help them understand it and provide ways to form their opinion so they know where their vote is going.
The Democrats don't have hate to fall back on to drive voters to the polls, but, a real sense of owning the solutions to the problems will bring about involvement that will make a difference.
January 30, 2018
Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., (click here) delivered the rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. Democratic leaders called Kennedy a "relentless fighter for working Americans" in their announcement of his selection. At 37, Kennedy has served in Congress since 2013.
"It would be easy to dismiss the past year as chaos. Partisanship. Politics," he said. "But it's far bigger than that. This administration isn't just targeting the laws that protect us — they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection."
It is wrong to call it a failure of politics, it is far more than that.
It is a matter of competency and priorities set to unite the country. It is far more than simply political divisions.
There is a huge cultural divide the Republicans are trying to instil in the country and to be honest it started with "W" and his "Holy Society." I consider this a very dangerous time for the country and it is very worrisome. I see the gap between the rich and the poor widening and with that comes a "so-called morality" that victimizes the Poor and the Working Poor. It was most readily seen with the reference to the adoption that was supposed to be a humanitarian effort by the cop and his wife.
The politics is hideous. It is carried by a media enterprise that would like to own the world, namely Murdoch and his idea of what is APPROPRIATE for a society. It segments the country into areas that are hideous to the facts we have surrounding us and creates a faux world of information that victimizes people as "good people" and "bad people." In other words, the cop culture.
It is not about religion, it is about the abusive use of religion to form a society outside of it's government.
The speech last night opened with a description of racism I could not believe. It came right out of the Murdoch Hate Speech Book and it was based in complete myth, yet Republicans thought it was spot on. That is propaganda and an unwillingness to act to FIX THE WRONGS OF OUR LAWS when it victimizes citizens. As PROOF is the continued realization that the USA has been incarcerating minorities is far larger numbers than the majority Caucasians. It has been incarcerating them for issues that do not belong in prison, yet alone jail. The USA has been looking seriously at society and the way it impacts individual lives and it is a good path to be on, but, to segregate races of people into lazy and ambitious is not going to get the job done.
Racism is not politics, it is hatred and Trump practices it every day; with the idea of lazy African Americans, pregnant druggies too hopeless to rehab, a border wall that may as well say "Welcome to the United States of Hatred," and religious bigotry toward Muslims. The references are there is different words every day in Tweets that are meant to haunt the conscious of Americans that are entertained by his imagines.
This country is divided in very real ways that is about the lives we live and not about politics. To simply assign the division found in our country to politics is to bury the real problems, the real hatred below the surface. It isn't politics, it is hatred and victimization of the helpless in our society.
Wall Street stroked Trump today with a start that was hundreds of dollars above close and it is notable it didn't stay there. This is the USA where "The American Dream" is dying. It is absolutely dying and it is due to the wealthy and the greedy with Murdoch at the top of the list.
There is a huge cultural divide the Republicans are trying to instil in the country and to be honest it started with "W" and his "Holy Society." I consider this a very dangerous time for the country and it is very worrisome. I see the gap between the rich and the poor widening and with that comes a "so-called morality" that victimizes the Poor and the Working Poor. It was most readily seen with the reference to the adoption that was supposed to be a humanitarian effort by the cop and his wife.
The politics is hideous. It is carried by a media enterprise that would like to own the world, namely Murdoch and his idea of what is APPROPRIATE for a society. It segments the country into areas that are hideous to the facts we have surrounding us and creates a faux world of information that victimizes people as "good people" and "bad people." In other words, the cop culture.
It is not about religion, it is about the abusive use of religion to form a society outside of it's government.
The speech last night opened with a description of racism I could not believe. It came right out of the Murdoch Hate Speech Book and it was based in complete myth, yet Republicans thought it was spot on. That is propaganda and an unwillingness to act to FIX THE WRONGS OF OUR LAWS when it victimizes citizens. As PROOF is the continued realization that the USA has been incarcerating minorities is far larger numbers than the majority Caucasians. It has been incarcerating them for issues that do not belong in prison, yet alone jail. The USA has been looking seriously at society and the way it impacts individual lives and it is a good path to be on, but, to segregate races of people into lazy and ambitious is not going to get the job done.
Racism is not politics, it is hatred and Trump practices it every day; with the idea of lazy African Americans, pregnant druggies too hopeless to rehab, a border wall that may as well say "Welcome to the United States of Hatred," and religious bigotry toward Muslims. The references are there is different words every day in Tweets that are meant to haunt the conscious of Americans that are entertained by his imagines.
This country is divided in very real ways that is about the lives we live and not about politics. To simply assign the division found in our country to politics is to bury the real problems, the real hatred below the surface. It isn't politics, it is hatred and victimization of the helpless in our society.
Wall Street stroked Trump today with a start that was hundreds of dollars above close and it is notable it didn't stay there. This is the USA where "The American Dream" is dying. It is absolutely dying and it is due to the wealthy and the greedy with Murdoch at the top of the list.
January 31, 2018
By Karen Tumulty, Philip Rucker and Elisa Viebeck
Trump, in his first State of the Union address Tuesday, called for the two parties to come together — remarks sharply at odds with the combative manner in which Trump has conducted his presidency so far.
