Senator McConell is lying. The 2016 obstruction of Judge Garland was a huge change in precedent. Nine months of obstruction and the reason of his rhetoric; “The People should decide.” So, McConnell does not love the country or the people, he loves the power and manipulated the power at the cost of the democracy of the people. He is not interested in governance or the US Constitution. The reason to race into a Supreme Court nomination is no longer the people’s will in the election of 2018.
My sincerest sympathies to the families and friends of those lost at “The Capital” in Annapolis, Maryland. They were five of the best of the best. They will be missed. The hate speech about the USA media must stop. NOW!
There is more I need to write about the Robert’s Court, but, I am stealing time away from my vacation in early morning hours. I am not going to sit in front of screens nor with ear buds because of FOX News propaganda.
Best regards until later.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Hi,
My vacation is nice. Broke the rules and peaked at the news. Just one comment; Mr. Goudy knows better than anyone that federal investigations can take anywhere from five to fifteen years. I think, from what I saw Minority Leader Pelosi needs to request an ethics review of the men on the committee questioning Mr. Wray and the other guy, the Deputy AG, oh yeah, Rosenstein. Mr. Goudy and the really nasty liar were really out of line. Thank you. Back to vacation.🌈
My vacation is nice. Broke the rules and peaked at the news. Just one comment; Mr. Goudy knows better than anyone that federal investigations can take anywhere from five to fifteen years. I think, from what I saw Minority Leader Pelosi needs to request an ethics review of the men on the committee questioning Mr. Wray and the other guy, the Deputy AG, oh yeah, Rosenstein. Mr. Goudy and the really nasty liar were really out of line. Thank you. Back to vacation.🌈
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
I thought we could recognize the criminals at the border by their cantaloupe-sized calves and not the children they carry while asking for asylum.
Parents can be DNA tested to secure the children.
There are some languages the border children speak that are not clearly discernable to be Spanish. The parents in detention centres should be asked if they can speak these unusual dialects. There is a high possibility if the detained parents can help with translation, that is the child's parent.
If stock prices reflect the optimism of a company's future, US Steel is not booming as Trump states.
June 25, 2018
The stock market (click here) suffered a large decline on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing more than 300 points lower after having fallen by nearly 500 points earlier in the session. Other major benchmarks followed suit as the White House once again escalated its rhetoric on the trade front, threatening to put new limits on the ability of foreign investors to export technology from U.S. companies. Stocks that are particularly sensitive to trade issues took hits, but the overall momentum behind the entire market also got stopped in its tracks. Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), and U.S. Steel (NYSE:X) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly....
...U.S. Steel cools off
Parents can be DNA tested to secure the children.
There are some languages the border children speak that are not clearly discernable to be Spanish. The parents in detention centres should be asked if they can speak these unusual dialects. There is a high possibility if the detained parents can help with translation, that is the child's parent.
If stock prices reflect the optimism of a company's future, US Steel is not booming as Trump states.
June 25, 2018
The stock market (click here) suffered a large decline on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing more than 300 points lower after having fallen by nearly 500 points earlier in the session. Other major benchmarks followed suit as the White House once again escalated its rhetoric on the trade front, threatening to put new limits on the ability of foreign investors to export technology from U.S. companies. Stocks that are particularly sensitive to trade issues took hits, but the overall momentum behind the entire market also got stopped in its tracks. Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), and U.S. Steel (NYSE:X) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly....
...U.S. Steel cools off
Finally, shares of U.S. Steel lost 6.5%. Many investors would figure that the steelmaker could be a big beneficiary of tariffs on industrial metals, given that it will be able to defend itself against foreign competition in its home market. Yet the result thus far of tariffs has been higher prices in the U.S. steel market, and that's raising new concerns among steel consumers. At this point, many investors in U.S. Steel hope that the federal government will resolve its trade disputes amicably -- before disruptive price changes both in the U.S. and abroad have a negative impact on the steelmaker's fundamental business prospects going forward.
United States Steel is not on our top "Buy" list, but these 10 stocks areInvesting geniuses David and Tom Gardner just released their best stocks to buy now -- and it could pay to listen. Especially when you consider their average stock pick is up 353% vs. a mere 81% for the S&P 500.
Duterte takes on God. No surprise there.
26 June 2018
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (click here) faced growing outrage on Tuesday (Jun 26) in his largely Catholic nation after calling God "stupid", the latest furore he has sparked with an unfiltered broadside.
Duterte took aim at the biblical creation story during a speech, raising the question of why God would create Adam and Eve and then expose them to temptation.
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (click here) faced growing outrage on Tuesday (Jun 26) in his largely Catholic nation after calling God "stupid", the latest furore he has sparked with an unfiltered broadside.
Duterte took aim at the biblical creation story during a speech, raising the question of why God would create Adam and Eve and then expose them to temptation.
Imagine that a visa-free entry is an economic enhancement.
The economic uptick is nice, but, such visa-free entry will also provide for refugees from the Philippines which has undergone severe government upheaval. I congratulate Taiwan for it's generous spirit that is also improving their economy.
June 26, 2018
By Duncan DeAeth
Taipei (Taiwan News) – The current visa-free entry policy (click here) for citizens of the Philippines coming to Taiwan is set to expire at the beginning of July, however the Taiwanese government is considering an extension of the policy, which has successfully increased tourism and business with the southern neighbor.
According to Philippine media, Alfred Wang, the economic director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila said that the government is likely to extend the visa-free entry based on the increase in arrivals from the Philippines since the policy was implemented.
