Flooding emergency in Texas (click here for additional news article about recovery efforts - thank you)

Below is the current river gauges of the USA (click here). The Mississippi River has moderate flooding. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that if the Mississippi River level falls, the other major tributaries will begin to drain out and reduce their height as well. 

That hasn't happened.

It continues to be a chronic pattern of rain and severe storms that are causing the Mississippi to maintain higher levels. In examing this map, the purple color indicating Major Flooding somewhat blends in with the green. There is significant flooding continuing through the Midwest and West. None of this is good news and short of the Democratic candidates for President of the USA, there is no one addressing the continued suffering of these Americans.

If any of these high levels throughout the Midwest and West have resulted in stagnant water that means there is a concern for disease.

The children are out of school. Perhaps by late August, they might be out of homeless shelters and back to a somewhat normal life. If the water doesn't recede by autumn, the country has to seriously begin to build a new assessment of where dry productive land actually lies.

I am fairly confident, the Army Corp. and USGS can already answer that assessment.

This is a Sugar Maple in bloom with it's flowers.

A blooming sugar maple (click here) is one of the most conspicuous trees in the landscape, except that it's not obvious that the trees are actually flowering. The flowers are quite small, borne abundantly in clusters, each at the end of a long dangling flower stalk (pedicel).  All these parts are light yellow-green, presenting a very bright display that stands out, but with little apparent detail, so might be mistaken for leaf-out, which hasn't happened yet (branch/leaf buds are just breaking when the bloom is in full force)....

The flower is 3/16 inch long with bell-shaped 5 lobed greenish yellowish flowers. The flower clusters contain both male and female parts. They are drooping together on long slender hairy stalks. The Sugar Maple blooms in early Spring.

The bark on the Sugar Maple is light grey. With age it can be (brown, gray, or near black, often with an orange interior bark). The bark runs vertically is rough and deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges.

The twig is slender, greenish to brown or gray. This particular twig has a bud.

The seed pod of a Sugar Maple is basically a helicopter to transport it to areas where water and sunlight are plentiful.

The seed pod is considered the fruit of the tree. it is 1 to 1 and 1/4 inches long including the long wing. The wing is a forked pair, brown with one seed.

The black and white image to the right is how the seed pods are arranged on the twig in relation to the leaf.

We already know the Sugar Maple is a broadleaf. It is 3 and 1/2 to 5 and 1/2 inches long and wide.

It is in the shape of the palm of the hand and is appropriately named Palmately Lobed. 

It has 5 main veins from the base that appears best on the reverse side of the leaf. The reverse side is a far paler color than the front side, It also has 5 deep, long and pointed lobes to the leaf. The leaf stalk is long and often hairy. It is a dull green color that varies from pale to dark green.

Sugar Maple leaves turn from yellow to orange to red in the autumn/fall. 

The Sugar Maple's 
habitat is moist soils of uplands and valleys.

The Sugar Maple is a very hardy tree and is used for maple syrup. It is stated the Native Indians taught the Colonists how to tap the tree and refine the maple syrup. Each tree yields between 5 to 60 gallons of say per year. It takes about 35 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup or 4 and 1/2 pounds of sugar.

Who is picking the crops? Who will pick the crops, assuming there will still be crops.

May 8, 2019

By Jessie Higgins

The average age of America's hired farm laborers was just under 42 in 2017, up from 36 in 2006. 

Evansville - The average age (click here) of America's hired farm laborers is steadily increasing, threatening the future of the nation's farming industry, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The reason is the foreign-born workers, who comprise more than half the workforce, are getting older. At least half those workers are unauthorized. And because the United States is cracking down on illegal immigration, younger immigrants are not arriving to replace them.

Between 2007 and 2016, the estimated number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico dropped about 22 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. During roughly that same time period, the average age of migrant and immigrant farmworkers in the United States rose from just under 36 in 2006 to nearly 42 in 2017, according to the report, released last week by the USDA Economic Research Service.

"This is a pretty big concern," said Michael Langemeier, an agricultural economics professor at Purdue University. "If that group is aging, farmers are going to have more problems finding workers. Their bottom lines will be under pressure."...

This is the range of the Sugar Maple.

Acer saccharum Marshall (click here)

It is New York State's most abundant hardwood. 

The Sugar Maple is a large tree with a rounded and dense crown. The trees in dense populations make for a beautiful canopy. As a single tree at a home provides for very nice shade.

Height is about 70 to 100 feet at maturity. The diameter of the trunk 2 to 3 feet.