The president also outlined an ambitious agenda for his second year in office, from a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, to a four-pronged immigration package, to a pledge to reduce prescription drug prices.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) called Trump’s infrastructure spending request “a big number” that he expects to be discussed when Republicans gather for a party retreat Wednesday and Thursday in West Virginia.....
Vocational Schools can receive Pell Grants.
$5920.00 is the maximum Pell Grant for any student. I suggest those seeking a career or in need of a new career should apply.
Vocational schools can be a bit precarious if it is a private institution. They may take your money, but, will you sincerely have a job at the end of any vocational training. There are also private schools requiring high tuition as well, especially in the areas of Pastry Chef and the like, basically high demand in the marketplace.
Public Community Colleges frequently have vocational programs. It is wise to check local public Community Colleges for programs before diving into a private vocational school.
Vocational schools can be a bit precarious if it is a private institution. They may take your money, but, will you sincerely have a job at the end of any vocational training. There are also private schools requiring high tuition as well, especially in the areas of Pastry Chef and the like, basically high demand in the marketplace.
Public Community Colleges frequently have vocational programs. It is wise to check local public Community Colleges for programs before diving into a private vocational school.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Here is another great American newly out of the hospital that was completely forgotten in the President's speech.
January 30, 2018
Italy, Texas (AP) — Officials say a 15-year-old girl (click here) shot at a North Texas high school is out of the hospital and back with her family a week after the shooting.
In social media postings, the Italy (IT’-lee) Independent School District says its students were told Monday that the girl is continuing her recovery with her family at an undisclosed location. The district says the family is optimistic about the girl’s recovery but asks for continued prayers for her.
Authorities have not released her name.
She was shot multiple times Jan. 22 in the Italy High School cafeteria. A 16-year-old boy who attended the school has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in juvenile custody.
Italy is 42 miles (68 kilometers) south of Dallas and has about 1,900 residents.
Italy, Texas (AP) — Officials say a 15-year-old girl (click here) shot at a North Texas high school is out of the hospital and back with her family a week after the shooting.
In social media postings, the Italy (IT’-lee) Independent School District says its students were told Monday that the girl is continuing her recovery with her family at an undisclosed location. The district says the family is optimistic about the girl’s recovery but asks for continued prayers for her.
Authorities have not released her name.
She was shot multiple times Jan. 22 in the Italy High School cafeteria. A 16-year-old boy who attended the school has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in juvenile custody.
Italy is 42 miles (68 kilometers) south of Dallas and has about 1,900 residents.
It was a lone wolf attack. THERE ARE TOO MANY GUNS ON THE STREET.
December 24, 2017
By Julia Manchester
...El-Mofty (click here) allegedly opened fire on police officers in three different locations in the state's capital on Friday. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were reportedly investigating whether the shootings could be considered an act of terror.
Houlton said the attack in Pennsylvania and another case in which a suspect was arrested on terror-related money laundering charges “highlight the Trump administration’s concerns with extended family chain migration.”...
By Julia Manchester
...El-Mofty (click here) allegedly opened fire on police officers in three different locations in the state's capital on Friday. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were reportedly investigating whether the shootings could be considered an act of terror.
Houlton said the attack in Pennsylvania and another case in which a suspect was arrested on terror-related money laundering charges “highlight the Trump administration’s concerns with extended family chain migration.”...
Propaganda or no propaganda?
Invoking "Old Glory" as a unique agenda is irrelevant. Bringing up judges is to say something will change when legislation about the flag burning is challenged and defeated.
Trump is attempting to build nationalism. No different than Putin's Russia.
During the 1984 Republican National Convention, (click here) respondent Johnson participated in a political demonstration to protest the policies of the Reagan administration and some Dallas-based corporations. After a march through the city streets, Johnson burned an American flag while protesters chanted. No one was physically injured or threatened with injury, although several witnesses were seriously offended by the flag burning. Johnson was convicted of desecration of a venerated object in violation of a Texas statute, and a state court of appeals affirmed. However, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed, holding that the State, consistent with the First Amendment, could not punish Johnson for burning the flag in these circumstances...
We have seen this misinformation before. Whoever is advising him is making much out of nothing.
April 26, 2016
FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) CEO Marchionne: (click here) "We ran the optimization exercise with a very clear view of not losing one unit of sales for Ram and not losing one unit of sales for Jeep."
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed Tuesday after months of speculation that the automaker plans to move production of its Ram pickups to Sterling Heights from Warren and move production of a Jeep SUV to Toluca, Mexico, from Belvidere, Ill....
July 28, 2016
By Brent Snavely and Matt Dolan
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (click here) plans to spend $1.49 billion to retool its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant so it can build the next-generation Ram 1500 pickup truck there after it stops producing the Chrysler 200.
The investment plans were disclosed today in Lansing when the Michigan Strategic Fund board approved a tax break valued at $11.38 million over a 15-year period to help secure the automaker's commitment. The board unanimously approved the request after about a 15 minute discussion....
I will tell you what is going on here. It is called a shell game to
"Make Trump look Great Always."
Chrysler is not doing anything differently. As a matter of fact Chrysler figured out it would cost less to improve the plant in Warren, Michigan opposed to Sterling Heights, Michigan.