While speaking at a “Meet Taiwan” event in Makati, Wang was quoted by the Manila Standard as saying,“this measure had a definite positive impact to both countries. We are now negotiating with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office to help us make this reciprocal, but nevertheless, Taiwan is seriously considering to extend the courtesy.”
The visa-free program was implemented Nov. 1, 2017 and will expire on July 31, 2018....
June 26, 2018
By Duncan DeAeth
Taipei (Taiwan News) – The current visa-free entry policy (click here) for citizens of the Philippines coming to Taiwan is set to expire at the beginning of July, however the Taiwanese government is considering an extension of the policy, which has successfully increased tourism and business with the southern neighbor.
According to Philippine media, Alfred Wang, the economic director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila said that the government is likely to extend the visa-free entry based on the increase in arrivals from the Philippines since the policy was implemented.
While speaking at a “Meet Taiwan” event in Makati, Wang was quoted by the Manila Standard as saying,“this measure had a definite positive impact to both countries. We are now negotiating with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office to help us make this reciprocal, but nevertheless, Taiwan is seriously considering to extend the courtesy.”
The visa-free program was implemented Nov. 1, 2017 and will expire on July 31, 2018....
Hate has legs and does not have borders.
June 26, 2018
Jeruslalem — An Associated Press journalist (click here) on Tuesday was prevented from covering a visit by Britain's Prince William to the prime minister's official residence after Israeli security agents questioned him about his religion and ethnic background.
Nebi Qena, the AP's chief television producer for Israel and the Palestinian territories, was held at the entrance to the residence for 45 minutes, forcing him to miss the event, while other journalists were allowed to enter. Netanyahu's office later apologized, citing "human error."
Qena is an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo and an Albanian citizen. He has been with the AP for 10 years, including three based in Jerusalem.
He said he was repeatedly questioned by security guards about his "ethnic origin." AP colleagues, on the scene and in the Jerusalem bureau, were asked by Netanyahu aides about Qena's religion and whether he was a Muslim as they tried to secure him entrance.
Qena had registered for the event ahead of time and been assured he would be allowed to enter. The AP was serving as the video press pool for international media.....
Jeruslalem — An Associated Press journalist (click here) on Tuesday was prevented from covering a visit by Britain's Prince William to the prime minister's official residence after Israeli security agents questioned him about his religion and ethnic background.
Nebi Qena, the AP's chief television producer for Israel and the Palestinian territories, was held at the entrance to the residence for 45 minutes, forcing him to miss the event, while other journalists were allowed to enter. Netanyahu's office later apologized, citing "human error."
Qena is an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo and an Albanian citizen. He has been with the AP for 10 years, including three based in Jerusalem.
He said he was repeatedly questioned by security guards about his "ethnic origin." AP colleagues, on the scene and in the Jerusalem bureau, were asked by Netanyahu aides about Qena's religion and whether he was a Muslim as they tried to secure him entrance.
Qena had registered for the event ahead of time and been assured he would be allowed to enter. The AP was serving as the video press pool for international media.....
This is a very weak court.
This court can't seem to decide the First Amendment. In this case, the travel ban was scrutinized through the lens of statements by Trump on Twitter. There are obvious statements of hate in that lens. While the court boiled this down to a national security issue; it has been a significant length of time to bring about a national standard to determine who intends to harm Americans when traveling to the USA and who is not. I do hold up a reality that many people traveling to the USA have no intention to harm Americans.
I remind; the leader of the terrorists that carried out the attacks of September 11, 2001 came from Germany and the Germans warned "W" about Atta.
This administration continues to apply wide definitions to who is able and willing and plans to harm Americans. His reason for calling southern border crossers criminals and separating them from their children is because they will harm Americans. This is an underlying tone to this administration and the President chronically takes that tone where it should not go.
Chief Justice Roberts has stated the President has significant powers to carry out limits on travel to the USA. I am not impressed by Chief Justice Roberts and his cowering to the First Amendment and it's overriding authority over hate and discrimination.
I look forward to the continued court case and more decisions to be made.
I remind; the leader of the terrorists that carried out the attacks of September 11, 2001 came from Germany and the Germans warned "W" about Atta.
This administration continues to apply wide definitions to who is able and willing and plans to harm Americans. His reason for calling southern border crossers criminals and separating them from their children is because they will harm Americans. This is an underlying tone to this administration and the President chronically takes that tone where it should not go.
Chief Justice Roberts has stated the President has significant powers to carry out limits on travel to the USA. I am not impressed by Chief Justice Roberts and his cowering to the First Amendment and it's overriding authority over hate and discrimination.
I look forward to the continued court case and more decisions to be made.
June 26, 2018
By Mark Sherman
The 5-4 decision is the court’s first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by his four conservative colleagues.
Roberts wrote that presidents have substantial power to regulate immigration. He also rejected the challengers’ claim of anti-Muslim bias....
Very few know Prince William has a proud heritage in ending the victimization of Jews during the Holocaust.
Hopefully, his visit isn't all ceremony but points to the human rights abuses occurring at Israel's borders. I am sure Princess Alice would approve.
26 June 2018
Britain's Prince William attends a ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
Prince William (click here) started his busy Israel tour Tuesday with a visit to Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
William arrived Monday night in the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled.
The Duke met two survivors who escaped Nazi Germany for the safety of Britain. The memorial has recognized Prince William's great-grandmother, Princess Alice, as part of the Righteous Among the Nations for her role in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust....
Phyllis Schlafly lives.