Maples, but, in particular, Sugar Maples are coveted as a furniture wood. The wood from a Sugar Maple when processed has some interesting classifications that sometimes are considered unique or rare and bring a higher price of lumber.


To the right is a sample of "bird's eye" maple wood. It is said the small dots look like bird's eyes. It is the way the wood grew that created this pattern. There is no clear indication that it is a stronger wood than regular maple wood, but, the patterns in the maple wood can provide uniqueness in the finished product. 

Trees with Don Leopold - Sugar Maple the Official Tree of New York State

The sugar maple was adopted as the State tree in 1956

It isn't simple recovering the USA's Midwest.

June 26, 2019
By Daniel Cusick

The 2019 Mississippi River (click here) flood fight is going to slog deep into the summer — and maybe much longer.

While communities north of St. Louis are beginning the expensive path to recovery after record-breaking winter and spring precipitation and runoff, people below the Missouri River are shoveling mud from their houses and praying for a dry spell.

The Lower Mississippi Valley remains in a flood crisis as high water continues to swamp streets, homes, businesses, sewage and water treatment plants, and farm fields, including across some of the poorest counties in the United States....

The levees are infrastructure. 30 levees is an entire river system. How is the water going to be contained when the levees are not intact. It is nearly an impossible situation because to control the river is to have the levees intact. So long as the flooding persists and the rain continues it is very difficult to rebuild levee systems.

...With prior floods, "it was a nuisance and then we were back in business," he added. "But the duration [of this flood] wears and tears on the minds of not only the business owners but the homeowners. I know several that are done."

As it stands, the river needs to drop an additional 4 feet to open Grafton's main street — the "Great River Road" — by the July 4 holiday.

Jared Gartman, chief of readiness and contingency operations for the Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi Valley Division in Vicksburg, Miss., said most of the Army Corps districts in the basin have broken records for flood duration, in some places by weeks, and roughly 30 levees have been overtopped or breached in the lower basin....

The Sugar Maple is considered a "broad leaf."

Look at the trees (click here) in your area and you will notice that they are not all the same. By observing the differences, you will be able to identify which species they belong to. However, to correctly identify a tree, you need to look at several parts of the tree. There are three simple steps to follow. Do you know what they are?

To determine which species a tree belongs to, first observe its silhouette. This is very important, as there are many types.

Next, look at the leaves, which occur in different shapes. They are often the best clue to identifying the tree species. Look carefully at the leaf and note its characteristics, i.e., the type of leaf, location on the twig, and the shape and arrangement of the veins. Each of these features is very significant and should be carefully examined in order to correctly identify the tree.

The fruit of broadleaf trees contains the seeds for reproduction of the species. Finally, observe the bark, the protective covering on the trunk and branches. It is to trees what skin is to humans. The fruit and bark are often used to help identify a tree....

Fish and Forests

June 30, 2019
By Paul Hetzler

As many anglers know, trees and trout are closely related. (click here)

Not in a family sense, of course. And not like the way in which tomatoes and fish were briefly married in a 1996 experiment at Oakland, California-based DNA Plant Technology in an attempt to get a frost-tolerant tomato (or possibly a saucy fish.)

NATURE'S ROOM SERVICE


If it weren’t for tree cover, cold-water fish species would not survive in most of the streams they now inhabit.

Forests provide us with many “ecosystem services.

While the term sounds like you can call up Ecosystem Services when camping and order wine delivered to your tent, these services, or gifts, range from the sublime (aesthetic beauty) to the mundane (dollar value of tourism.)

They also include essential things like the production of oxygen, and the removal of airborne particulates.

TOP TO BOTTOM BENEFITS

The impact of extreme storm events is dampened by forests in many ways. The canopy reduces the force at which rain hits the ground, which leads to less water running over the land and more of it seeping into the groundwater....

Considering the relationship between forests and fish, the idea of protecting the forest is a very good one.

February 24, 2017
by Devin Golden

The American Sportfishing Association (click here) and Southwick Associates released the 2017 update of Economic Contributions of Recreational Fishing: U.S. Congressional Districts. The report states America's 46 million anglers have a total economic impact of $115 billion for the United States.

The report, which describes the economic contributions for each state's economy from anglers who live within each district, also includes one-page infographics with economic impacts broken down for all 435 congressional districts and all 50 states....

Outlook Period June, July and August 2019

Issued June 7, 2019 (click here)

...Fire activity continued to be well below average during May as a cool, wet pattern redeveloped over the western United States that persisted through month’s end. High elevation locations in many areas received late season snowfall that further slowed snowpack melting rates. Middle and lower elevations continued to see the development of a robust, continuous grass crop. Drought continued to recede except across Washington State where it persisted and across the Southeast where a slight intensification was observed....