There is absolutely nothing coming back from Mexico to the USA. Wall Street loves this guy. They showered every elected House and Senate member with campaign contributions to let them know Trump is the man they need to follow.
I hope the union has the bonus being issued by Chrysler in writing as they do the profit sharing plan, because, after all the lies are discovered the company might change it's mind about the bonus.
Wall Street CEOs are happier than pigs in shit. Maybe that is being harsh on pigs. The CEOs don't know what to do with all the money they have now that the tax structure is changed, so to prevent issues with exceptional profit margins, they are giving it away as a tax deduction.
Trump and the Republicans have instilled corruption systemically and no different than Roger Goodell, the CEOs are attempting to "shine everyone on." That is all this is. It is corruption of the government by Trump's financial professionals in his administration.
January 11, 2018
By Eric D. Lawrence
Detroit -- Citing President Trump's and Congress' new tax law, (click here) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Thursday that it's going to move some of its production back from Mexico.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will invest more than $1 billion to modernize the company's Warren Truck Plant in metro Detroit, adding 2,500 jobs and moving production of its Ram Heavy Duty trucks from Mexico.
The changeover is to be complete in 2020.
The company said that the new federal tax law made the shift possible. That legislation, signed into law in December, cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.
Fiat Chrysler also announced $2,000 bonuses that will be paid in the second quarter of this year to 60,000 hourly and salaried employees in the U.S., excluding senior leadership. Those bonuses are to be in addition to any profit sharing or performance bonuses the employees would receive this year.
"These announcements reflect our ongoing commitment to our U.S. manufacturing footprint and the dedicated employees who have contributed to FCA's success," Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said in a statement. "It is only proper that our employees share in the savings generated by tax reform and that we openly acknowledge the resulting improvement in the U.S. business environment by investing in our industrial footprint accordingly."...
Is he still talking? Oh, the immigration law that doesn't apply to Russian Pregnancy Tourism.
My pet peive; the robbing of the poor of their children to serve the middle class and upper class. Don't do anything about poverty and the working poor, simply displace their children to 'great Americans' that want their children.
Trump made a huge error in bringing up Syria and the US Casualities there. We don't belong there and now Turkey is fighting the USA rebels.
January 30, 2018
By Jamie Dettmer
Turkey’s latest military incursion (click here) into northern Syria which it says is aimed at reining in Kurdish separatists will speed up the return of Syrian refugees to their homes, Turkish officials say. But Kurds are fearful Ankara plans to use the returnees to displace them and engineer a population shift.
Kurd officials say Ankara wants to re-shape the demographics of the borderlands in a bid to establish a “corridor of stability” populated by fewer Kurds and with Sunni Arab refugees currently in Turkey taking their place.
That would weaken the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara dubs an affiliate of Turkey’s outlawed Kurdish separatists, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)....
Turkey has a large number of refugees and there is a problem with violence because of it. There are currently at least 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. But, Turkey has frequently attacked the Kurds because PKK is considered a terrorist organization. The Kurds have been instrumental in ending Daesh in the region. Turkey cannot start another war with the Kurds simply because it believes the refugee crisis will be ended.
Turkey should be grateful to the Kurds for the very fact they defeated Daesh without any help from Turkey.
Trump cannot stand the idea that South Korea and Japan might be burgeoning into peace talks with China and North Korea. Peace with North Korea is not on Trump's political agenda. He has a lot of generals in his administration that have known the Korean War and have a desire to continue the tensions. It is ludicrous for the USA to attempt to end any peace talks with North Korea. Trump is about his politics and that is exactly what his speech today has conducted.
The USA is in danger because of Trump's administration and election committee. That is the truth and it is not being addressed tonight. The country has lost many of the people that were within it's brain trust under this administration. That is dangerous. Trump is not a good president and is a problem for this country. The US House and Senate need to impeach.
Trump is attempting to build nationalism. No different than Putin's Russia.
During the 1984 Republican National Convention, (click here) respondent Johnson participated in a political demonstration to protest the policies of the Reagan administration and some Dallas-based corporations. After a march through the city streets, Johnson burned an American flag while protesters chanted. No one was physically injured or threatened with injury, although several witnesses were seriously offended by the flag burning. Johnson was convicted of desecration of a venerated object in violation of a Texas statute, and a state court of appeals affirmed. However, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed, holding that the State, consistent with the First Amendment, could not punish Johnson for burning the flag in these circumstances...
We have seen this misinformation before. Whoever is advising him is making much out of nothing.
April 26, 2016
FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) CEO Marchionne: (click here) "We ran the optimization exercise with a very clear view of not losing one unit of sales for Ram and not losing one unit of sales for Jeep."
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed Tuesday after months of speculation that the automaker plans to move production of its Ram pickups to Sterling Heights from Warren and move production of a Jeep SUV to Toluca, Mexico, from Belvidere, Ill....
July 28, 2016
By Brent Snavely and Matt Dolan
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (click here) plans to spend $1.49 billion to retool its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant so it can build the next-generation Ram 1500 pickup truck there after it stops producing the Chrysler 200.
The investment plans were disclosed today in Lansing when the Michigan Strategic Fund board approved a tax break valued at $11.38 million over a 15-year period to help secure the automaker's commitment. The board unanimously approved the request after about a 15 minute discussion....