Mona Charen lives in a world of Barbie dolls and let's pretend there is a perfect way forward as a woman in the USA.
She needs to retire, what kind of shape is her 401K after 2008? Can she do that? She should. I think her own set of values would dictate she accept her place as a Grandmother and live to serve. Do I detect a wardrobe well preserved handed down from her conservative mother? What would a woman do without a good set of pearls? Maybe she doesn't understand where to find the New York fashion runway. Someone want to help her out of the doldrums and into a real life? Behaving is about oppression and eliminates the potential for achievement.
She must not have the vocabulary to ask, "What the heck happened to the presidency of Hillary Clinton?" I know that is a painful thought for conservatives, but, misogyny is still alive AT ANY COST, including inviting Russia to rule in the USA."Sex Matters" takes women back to being the victim of sexism and does not secure their dignity. Feminism is not an evil word.
#MeToo is a movement that empowers women away from "roles" for women into the real world of respect. No woman uses the act of sex to advance their careers within this movement. That is what has occurred across the spectrum since women entered the workforce and waking up to "be a woman" does not mean accepting assault by men holding power over their lives.
There are many places yet to advance the rights of women and children and accepting the 1950s as the best and only lifestyle isn't one of them.
Women are empowered by having control of their bodies and the political space carved out by Mona Charen will never bring happiness to women. She should address the plight of the women in the Working Poor and improve their oppression. As a rule, conservatives hate government dependency enough to seek a way out for even women.
Monday, June 25, 2018
It appears WW III has begun.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has more ambition than sense. His ambitions to expand the borders of Israel is destabilizing and if there was any possibility Syria would stop violence, it is gone as of Tuesday. The tensions in the region has been increased unilaterally by Israel.
Even the Palestinians of Gaza wanted a full war to put an end to their circumstances. They wanted to fight Israel for their lives. The Gaza Palestinians have been sending balloons and the like over the Israel border to explode and set agricultural land on fire to the sum of over a million dollar loss.
This is what Kushner has been going to Israel about, the supposed Peace Plan for Israel that is actually a plan to displace the Palestinians while Israel claimed Palestinian lands as an expansion of it's borders.
So, it started. Of course, it is a noble cause for the Golan Heights. Isn't everything Israel capable of doing noble?
Major powers need to extinguish this aggression before it gets out of hand. Forget about Trump, right now he is encouraging the aggression and waiting his turn to join in.
Bolton is another wacko. He would go to war with mice if they stole the cheese out of his mousetraps.
June 26, 2018
Syrian state media (click here) said early on Tuesday that two Israeli missiles struck near Damascus International Airport, without adding any details.
Even the Palestinians of Gaza wanted a full war to put an end to their circumstances. They wanted to fight Israel for their lives. The Gaza Palestinians have been sending balloons and the like over the Israel border to explode and set agricultural land on fire to the sum of over a million dollar loss.
This is what Kushner has been going to Israel about, the supposed Peace Plan for Israel that is actually a plan to displace the Palestinians while Israel claimed Palestinian lands as an expansion of it's borders.
So, it started. Of course, it is a noble cause for the Golan Heights. Isn't everything Israel capable of doing noble?
Major powers need to extinguish this aggression before it gets out of hand. Forget about Trump, right now he is encouraging the aggression and waiting his turn to join in.
Bolton is another wacko. He would go to war with mice if they stole the cheese out of his mousetraps.
Syrian state media (click here) said early on Tuesday that two Israeli missiles struck near Damascus International Airport, without adding any details.
In a report in the early hours of Tuesday, Syria’s state news agency said “two Israeli missiles came down near Damascus international airport”.
The head of monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, also told AFP that “the Israeli missiles hit arms depots for Hezbollah near the airport”.
He said the air strike took place at 1:00 am local time “without causing huge explosions” even though they hit the weapons stores.
The observatory added that the Syrian air defence “failed to intercept the missiles”....
He said the air strike took place at 1:00 am local time “without causing huge explosions” even though they hit the weapons stores.
The observatory added that the Syrian air defence “failed to intercept the missiles”....
Libya appears to be leveling off power between two authorities.
As the civil war in Libya rages on, Prof. Giancarlo Elia Valori discusses the Libyan General's strategic ties with the Russian Federation, as well as the support he receives from neighboring African states and key actors in Europe and the Gulf....
Libya has been in limbo as of late. President Obama backed the government in Tripoli, but, East Libya has been chaotic at best; until this:
Marshal Khalifa Haftar was supposed to be somewhere in Europe in a hospital on his death bed, but, that was debunked and now it appears that he has lead a successful takeover of the oil industry in that area of Libya.
If this holds up, that would mean there are two viable authorities in Libya. That may sound like bad news for most, but, it isn't. If Marshal Haftar is in control of East Libya, that means the other militias are defeated and any remnants are now under his control and quite possibly absorbed by his military.
The United Nations recognizes the government in Tripoli and it is stable, but, that Tripoli authority has not been able to secure Benghazi from vicious militias supposedly affiliated with al Qaeda and/or Daesh. Eastern Libya is mostly centered around Benghazi.
If one recalls the reason Quadaffi met his demise was because of his military's attack on Benghazi. The ability of Tripoli to bring Benghazi securely under its authority has been difficult to impossible for a while now. The reason has been the terrorist element in Benghazi. But, evidently, Haftar did it.