And why exactly are forest rangers necessary?

June 12, 2019
By David Figura

DEC foresty Rangers conduct swift water rescue training on the Raquette River.

A trio of kayakers (click here) overturned and were separated from their crafts in the raging Batten Kill River recently and were reported missing -- resulting in a widespread search by officials that continued into the night.

Fortunately, the kayakers made it to shore and were located at a nearby campground in the early morning hours.

That rescue effort and others involving state Forest Rangers were included this week’s news release by the state Department of Environmental Conservation of Forest Ranger rescues. All information below was provided by the DEC....

New York has awaken the spirit of nature.

"William F. Fox, Father of Modern NY Forest Rangers" (click here)

June 14, 2019

Saratoga Springs - The New York State (click here) Department of Environmental Conservation has renamed the State Tree Nursery in Saratoga Springs the Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery.

Considered by many to be the “father” of DEC’s forest rangers, Fox is arguably one of the most important people in New York state forest lands and forest management history, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said.

During its more than a century of service, the State Tree Nursery has adapted to the changing needs of forestry and land management. The trees and shrubs grown at the nursery support DEC’s goals and overall mission. DEC encourages planting trees and shrubs by providing nursery service to provide low cost, quality stock that is readily available to the public....

It's Sunday Night

Mac Wiseman - Maple Sugar Sweetheart (click here for Grand Ole Opry artist page - thank you)

"Maple Sugar Sweetheart"

Written by Ward Allen and Henry Hank Lariviere (click here for artist's page - thank you)

Oh I left her in the mountains in the golden summertime

I told her not to worry little darling pal of mine

I told her that I loved her and always would be true

When the moon comes o’er the mountain I’ll be waitin’ there for you

She’s my darling she’s my sweetheart she’s the one for me

With a heart as pure as gold and in dreams her face I see

Soon I’ll be returning and the wedding bells will chime

And I’ll make her mine forever when it’s maple sugar time

Jerry Tuckett will play the fiddle folks will come from miles away

To the maple sugar hoedown what a happy wedding day

I’ll be a country king and I’ll paint a pretty scene

I’ll kiss her smiling ruby lips she’ll be my maple sugar Queen                     

Other than Israel's perceived security threat, these seem as mostly unprovoked attacks.

Israel has carried out many strikes against reported Iranian supplies to Hezbollah. I guess the five Russian S-300 are viewed as a security threat.

There is no doubt there is a bond between Iran and Syria as Assad is Alawite, which is a sect of the Shi'ite religion.

Russia certainly knows how to create a mess.

June 30, 2019

Syria said Israeli jets attacked (click here) several military sites near the capital Damascus and the central city of Homs early Monday, lightly injuring several people.

State news agency SANA said that Syrian air defense had intercepted several of the incoming missiles that were fired from Lebanese airspace.

The report said explosions damaged some houses and lightly injured several people in Sahnaya, a neighborhood of Damascus.

There was no response from the Israel Defense Forces, which rarely comments on reported strikes.

Israel accuses Iran of seeking to set up a military presence in Syria that could be used to threaten the Jewish state.

The Israeli military has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years on targets linked to Iran, which is backing President Bashar Assad’s regime in the Syrian civil war.

The reported strikes came just hours after an Israeli satellite imagery analysis company said Syria’s entire S-300 air defense system appeared to be operational, indicating a greater threat to Israel’s ability to conduct airstrikes against Iranian and pro-Iranian forces in the country....

Satellite photos released by ImageSat International appear to show all four missile launchers of the S-300 air defense system in the raised position in the northwestern Syrian city of Masyaf on June 30, 2019. (ImageSat International)

Putin's Spies

More Russian election propaganda, Junior?

There is probably even more reasons to have a FISA investigation into the Trump family and their LOOSE loyalty to USA national security in the boldened year of 2019. 

US Senator Kamala Harris is a very esteemed Senator, an American and one that grew up in the USA during very difficult times of oppression and local government efforts to rise above it.

I don't care if she is 99.9 percent Irish, she grew up as a minority in this country in very oppressive times. I am proud of her. She and her family rose above the oppression and BRAVELY went forward to become a highly intelligent, talented, self-assured and beautiful woman.

"Junior" obviously is a White Supremacist embracing such hatred. Honestly, these people do not below in or near the seats of power.