I will tell you what is going on here. It is called a shell game to
"Make Trump look Great Always."
Chrysler is not doing anything differently. As a matter of fact Chrysler figured out it would cost less to improve the plant in Warren, Michigan opposed to Sterling Heights, Michigan.
There is absolutely nothing coming back from Mexico to the USA. Wall Street loves this guy. They showered every elected House and Senate member with campaign contributions to let them know Trump is the man they need to follow.
I hope the union has the bonus being issued by Chrysler in writing as they do the profit sharing plan, because, after all the lies are discovered the company might change it's mind about the bonus.
Wall Street CEOs are happier than pigs in shit. Maybe that is being harsh on pigs. The CEOs don't know what to do with all the money they have now that the tax structure is changed, so to prevent issues with exceptional profit margins, they are giving it away as a tax deduction.
Trump and the Republicans have instilled corruption systemically and no different than Roger Goodell, the CEOs are attempting to "shine everyone on." That is all this is. It is corruption of the government by Trump's financial professionals in his administration.
January 11, 2018
By Eric D. Lawrence
Detroit -- Citing President Trump's and Congress' new tax law, (click here) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Thursday that it's going to move some of its production back from Mexico.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will invest more than $1 billion to modernize the company's Warren Truck Plant in metro Detroit, adding 2,500 jobs and moving production of its Ram Heavy Duty trucks from Mexico.
The changeover is to be complete in 2020.
The company said that the new federal tax law made the shift possible. That legislation, signed into law in December, cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.
Fiat Chrysler also announced $2,000 bonuses that will be paid in the second quarter of this year to 60,000 hourly and salaried employees in the U.S., excluding senior leadership. Those bonuses are to be in addition to any profit sharing or performance bonuses the employees would receive this year.
"These announcements reflect our ongoing commitment to our U.S. manufacturing footprint and the dedicated employees who have contributed to FCA's success," Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said in a statement. "It is only proper that our employees share in the savings generated by tax reform and that we openly acknowledge the resulting improvement in the U.S. business environment by investing in our industrial footprint accordingly."...
Is he still talking? Oh, the immigration law that doesn't apply to Russian Pregnancy Tourism.
My pet peive; the robbing of the poor of their children to serve the middle class and upper class. Don't do anything about poverty and the working poor, simply displace their children to 'great Americans' that want their children.
Trump made a huge error in bringing up Syria and the US Casualities there. We don't belong there and now Turkey is fighting the USA rebels.
January 30, 2018
By Jamie Dettmer
Turkey’s latest military incursion (click here) into northern Syria which it says is aimed at reining in Kurdish separatists will speed up the return of Syrian refugees to their homes, Turkish officials say. But Kurds are fearful Ankara plans to use the returnees to displace them and engineer a population shift.
Kurd officials say Ankara wants to re-shape the demographics of the borderlands in a bid to establish a “corridor of stability” populated by fewer Kurds and with Sunni Arab refugees currently in Turkey taking their place.
That would weaken the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara dubs an affiliate of Turkey’s outlawed Kurdish separatists, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)....
Turkey has a large number of refugees and there is a problem with violence because of it. There are currently at least 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. But, Turkey has frequently attacked the Kurds because PKK is considered a terrorist organization. The Kurds have been instrumental in ending Daesh in the region. Turkey cannot start another war with the Kurds simply because it believes the refugee crisis will be ended.
Turkey should be grateful to the Kurds for the very fact they defeated Daesh without any help from Turkey.
Trump cannot stand the idea that South Korea and Japan might be burgeoning into peace talks with China and North Korea. Peace with North Korea is not on Trump's political agenda. He has a lot of generals in his administration that have known the Korean War and have a desire to continue the tensions. It is ludicrous for the USA to attempt to end any peace talks with North Korea. Trump is about his politics and that is exactly what his speech today has conducted.
The USA is in danger because of Trump's administration and election committee. That is the truth and it is not being addressed tonight. The country has lost many of the people that were within it's brain trust under this administration. That is dangerous. Trump is not a good president and is a problem for this country. The US House and Senate need to impeach.
The trend in USA employment is headed downward.
The US Labor Department always discusses jobs added each month, but, there are significant job losses as well.
The wealth of Wall Street is not the picture of the country.
The picture in December of most any year is always better than any other month of the year because of the holidays. The overall view is different.
Another interesting measure is the labor force participation rate: which in the last quarter of 2017 shows chronic low rates.Predictions for 2018 are not much better. (click here)
Oddly enough, December 2017 didn't meet expectations. Nearly 25 percent below expections. The largest gain in employment was food service workers.
Non-farm (click here) payrolls in the US increased by 148K in December of 2017, below market expectations of a 190K. Solid gains were reported in construction, manufacturing and health care while retail trade continued to cut jobs.
In 2017, payroll employment growth totaled 2.1 million, compared with a gain of 2.2 million in 2016.
Employment in health care increased by 31,000 in December. Employment continued to trend up in ambulatory health care services (+15,000) and hospitals (+12,000). Health care added 300,000 jobs in 2017, compared with a gain of 379,000 jobs in 2016....
And were the jobs added high paying jobs? The blue lines are for the month of December and the gray lines are for the 2017 average.