Haftar should approach the United Nations with details of his victory and welcomed as a man who tamed Benghazi and defeated Daesh and al Qaeda. If that is the reality. Haftar should come forward with details about the stability of Benghazi and East Libya. If he is successful in maintaining order then he is a real asset to Libya and perhaps that stability should be a priority before Haftar is considered an enemy of the country of Libya. Stability is paramount. If Benghazi has been rid of terrorists, that is a real victory for the people in the region of Libya.
I would encourage optimism and openness to Marshal Kalifa Haftar. He has achieved the impossible.
June 26, 2018
Marshal Khalifa Haftar (click here) announced on Monday the handover of oil installations under the control of his self-styled army to an administration that rivals Libya’s UN-backed government, after retaking them from militias.
The strongman’s announcement came just hours after his Libyan National Army said it had driven a rival militia out of the country’s oil crescent and regained “full control” of the area.
Libya has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 armed uprising that toppled and killed long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival authorities vying for control.
Haftar supports an administration based in the east of the country.
A UN-backed unity government based in Tripoli has struggled to assert its authority outside the west....
June 25, 2018
By Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa County Election Board officials (click here) said Monday that early in-person voting and absentee ballot requests suggest turnout for the primary elections that conclude Tuesday could top 50 percent.
That translates into about 170,000 votes, or nearly three times as many as in the 2014 statewide primary and more then even the 2016 presidential primary.
"The people who've been around here awhile say we've been way busier than normal for mid-term elections, that it's been closer to a presidential-year election," said Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman....
By Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa County Election Board officials (click here) said Monday that early in-person voting and absentee ballot requests suggest turnout for the primary elections that conclude Tuesday could top 50 percent.
That translates into about 170,000 votes, or nearly three times as many as in the 2014 statewide primary and more then even the 2016 presidential primary.
"The people who've been around here awhile say we've been way busier than normal for mid-term elections, that it's been closer to a presidential-year election," said Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman....
It sounds as though Paul Manafort needs emotional support.
Northern Neck Regional Jail
3908 Richmond Rd.
Warsaw, VA 22572
Above is the address where Paul Manafort lives. He can receive mail at that address. He is having a really difficult time settling in until his trial and he is assigned to a federal prison.
I will caution those that want to calm and support Paul Manafort, the jail management read all the materials received by the inmates.
Paul Manafort is not receiving support from his Republican friends because they are only interested in the potential of becoming a million/billionaire with 501(c)4. Paul Manafort, as a prisoner, will not be eligible for any non-profit fundraising.
Quite surprised actually, that the "Fat Man" in the White House hasn't been to visit his former campaign manager. Uncaring to say the least.
Here this guy comes to work to elect a US President and now because of some deep criminal content in his life, the "Fat Man" abandons him. Go figure.
Even when Manafort's Ukraine/Russian connection was made, Paul Manafort was marginalized, but, not fired. He resigned. Why? Would Putin be offended if Trump fired Manafort?
Well, we have come a long way and Mr. Manafort needs emotional support to accept his new life behind bars. It is something that every new inmate goes through. Obviously, other than his lawyers, no one is coming to support Manafort. A visit from the "Fat Man" in the White House would be nice. They were very close at one time.
3908 Richmond Rd.
Warsaw, VA 22572
Above is the address where Paul Manafort lives. He can receive mail at that address. He is having a really difficult time settling in until his trial and he is assigned to a federal prison.
I will caution those that want to calm and support Paul Manafort, the jail management read all the materials received by the inmates.
Paul Manafort is not receiving support from his Republican friends because they are only interested in the potential of becoming a million/billionaire with 501(c)4. Paul Manafort, as a prisoner, will not be eligible for any non-profit fundraising.
Quite surprised actually, that the "Fat Man" in the White House hasn't been to visit his former campaign manager. Uncaring to say the least.
Here this guy comes to work to elect a US President and now because of some deep criminal content in his life, the "Fat Man" abandons him. Go figure.
Even when Manafort's Ukraine/Russian connection was made, Paul Manafort was marginalized, but, not fired. He resigned. Why? Would Putin be offended if Trump fired Manafort?
Well, we have come a long way and Mr. Manafort needs emotional support to accept his new life behind bars. It is something that every new inmate goes through. Obviously, other than his lawyers, no one is coming to support Manafort. A visit from the "Fat Man" in the White House would be nice. They were very close at one time.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
We already have a space force. Every manned jet or rocket has a pilot. Space is already weaponized by Ronald Reagan.
The backlogs in the immigration courts exist because there aren't enough courts. All that is part of a comprehensive immigration policy.
There is no such thing as Due Process without representation unless that is waved as most mass murders have done.
The border crossers are not invading the USA. They come unarmed and unable to formulate a conspiracy to invade. They are CAUGHT crossing the border. That is not an invasion.
When Pope Francis stood at the Mexican side of the border with the USA it was not because the Catholic Church lacked investment in the people. Actually, the Holy Roman Catholic Church is well invested to assisting the border crossers.
The "Fat Man" in the White House can stop the idiocy of what he states at the border. So far Pope Francis has not brought a balance sheet to the statements he makes about "human need" being encountered at the USA southern border. If the "Fat Man" in the White House doesn't end his hate speech I would expect Pope Francis will call his bluff.
The backlogs in the immigration courts exist because there aren't enough courts. All that is part of a comprehensive immigration policy.
There is no such thing as Due Process without representation unless that is waved as most mass murders have done.
The border crossers are not invading the USA. They come unarmed and unable to formulate a conspiracy to invade. They are CAUGHT crossing the border. That is not an invasion.
When Pope Francis stood at the Mexican side of the border with the USA it was not because the Catholic Church lacked investment in the people. Actually, the Holy Roman Catholic Church is well invested to assisting the border crossers.