Leisure and hospitality employment continued to trend up in December (+29,000), adding a total of 306,000 jobs in 2017. This industry accounted for 15 percent of all total nonfarm jobs added in 2017. Employment in food services and drinking places was little changed in December (+25,000). In 2017, employment in the industry increased by 249,000, after rising by 276,000 over the prior year. December 6, 2017
By Christopher Weber and Geoff Mulvhill
Los Angeles — The nation's homeless population increased this year (click here) for the first time since 2010, driven by a surge in the number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and other West Coast cities.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its annual Point in Time count Wednesday, a report that showed nearly 554,000 homeless people across the country during local tallies conducted in January. That figure is up nearly 1 percent from 2016.
Of that total, 193,000 people had no access to nightly shelter and instead were staying in vehicles, tents, the streets and other places considered uninhabitable. The unsheltered figure is up by more than 9 percent compared to two years ago.
Increases are higher in several West Coast cities, where the explosion in homelessness has prompted at least 10 city and county governments to declare states of emergency since 2015....
The 2017 family income numbers won't be in for a while yet, but, under President Obama 2016 was a record high.
Real income per capita measures the per person income. The household income reflects more than one wage earner.
...Current Average Income (click here)
The 2016 nominal median income per capita was $31,099. The mean income per capita was $46,550. The Census Bureau reports those in the Current Population Survey, Table PINC-01.
Real median household income was $59,039 in 2016. That's the first time income exceeded the 2007 level of $58,149. It's also slightly higher than the 2015 income of $57,230. The first increase since the Great Recession was in 2015. All are reported in 2016 dollars. The Census report household income in Table A-1.
The federal government uses the median household income to establish poverty levels. That determines eligibility for Obamacare subsidies and welfare programs.
Real median family income was $72,707 in 2016. That's higher than the 2007 peak of $71,024 (as measured in 206 dollars). It's also more than the 2015 level of $71,590. The government uses the family income for statistical purposes, such as reporting the poverty threshold....
This is the definition of household and family. Households can have other than a family living within them.
A family (click here) consists of two or more people (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing in the same housing unit. A household consists of all people who occupy a housing unit regardless of relationship. A household may consist of a person living alone or multiple unrelated individuals or families living together.
When an employee receives a raise, they expect to see it in their paychecks not their deductions.
This is interesting. Health care insurance is too expensive. The companies are pricing themselves out of business. There is no reason why large corporations such as these can't self-insure. They should.
Amazon had over a half of a million employees
JP Morgan Chase and Company has another quarter million employees
Berkshire Hathaway has over 350,000.
That is easily over a million people. I am confident the three corporations can find good health care options for their employees.
Illustrated in the graph above is the employee contribution for health care insurance. The wages are not keeping up with the cost of health care insurance subscription costs. While the country is looking toward increasing the minimum wage it only makes sense that prudent CEOs look to the final outcome for their employees as their wages increase.
I am not saying these companies pay minimum wage as Walmart does, but, just that as minimum wages increase other wages increase to keep pace with it. This decision is impressive and I look forward to hearing more about the final outcome and decisions.
January 30, 2018
By Mike Snider
The three companies announced Tuesday they are teaming up to explore "ways to address healthcare for their U.S. employees, with the aim of improving employee satisfaction and reducing costs," according to a news release about the venture.
An independent company, which "is free from profit-making incentives and constraints," they say, will initially tackle technological solutions to deliver "simplified, high-quality and transparent" health care to employees at a economical prices.
"Tackling the enormous challenges of healthcare and harnessing its full benefits are among the greatest issues facing society today," Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder said in a statement. "By bringing together three of the world’s leading organizations into this new and innovative construct, the group hopes to draw on its combined capabilities and resources to take a fresh approach to these critical matters."...
CIA Director Pompeo Says Russia will influence the 2018 elections. "I haven't seen a significant decrease in their activity," he said.
I thought it the CIA Director's job to identify the people involved in subverting our government and end it. I find it very odd the CIA Director can't control the Russia subversives to the USA elections when the influence is online access and the USA has invested so heavily in internet monitoring.
Is Pompeo saying the multi-billion dollar complex to detect terrorist activity is a waste of time? I think Pompeo appreciates the effect of Russian influence in USA elections and looks the other way.
Why hasn't the activity ended or DECREASED since the very valid understanding the Russias effected the 2016 elections? As a CIA Director how can he state he is proud of an agency that can't even protect the integrity of foreign influence in our elections?
Pompeo has stated he has unleashed and unburdened the CIA. What the heck does that mean? What burden aren't they carrying anymore?
29 January 2018
The director of the CIA (click here) expects that Russia will target the US mid-term elections later this year.
Mike Pompeo told the BBC there had been no significant diminishing of Russian attempts at subversion in Europe and the US.
He also said North Korea may have the ability to strike the US with nuclear missiles "in a handful of months".
The US intelligence community has said that it believes Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Pompeo, who briefs the president most mornings, dismissed as "drivel" recent claims that US President Donald Trump was not up to the job.
The director's conference room on the seventh floor of the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is lined with pictures of former directors and the presidents they served.
And Mr Pompeo is clear about his vision for the CIA under President Trump....
Is Pompeo saying the multi-billion dollar complex to detect terrorist activity is a waste of time? I think Pompeo appreciates the effect of Russian influence in USA elections and looks the other way.
Why hasn't the activity ended or DECREASED since the very valid understanding the Russias effected the 2016 elections? As a CIA Director how can he state he is proud of an agency that can't even protect the integrity of foreign influence in our elections?
Pompeo has stated he has unleashed and unburdened the CIA. What the heck does that mean? What burden aren't they carrying anymore?
29 January 2018
The director of the CIA (click here) expects that Russia will target the US mid-term elections later this year.
Mike Pompeo told the BBC there had been no significant diminishing of Russian attempts at subversion in Europe and the US.
He also said North Korea may have the ability to strike the US with nuclear missiles "in a handful of months".
The US intelligence community has said that it believes Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Pompeo, who briefs the president most mornings, dismissed as "drivel" recent claims that US President Donald Trump was not up to the job.
The director's conference room on the seventh floor of the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is lined with pictures of former directors and the presidents they served.
And Mr Pompeo is clear about his vision for the CIA under President Trump....
Congratulations to USA Today for bringing forth an issue that is more than a PR problem.
This state level medical review should be happening in every state when any medical-surgical practice becomes this dangerous. When protocols are breached there are all kinds of problems, besides infection. At what point does a victim of such crimes become a threat and find themselves not only under the influence of unwanted, dangerous medication, but, have their life in jeopardy when waking up to the attack?
The Cleveland Clinic is a world class hospital. One incident such as this does not change that reality. What changes such a reputation are cover ups and administrations that treat these incidents as trivial. These victims are real and need to receive the dignity and ethical standards of the best of medicine and not the worst. Hiding problems destroys quality treatment.
This was a very dangerous reality. USA Today really did a great job at bringing the truth to light.
January 30, 2018
By Jayne O'Donnell
Surgeon Tomislav Mihaljevic, who started as Cleveland Clinic’s CEO Jan. 1, is also now chair of a “conduct review” committee established after the article was published to review “serious incidents of harassment and misconduct to ensure appropriate action is taken.” New committees are also developing policies on how to assess physicians’ conduct and govern the use of chaperones.
Williams was never charged with a crime in the cases of the two alleged rapes.
Chris Forshey, the medical board's investigations supervisor, interviewed a woman last week who suspects she could have been assaulted and asked to remain anonymous due to the nature of her allegation. Jennifer Davis, the woman's sister in law and a former Cleveland Clinic registered nurse, filed a medical board complaint on the alleged victim's behalf on Jan. 16....
Here is something real.
Greatest eclipse happens at the same instant worldwide, but our clocks say different times. Chart by Fred Espenak. (click here)
Is it the first Blue Moon total eclipse in 150 years, as some social media memes are now claiming? It is … if you’re not considering the whole world, but only the Americas.
I think Fred Espenak has the most important chart to the viewing of the "The Blue Total Eclipse Supermoon" will occur on January 31, 2018. The recent past has been a unique time for North America, especially the USA, with the total eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017. So, tomorrow should be a really interesting event indeed. The best viewing is going to be the west coast of North America. No doubt California will make it fun.
Is it the first Blue Moon total eclipse in 150 years, as some social media memes are now claiming? It is … if you’re not considering the whole world, but only the Americas.
I think Fred Espenak has the most important chart to the viewing of the "The Blue Total Eclipse Supermoon" will occur on January 31, 2018. The recent past has been a unique time for North America, especially the USA, with the total eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017. So, tomorrow should be a really interesting event indeed. The best viewing is going to be the west coast of North America. No doubt California will make it fun.
Advertisers for the Superbowl can easily ask for their money back.
Fire, Goodell!
NOW!
Why bother watching the Superbowl. The winner has already been decided and the rings are probably already engraved. Jerry Jones was right to oppose the renewing of a five year contract extension, which included Goodell's own private jet. Enough is never enough.
It is a very sad day in the USA to realize everything is about money and more of it. This is ridiculous.
NOW!
Why bother watching the Superbowl. The winner has already been decided and the rings are probably already engraved. Jerry Jones was right to oppose the renewing of a five year contract extension, which included Goodell's own private jet. Enough is never enough.
It is a very sad day in the USA to realize everything is about money and more of it. This is ridiculous.
Monday, January 29, 2018
It is pure, unadulterated corruption by the Republicans. They are playing politics.
I am not going to honor something this corrupt. It is a unilateral move to create political intrigue. Go straight to hell.
The typical Republican partisanship. They don't get it. This is not a dictatorship whereby people are not allowed to think. The USA is SUPPOSED TO BE a democracy where citizens are well informed and decide what the BREVITY of the facts are.
I am not a prized bull being lead around by the nose sniffing out the next political screw up.
January 29, 2018
By Erin Kelly
...The Republican majority (click here) voted to declassify and release its four-page memo, while all Democrats on the panel voted against it. Republicans, who hold the majority in Congress, also blocked the release of a counter memo written by Democrats, said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the panel's senior Democrat....
...Schiff said he believes the White House will allow its release, despite objections from the Department of Justice that it contains classified information that could harm U.S. intelligence-gathering....
Dah. The memo needs to be presented to the Mueller investigation and US Justice which will provide the brevity of the documents AND information. This is nothing short of corruption for a political circus.