The "Fat Man" in the White House can stop the idiocy of what he states at the border. So far Pope Francis has not brought a balance sheet to the statements he makes about "human need" being encountered at the USA southern border. If the "Fat Man" in the White House doesn't end his hate speech I would expect Pope Francis will call his bluff.
Catholic Extension (click here) has a long history of providing crucial support to El Paso and the other Catholic dioceses at the U.S.-Mexico border. Catholics make up 80 percent of the total population in the territory of the El Paso diocese—the third highest percentage in the country.
Adjusted for inflation, Catholic Extension has provided a total of more than $122 million to help U.S. dioceses along the U.S.-Mexico border with the building and repair of churches, the education and formation of priests and other leaders, and various ministries. In the El Paso Diocese alone, Catholic Extension has funded projects totaling more than $18 million.
Catholic Extension has had a special focus on the dioceses in Texas throughout its history. The three U.S. dioceses with the highest percentage of Catholics—Brownsville, Laredo and El Paso—are all Texas border dioceses. Of all the states that Catholic Extension has supported over the years, Texas has received by far the most funding. And within Texas, the Diocese of El Paso has received funding for the greatest number of projects. Click the links and watch the videos below to learn more about how Catholic Extension is strengthening the Catholic Church in this area of the country....
"Strong Man" persona is about military hardware sales more than war. Trump has ignored Russian sanctions passed by Congress. He is not enforcing them and the US Congress does nothing.
There is also content in one article that says Russia will purchase USA military armaments from other countries. This give Russia the edge to remain competitive.
March 12, 2018
The United States (click here) remains the world's top weapons seller, accounting for 34 percent of global arms sales over the past five years, a new study shows.
Russia was the second-largest exporter with about 20 percent of all global arms deliveries, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported on March 11 in its latest overview of global weapons transfers.
The U.S. share of arms sales is up from 30 percent recorded in the 2008-12 period, SIPRI said.
"Based on deals signed during the Obama administration, U.S. arms deliveries in 2013–17 reached their highest level since the late 1990s,’ said Aude Fleurant, director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program.
"These deals and further major contracts signed in 2017 will ensure that the U.S.A. remains the largest arms exporter in the coming years," she added.
U.S. arms went to at least 98 countries, with a large portion of U.S. exports consisting of combat and transport aircraft, SIPRI said.
The research group said Russia exported weapons to 47 countries as well as to rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow-backed separatists are fighting the central government in
Kyiv. Overall, Russian arms sales fell 7 percent from the previous five-year period.
France was the third-largest exporter with a 6.7 percent share, followed by Germany and China.
SIPRI said it uses a five-year cycle to evaluate global arms sales to even out abnormalities caused by any one big weapons order during a specific year....
Bolton and Pompeo are meeting with Russians to organize a trip for "Fat Man" Trump. It could well be to convince Russia to stand down from invasions by Israel and the USA into Syria and possibly Iran.
Basically, "Fat Man" Trump is trading sanctions for land. Oh, of course, it is all in the name of peace with North Korea.
June 25, 2018
U.S. national security adviser John Bolton (click here) is heading to Europe on a trip that will also take him to Moscow amid expectations he will clear the way for a July meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bolton is scheduled to first meet with U.S. allies on June 25-26 in London and Rome before traveling on June 27 to the Russian capital, where a spokesman has said he would "discuss a potential meeting" between Trump and Putin.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Bolton will hold talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his Moscow visit.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a television interview over the weekend that Trump was likely to meet Putin "in the not-too-distant future."
The location of such a meeting has not been set, although officials have said it could take place in Vienna....
Don't take my word for it:
November 29, 2017
March 12, 2018
The United States (click here) remains the world's top weapons seller, accounting for 34 percent of global arms sales over the past five years, a new study shows.
Russia was the second-largest exporter with about 20 percent of all global arms deliveries, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported on March 11 in its latest overview of global weapons transfers.
The U.S. share of arms sales is up from 30 percent recorded in the 2008-12 period, SIPRI said.
"Based on deals signed during the Obama administration, U.S. arms deliveries in 2013–17 reached their highest level since the late 1990s,’ said Aude Fleurant, director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program.
"These deals and further major contracts signed in 2017 will ensure that the U.S.A. remains the largest arms exporter in the coming years," she added.
U.S. arms went to at least 98 countries, with a large portion of U.S. exports consisting of combat and transport aircraft, SIPRI said.
The research group said Russia exported weapons to 47 countries as well as to rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow-backed separatists are fighting the central government in
Kyiv. Overall, Russian arms sales fell 7 percent from the previous five-year period.
France was the third-largest exporter with a 6.7 percent share, followed by Germany and China.
SIPRI said it uses a five-year cycle to evaluate global arms sales to even out abnormalities caused by any one big weapons order during a specific year....
Bolton and Pompeo are meeting with Russians to organize a trip for "Fat Man" Trump. It could well be to convince Russia to stand down from invasions by Israel and the USA into Syria and possibly Iran.
Basically, "Fat Man" Trump is trading sanctions for land. Oh, of course, it is all in the name of peace with North Korea.
June 25, 2018
U.S. national security adviser John Bolton (click here) is heading to Europe on a trip that will also take him to Moscow amid expectations he will clear the way for a July meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bolton is scheduled to first meet with U.S. allies on June 25-26 in London and Rome before traveling on June 27 to the Russian capital, where a spokesman has said he would "discuss a potential meeting" between Trump and Putin.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Bolton will hold talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his Moscow visit.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a television interview over the weekend that Trump was likely to meet Putin "in the not-too-distant future."