...Schiff said the committee's vote effectively puts the FBI and Department of Justice under investigation by the panel's GOP majority....
That is exactly correct AND the GOP majority does not have the right to prosecute. How perfect is that? So, this only amount to political bargaining. The facts are the facts and they cannot be created by some star chamber in the GOP majority.
With the retirement of FBI Deputy Director McCabe what does that say about the sovereignty of the USA. This is becoming dangerous, not just ridiculous. The Republicans are dissolving the brain trust for the sake of this politics. It is more worrisome.
Considering Russia showed up at the White House the very next day after Comey was fired, I really think Trump is taking directions from Putin. This is all a little too methodical to ignore.
January 29, 2018
Kevin Johnson and David Jackson
Washingon – FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, (click here) who has been a target of unrelenting criticism from President Trump and some Republican lawmakers, abruptly announced his resignation Monday, according to two government officials who were not authorized to comment publicly on personnel matters.
McCabe was expected to resign in March when he was eligible for retirement. But the bureau's second-in-command submitted his resignation more than a month early, one official said, adding that his accumulated leave time would allow him to qualify for full retirement benefits.
Prior to McCabe's announcement, the official said, FBI Director Christopher Wray raised the prospect of moving McCabe to another post within the bureau – out of the line of fire from the White House – but the deputy director ultimately decided to leave.
McCabe, who rose through the counter-terrorism and national security ranks, served as the agency's acting director this summer after Trump fired former director James Comey in May....
It is time for McConnell and Ryan to put their big boy pants on and conduct an impeachment. Trump, Jr. is right in the middle of all this mess.
The typical Republican partisanship. They don't get it. This is not a dictatorship whereby people are not allowed to think. The USA is SUPPOSED TO BE a democracy where citizens are well informed and decide what the BREVITY of the facts are.
I am not a prized bull being lead around by the nose sniffing out the next political screw up.
January 29, 2018
By Erin Kelly
...The Republican majority (click here) voted to declassify and release its four-page memo, while all Democrats on the panel voted against it. Republicans, who hold the majority in Congress, also blocked the release of a counter memo written by Democrats, said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the panel's senior Democrat....
...Schiff said he believes the White House will allow its release, despite objections from the Department of Justice that it contains classified information that could harm U.S. intelligence-gathering....
Dah. The memo needs to be presented to the Mueller investigation and US Justice which will provide the brevity of the documents AND information. This is nothing short of corruption for a political circus.
...Schiff said the committee's vote effectively puts the FBI and Department of Justice under investigation by the panel's GOP majority....
That is exactly correct AND the GOP majority does not have the right to prosecute. How perfect is that? So, this only amount to political bargaining. The facts are the facts and they cannot be created by some star chamber in the GOP majority.
With the retirement of FBI Deputy Director McCabe what does that say about the sovereignty of the USA. This is becoming dangerous, not just ridiculous. The Republicans are dissolving the brain trust for the sake of this politics. It is more worrisome.
Considering Russia showed up at the White House the very next day after Comey was fired, I really think Trump is taking directions from Putin. This is all a little too methodical to ignore.
January 29, 2018
Kevin Johnson and David Jackson
Washingon – FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, (click here) who has been a target of unrelenting criticism from President Trump and some Republican lawmakers, abruptly announced his resignation Monday, according to two government officials who were not authorized to comment publicly on personnel matters.
McCabe was expected to resign in March when he was eligible for retirement. But the bureau's second-in-command submitted his resignation more than a month early, one official said, adding that his accumulated leave time would allow him to qualify for full retirement benefits.
Prior to McCabe's announcement, the official said, FBI Director Christopher Wray raised the prospect of moving McCabe to another post within the bureau – out of the line of fire from the White House – but the deputy director ultimately decided to leave.
McCabe, who rose through the counter-terrorism and national security ranks, served as the agency's acting director this summer after Trump fired former director James Comey in May....
It is time for McConnell and Ryan to put their big boy pants on and conduct an impeachment. Trump, Jr. is right in the middle of all this mess.
The people of Africa are quite used to walking long distances for water. That is useful, but, should not be the answer here.
Public projects to build desalination plants should be supported by lending institutions. They are a plus-plus in return on investment. The desalination plant provides water, adds water content to allow farming which increases water content in the air to return rainfall and it provides a perfectly healthy form of salt for sale. The salt can be iodized as well.
South Africa should consult with NOAA and NASA to determine the permanence of the weather pattern, but, it has been droughted for some time now and why not have the back up for any future issues, too. The World Bank should consider such plants as a healthy way of returning water to people and adding water content to air that is droughted to reverse it.
Returning water to droughted land through irrigation works. That is a guarantee. Irrigation has it's limits and drawbacks, but, not so much as drought. Expertise about irrigation's problems are available and The World Bank should have consultants within their expertise.
Irrigation for forests endangered by drought is possible as well. Such efforts need to take into account the steepness of the land in applying water recovery to land. We have witnessed in California, USA the sad reality of adding water to droughted lands. In places where the angle of the land is significant, there will result in landslides. Returning water vapor to droughted lands is more important than can be said when done properly.
I'll put it this way, the Syrian War would not have happened if the drought were addressed.