The location of such a meeting has not been set, although officials have said it could take place in Vienna....
Don't take my word for it:
November 29, 2017
The Global Military Infrastructure and Logistics Market (click here) is estimated to value $39.05 billion in 2015 and expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.47% during the forecast period to reach $42 billion by 2020....
Turkey just saw the re-election of a dictator and he is violating Russian sanctions and purchasing missiles from Russia. Get this, Turkey as a NATO member is purchasing missiles that are supposed to take down American F-35.
Huh?
Either it is about a new alliance with Russia and the missiles will prevent "Fat Man" Trump from simply dropping munitions all over the Mideast as he did in Syria and/or this is about the Kurds.
3 April 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin (click here) pressed ahead Tuesday with the $2.5 billion sale of S-400 anti-air missiles to Turkey in a deal reached over the objections of the U.S. and other NATO allies.
"A priority task in the sphere of military technical cooperation is the implementation of the contract for supplies of S-400 Triumf missile systems to Turkey," Putin said at the start of a two-day visit to Turkey, according to the Russian news agency TASS....
Then there is good old fashion bribery. Turkey will purchase missiles that take down American F-35 jets for a nuclear submarine facility
...On Tuesday, Putin joined Erdogan in Ankara, where they remotely signaled the start of the construction of a Russian-built, $20 billion nuclear power plant on the Mediterranean coast at Akkuyu. (Akkuyu is on the Mediterranian near Syria where the Russians have traditionally held a naval installation.)
Putin said the plant, to be built by the Russian nuclear energy agency Rosatom (click here), has a tentative start-up date in 2023 "to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. We agreed with my dear friend [Erdogan] to do everything necessary to achieve that goal."...
A Russian nuclear plant within NATO and in the Mediterranean Sea. Amazing. This is expansion of nuclear powers. It needs to be inspected by the IAEA and found to be within the guidelines of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Nuclear facilities are real money to an economy and Russia desperately needs an economy. But, "W" did the same thing in India. Rather than pushing alternative energies which is cheaper and within international laws and moving toward peace and a benevolent Earth climate; "W" opted to sell nuclear technology to countries like India that can't afford it. Everytime a country can't afford the technology it is purchasing, the people are deprived of quality of life.
Turkey just saw the re-election of a dictator and he is violating Russian sanctions and purchasing missiles from Russia. Get this, Turkey as a NATO member is purchasing missiles that are supposed to take down American F-35.
Huh?
Either it is about a new alliance with Russia and the missiles will prevent "Fat Man" Trump from simply dropping munitions all over the Mideast as he did in Syria and/or this is about the Kurds.
3 April 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin (click here) pressed ahead Tuesday with the $2.5 billion sale of S-400 anti-air missiles to Turkey in a deal reached over the objections of the U.S. and other NATO allies.
"A priority task in the sphere of military technical cooperation is the implementation of the contract for supplies of S-400 Triumf missile systems to Turkey," Putin said at the start of a two-day visit to Turkey, according to the Russian news agency TASS....
Then there is good old fashion bribery. Turkey will purchase missiles that take down American F-35 jets for a nuclear submarine facility
...On Tuesday, Putin joined Erdogan in Ankara, where they remotely signaled the start of the construction of a Russian-built, $20 billion nuclear power plant on the Mediterranean coast at Akkuyu. (Akkuyu is on the Mediterranian near Syria where the Russians have traditionally held a naval installation.)
Putin said the plant, to be built by the Russian nuclear energy agency Rosatom (click here), has a tentative start-up date in 2023 "to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. We agreed with my dear friend [Erdogan] to do everything necessary to achieve that goal."...
A Russian nuclear plant within NATO and in the Mediterranean Sea. Amazing. This is expansion of nuclear powers. It needs to be inspected by the IAEA and found to be within the guidelines of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Nuclear facilities are real money to an economy and Russia desperately needs an economy. But, "W" did the same thing in India. Rather than pushing alternative energies which is cheaper and within international laws and moving toward peace and a benevolent Earth climate; "W" opted to sell nuclear technology to countries like India that can't afford it. Everytime a country can't afford the technology it is purchasing, the people are deprived of quality of life.
Americans must separate themselves from supporting the inhumane and genocidal treatment of asylum seekers at the USA border.
"Real Clear Politics" (click here)
June 19, 2018
By Ina Fried
More than 100 Microsoft workers (click here) signed an open letter calling for the company to sever its ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the agency's family separation policy.
Why it matters: Microsoft said in a January blog post it was "proud" of the work it was doing with ICE. The company said Monday it was "dismayed' by the family separation practices but defended its work with the agency. CEO Satya Nadella has not commented directly on the move, which has drawn condemnation from the CEOs of Apple, Google, Facebook and many other tech companies.
An odd paradox in defining this moment in politics: The more President Trump does, says and tweets outrageous things, the more his critics go bananas and the better he does in the polls.
The big picture: Our parallel universes are spinning farther apart. The coverage (and much of the reality) is a White House in chaos, and an erratic president improvising as his own policy adviser, chief of staff, comms director and tweeter-in-chief....
Stem cells cures doggy dementia.
Leo recovered from the dementia with the stem cell treatment.
23 June 2018
By Julie Power
Therapy dog Leo (click here) appeared happy to be patted and stroked by nursing home residents with dementia until he started showing symptoms eerily similar to theirs.
Leo would forget where his food bowl was located or he'd wait at the wrong door when the door bell rang, said his owner Fiona Gibbs of Pymble. Initially the family thought the behaviour was cute.
Then Leo "became scarily aggressive" and didn't recognise Mrs Gibbs or the family's five children.
"At one stage, we were almost defending ourselves with brooms. He was like a rabid dog," she said.
Now, three years later, Leo, a Pomapoo (a mix of pomeranian and poodle), is back to his normal placid self after a stem cell transplant appears to have reversed his canine cognitive dysfunction or dementia. This success is giving researchers hope of finding a cure for human dementia....
It would seem as thought President "Fat Man" Trump can't run anything right.
What is a 15 year old boy so afraid of that he ran away from the internment camp of the USA?
June 24, 2018
By Gabe Gutierraz
A 15-year-old boy (click here) ran away from a Texas shelter for migrant children, police said Sunday. The boy is now in Mexico, according to a source with direct knowledge of the incident.
The boy ran from Casa Padre, a child care facility in Brownsville, on Saturday, and was in conversations to be reunited with a man whom he called his father, the source said.
Details about the man, such as if he had already been living in the United States and for how long, weren't immediately clear. There had been a discrepancy in a DNA test, and before they could be sorted out, the child ran away, according to the source....
The "Fat Man" in the White House is now violating USA law again, continuing his "Flip-Flop" on lawful immigration due to asylum. Children are never to be refused asylum when they are not escorted by a parent or relative.
"Fat Man" Trump just won't give up the idea of genocide, will he? Deporting people seeking asylum only to have them return to be killed in their own country is genocide. Separating children from their parents is also genocide.
June 25, 2018
By Dara Lind
On Saturday night, (click here) the Trump administration finally announced its plan for reuniting the 2,053 families who are still separated thanks to President Donald Trump’s “zero-tolerance” prosecution policy: The administration will reunite children with their parents — in order to deport them both.
Over weeks of chaos and confusion, it became clear that the various departments and agencies involved in family separation — chiefly the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which handles immigration enforcement, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which takes separated kids reclassified as “unaccompanied alien children” into custody — were so badly coordinated that it was nearly impossible for parents and immigration attorneys to locate children.
The Trump administration is promising to fix that — but only in some circumstances....
"Fat Man" Trump is using coercion to create impossible decisions by parents that have left their homeland countries seeking asylum. Another violation of ethics and/or the law. Intimidation in the USA is against the law, especially when it imperils someone's life.
The beautiful thing about "Capture and Release" is that it never puts children or their families in peril. The risks they are taking are their own, but, if they are seeking asylum there will be court documents that say such things. So, their presence in the USA is legal and backed by the federal government.
The process works with Capture and Release and the federal government gets out of the way of "Due Process."
My understanding is that "Fat Man" Trump is using the monies from the US Treasury set aside to apprehend drug cartel members transporting heroine and other drugs, for his immoral interment camps. I thought "Fat Man" Trump stated the drug overdose crisis (click here) was real and a national emergency. So, now, Americans suffering from PRESCRIPTION drugs and others that are suicidal no longer are important so the "Fat Man" can have his campaign issue for November 2018 elections. Doesn't the "Fat Man" in the White House know he is not allowed to carry out political dogma from the US Treasury budget? ANOTHER ETHICS VIOLATION AND IT MAY EVEN BE CRIMINAL TO DIVERT DEDICATED FEDERAL FUNDS.
The "Fat Man" in the White House is now violating USA law again, continuing his "Flip-Flop" on lawful immigration due to asylum. Children are never to be refused asylum when they are not escorted by a parent or relative.
"Fat Man" Trump just won't give up the idea of genocide, will he? Deporting people seeking asylum only to have them return to be killed in their own country is genocide. Separating children from their parents is also genocide.
June 25, 2018
By Dara Lind
On Saturday night, (click here) the Trump administration finally announced its plan for reuniting the 2,053 families who are still separated thanks to President Donald Trump’s “zero-tolerance” prosecution policy: The administration will reunite children with their parents — in order to deport them both.
Over weeks of chaos and confusion, it became clear that the various departments and agencies involved in family separation — chiefly the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which handles immigration enforcement, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which takes separated kids reclassified as “unaccompanied alien children” into custody — were so badly coordinated that it was nearly impossible for parents and immigration attorneys to locate children.
The Trump administration is promising to fix that — but only in some circumstances....
"Fat Man" Trump is using coercion to create impossible decisions by parents that have left their homeland countries seeking asylum. Another violation of ethics and/or the law. Intimidation in the USA is against the law, especially when it imperils someone's life.
The beautiful thing about "Capture and Release" is that it never puts children or their families in peril. The risks they are taking are their own, but, if they are seeking asylum there will be court documents that say such things. So, their presence in the USA is legal and backed by the federal government.
The process works with Capture and Release and the federal government gets out of the way of "Due Process."
My understanding is that "Fat Man" Trump is using the monies from the US Treasury set aside to apprehend drug cartel members transporting heroine and other drugs, for his immoral interment camps. I thought "Fat Man" Trump stated the drug overdose crisis (click here) was real and a national emergency. So, now, Americans suffering from PRESCRIPTION drugs and others that are suicidal no longer are important so the "Fat Man" can have his campaign issue for November 2018 elections. Doesn't the "Fat Man" in the White House know he is not allowed to carry out political dogma from the US Treasury budget? ANOTHER ETHICS VIOLATION AND IT MAY EVEN BE CRIMINAL TO DIVERT DEDICATED FEDERAL FUNDS.