Returning water to droughted land through irrigation works. That is a guarantee. Irrigation has it's limits and drawbacks, but, not so much as drought. Expertise about irrigation's problems are available and The World Bank should have consultants within their expertise.
Irrigation for forests endangered by drought is possible as well. Such efforts need to take into account the steepness of the land in applying water recovery to land. We have witnessed in California, USA the sad reality of adding water to droughted lands. In places where the angle of the land is significant, there will result in landslides. Returning water vapor to droughted lands is more important than can be said when done properly.
I'll put it this way, the Syrian War would not have happened if the drought were addressed.
29 January 2018
Cape Town - Moody’s Investors Service (click here) published a research report on the water supply crisis in South Africa.
Daniel Mazibuko, a Moody’s Associate Analyst who is the author of the report made note that the water supply crisis will result in a credit negative for Cape Town. Moody’s rates the debt Baa3, the lowest investment level and which is equivalent with South Africa’s sovereign rating.
The report states that the Municipal water revenue contributed about 10 % ( R3.9bn) of Cape Town’s operating income in 2017. However, The City revenue will reduce when the city has to use spending to ensure supplies.
This will lead an increase expenditure on crisis management and water supply projects, Mazibuko said in the report. Mazkibuko added that two main industries that will be effected the most out of this crisis will be tourism and agriculture....
There are some computer programs that need to be declared illegal for security issues.
Programs such as "Strava" are too dangerous. Why are suicide bombers killing and maiming so many? Are there computer plans in the works that look for densely populated areas in order to carry out attacks? Any idiot could use this information for intelligence as well as "emotional support" in maintaining an exercise plan.
I see nothing wrong with a program such as "Peloton" which captures exercise enthusiasm in a stationary bike. There is nothing wrong with "Google Maps" when seeking directions that would normally be found on a paper map (which I keep in the car anyway in case there is a problem with the mobile tower). But, "Strava" takes things to a level that endangers the public as well as any military installation.
The program needs to be removed from the public domain. NOW!
Military instillations are mostly permanent. It doesn't matter if the running trails are from two years or less; the danger is still there. I suppose Paparazzi are some of it's best customers, but, this program is too dangerous.
The makers of the program have no moral values to protect people. They just don't. They only care about money and more and more of it. This is ridiculous. "Just agree to terms and conditions." No more.
"Strava" (click here)
I see nothing wrong with a program such as "Peloton" which captures exercise enthusiasm in a stationary bike. There is nothing wrong with "Google Maps" when seeking directions that would normally be found on a paper map (which I keep in the car anyway in case there is a problem with the mobile tower). But, "Strava" takes things to a level that endangers the public as well as any military installation.
The program needs to be removed from the public domain. NOW!
Military instillations are mostly permanent. It doesn't matter if the running trails are from two years or less; the danger is still there. I suppose Paparazzi are some of it's best customers, but, this program is too dangerous.
The makers of the program have no moral values to protect people. They just don't. They only care about money and more and more of it. This is ridiculous. "Just agree to terms and conditions." No more.
"Strava" (click here)
...He said (click here) he came across the map while browsing a cartography blog last week.
"I thought the best way to deal with it is to make the vulnerabilities known so they can be fixed. Someone would have noticed it at some point. I just happened to be the person who made the connection."...
It occurred to him that a large number of military personnel on active service had been publicly sharing their location data and realised that the highlighting of such exercises as regular jogging routes could be dangerous.
"I just looked at it and thought, 'oh hell, this should not be here - this is not good,'" he told the BBC.
"I thought the best way to deal with it is to make the vulnerabilities known so they can be fixed. Someone would have noticed it at some point. I just happened to be the person who made the connection."...
Hillary Clinton is amazing. The most important appearance she ever made.
January 28, 2018
By Brent D. Griffiths
"He had a longtime fear of being poisoned, one reason why he liked to eat at McDonald's — nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely premade," the former Democratic presidential candidate read from the book, before Grammy host James Corden told her she had the award "in the bag."
Along with Clinton, Corden's bit of searching for the best narrator of Wolff's book included Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, DJ Khaled and other stars.
"If Trump was not having his 6:30 dinner with Steve Bannon, then more to his liking he was in bed by that time with cheeseburger," "Bodak Yellow" singer Cardi B read. "Whaa, why am I reading this sh--. I can't believe this. I believe ... really this is he how lives his life?"...
Some people aren't afraid of their own IQ.
"Morning Papers"
The Rooster
"Okeydoke"
January 27, 2018
London: A 10-year-old Indian-origin boy in the UK (click here) has become the youngest applicant in a decade to achieve the highest score in the Mensa IQ test, (click here) beating geniuses like Albert Einstein, Hawking.
Mehul Garg, also known by his nickname Mahi, decided to take the test to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, 13-year-old Dhruv Garg, who had also scored the highest score of 162 last year.
“Mahi is fiercely competitive. His older brother had achieved the same score last year so he really wanted to prove that he is no less intelligent than his brother,” said his mother Divya Garg.
The pupil of Reading Boys Grammar School in Reading, southern England, scored the maximum score of 162 to become a member of Mensa, the High IQ Society.
His score is two points higher than Einstein and Hawking and places him in the top one per cent of people in the world who achieve this distinction.
“Mehul said the paper challenged his language skills, including analogies and definitions, and his sense of logic,” said his mother....
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