DO NOT INCINERATE!
"Morning Papers"The Rooster
"Okeydoke"
China, along with other countries, are already sending space junk into orbit in the way of satellites, etc.
I strongly suggest China assess the amount of plastic waste that belongs to it and what percentage belongs to other countries.
China should not incinerate any of the plastic trashed dumped within it's country, it should compact the darn stuff, put as much as can in a rocket and launch toward the sun. The rest will take care of itself. If China cannot accept full responsibility to send the plastic trash into the sun, then bill the countries that advantage of China when it naively welcomed foreign plastic trash into the country.
June 20, 2018
By Shoshana Wodinsky
China’s recent crackdown (click here) on the import of plastic waste will result in millions of tons of displaced plastic trash, according to new research. The ban will force countries like the US to find new ways to deal with their own trash.
On December 31st, 2017, China put a halt to a lot of the plastic waste that foreign countries like the US sent to its shores for disposal. To calculate the impact of that ban, researchers at the University of Georgia looked at how much plastic waste China imported from 1988 to 2016. They then used that information to calculate that by 2030, the ban might leave 111 million metric tons of plastic trash with nowhere to go, according to a study published today in Science Advances.
Since 1988, nearly half of the planet’s plastic trash — like single-use soda bottles, food wrappers, and plastic bags — has been sent to China, where the material is recycled to make more plastic goods. The 2017 ban, however, has left countries like the US scrambling for what to do with all the extra plastic waste. In the US, a lot of it is already piling up in landfills, according to The New York Times. Today’s study is the first one to tally what the consequences of China’s trash ban will be. It also highlights the need for countries that have traditionally exported their plastic waste to rethink how they dispose of it....
"Good Night, Moon"
11.8 days old moon
90.5 percent lit
May 1, 2018
By Dr. Tony Phillips
May 1, 2018: Sunspots (click here) are becoming scarce. Very scarce. So far in 2018 the sun has been blank almost 60% of the time, with whole weeks going by without sunspots. Today’s sun, shown here in an image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, is typical of the featureless solar disk:...
The fact that sunspots are vanishing comes as no surprise. Forecasters have been saying for years that this would happen as the current solar cycle (“solar cycle 24”) comes to an end. The surprise is how fast.
“Solar cycle 24 is declining more quickly than forecast,” announced NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center on April 26th. This plot shows observed sunspot numbers in blue vs. the official forecast in red:...
“The smoothed, predicted sunspot number for April-May 2018 is about 15,” says NOAA. “However, the actual monthly values have been [significantly] lower.”
“Official” forecasts of the solar cycle come from NOAA’s Solar Cycle Prediction Panel–a group of experts from NOAA, NASA, the US Air Force, universities and other research organizations. They have been convening at intervals since 1989 to predict the timing and intensity of Solar Max. The problem is, no one really knows how to predict the solar cycle. The most recent iteration of the panel in 2006-2008 compared 54 different methods ranging from empirical extrapolations of historical data to cutting-edge supercomputer models of the sun’s magnetic dynamo. None fully described what is happening now....
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Give up the whaling, it is unbecoming and a foreign culture.
It hardly seems right to review Japan. Japan has been the moral leader of Earth's tropospheric protection for some time now. They developed "Kyoto Protocol" and gave the Climate Crisis a definition. The global community should be grateful for Japan and their marvellous scientists.
Japan is a leader in other areas, too. They love computers and technology and are some of the earliest achievements with the application of Artificial Intelligence. There is a high demand for electricity with that technology so Japan's scientists need to consider the electricity load to their developed technologies and do more with less.
I love Japan. It is an incredible country. It should develop it's own culture and abandon the prestige of whaling. Earth needs her whales more than the Japanese dinner table does. It really surprises me that the Japanese culture with all it's improvements in diet and health still carries out whaling. The carcinogens in whale meat of any kind is dense. The whales swim through some of the most polluted waters in the world and their meat is not safe for consumption, yet Japan still insists on whaling. It is counter-culture and it's history is mired in the recommendations for economic recovery after WWII.
The Japanese culture developed by mimicking the USA's economy, but, no one really spears whales anymore. Japan is walking in a shadow of vigilance after the bombs were dropped. The country needs to consider in shedding the delicacies of marine mammals. By all rights, those that test for endangered species in markets around the world could site Japan when the Minke whales they claim is for scientific purposes show up on the food menus of the Japanese.
Japan is a great country with great values, what went wrong with whaling?
Japan is a leader in other areas, too. They love computers and technology and are some of the earliest achievements with the application of Artificial Intelligence. There is a high demand for electricity with that technology so Japan's scientists need to consider the electricity load to their developed technologies and do more with less.
I love Japan. It is an incredible country. It should develop it's own culture and abandon the prestige of whaling. Earth needs her whales more than the Japanese dinner table does. It really surprises me that the Japanese culture with all it's improvements in diet and health still carries out whaling. The carcinogens in whale meat of any kind is dense. The whales swim through some of the most polluted waters in the world and their meat is not safe for consumption, yet Japan still insists on whaling. It is counter-culture and it's history is mired in the recommendations for economic recovery after WWII.
The Japanese culture developed by mimicking the USA's economy, but, no one really spears whales anymore. Japan is walking in a shadow of vigilance after the bombs were dropped. The country needs to consider in shedding the delicacies of marine mammals. By all rights, those that test for endangered species in markets around the world could site Japan when the Minke whales they claim is for scientific purposes show up on the food menus of the Japanese.
Japan is a great country with great values, what went wrong with whaling?
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