I apologize to Senator Harris for this obvious racist action by Trump, Junior. She is undeserving of such hatred. She has worked diligently all her life to improve the circumstances of minorities, even from the time as a child being bussed for integration. She is a magnificent person and this was very unfortunate. I am sorry the USA is STILL a hotbed of hatred. I also strongly believe it is a national security issue that divides the country.

June 30, 2019
By Mary Papenfuss

Donald Trump Jr. (click here) was bashed on Twitter Saturday for boosting a type of “birtherism” campaign against Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) that surged in the wake of her breakout performance in one of the recent debates among Democratic presidential candidtates.

A right-wing operative attacked Harris on Twitter after the debate, claiming she had no right to represent American blacks because her father grew up in Jamaica. Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, was born in Oakland, California, in 1964....

With the exception of the First Lady, the Trump family serves the purpose of "The Dictator's Spies." Trump's family talks to him all the time. This is Putin's way of obtaining information without being there.

There is a reason the world's strongmen, primarily communists, befriend Trump and make it appear as though Trump is making inroads to peace. It is ridiculous. The Trumps are the eyes and ears of Freedom's Enemies.

They are mobile listening posts.

Kushner's international summit is causing international backlash.

At least one Palestinian businessman was arrested by the Palestinian Authority to find out what transpired during the exclusive conference organized by Jared Kushner.

Every time the Trump administration moves internationally, it causes problems and TENSIONS. What do they think they are accomplishing by excluding the PA from proceedings that will ultimately effect them?

June 29, 2019
By Adam Rasgon

Palestinian policemen participate in a training session at their headquarters in the West Bank city of Hebron on January 30, 2019.

The Palestinian Authority (click here) arrested a Palestinian businessman who attended the US-led economic conference in Bahrain this past week where the Trump administration unveiled the economic aspects of its proposed peace plan, a senior PA official said on Saturday.

Saleh Abu Mayala was arrested in Hebron by Palestinian intelligence forces in an area under Palestinian Authority security control, the Hebron-based senior PA official told The Times of Israel....

The Logan Act?

Former Secretary of State John Kerry? I suppose this is the deep state again, huh?

My, my, Trump is desperate to draw attention away from the Perp Walk of his former campaign manager.

THE WHOLE WORLD SAW IT DONALD!

There is a growing consensus that Trump and Putin have a great deal in common beginning with lies, Russian intelligence agents, political campaigns and PAUL MANAFORT.

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 continues to remind many families of their vulnerability.

Luis Alvarez was a very healthy man when he went into the pit and tried in every way possible to find those trapped by the building collapse. He is gone today and we are not a better country for it.

Our First Responders leave behind family, friends and an entire community that relied on them. We have to do better in knowing the dangers our First Responders face and shield them from it.

He will be missed.

June 29, 2019
By Ray Sanchez

"We told him (click here) at the end that he had won this battle by the many lives he had touched by sharing his three year battle," the statement said.




"He was at peace with that, surrounded by family. Thank you for giving us this time we have had with him, it was a blessing."...

I think I am going to be a bit of a spoiler, but, the idea of "Medicare for all" needs to be spelled out more clearly.

I do not presume to completely understand exactly what is meant by some of the plans of the Democratic candidates, but, I do understand the range of possibilities.

We tried that before, but, it didn't work.

The Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act was exceptionally good law. It took the health of Americans seriously and found solutions for everyone if they wanted it to participate in a health care insurance plan. 

Otherwise known as Obamacare because President Obama did care, it allowed health insurance companies to continue to exist in the face of draconian and dangerous practices. Additionally, it took the well established Medicaid program and expanded it to insure low income Americans. 

The ACA/Obamacare implemented annual physicals, wellness visits, and early detection diagnostics to catch any disease before it became dangerous. It is good law.

This is not an endorsement of any political candidate, this is simply a review of the ideas I believe exists in the Democratic field. I am not naming names.

What occurred with the ACA was actually criminal. FOX News had success in the past with Hillarycare when instilling fear of a new law. The law would reel in government and elevate private insurers that primarily exploited some Americans. Not all health care insurance even under Hillarycare was bad, but, there was health care insurance that took money without providing coverage in a traditional way.

What should have occurred was to have a Congress that rallied with the American people to find a solution that worked for them. The ACA was originally a Republican bill. So, the idea both parties could benefit from the passage of comprehensive healthcare was realistic.

But, Murdoch didn't like government and turned his network loose on the American people. Then there was Lieberman that attacked the public option because he wanted to protect the high profits of the insurance companies in Connecticut.

By the way, there was an interesting observation made from that debate stage about the profits of health care insurers. THEIR PROFITS ARE REMARKABLE AND IT IS ONLY 15 PERCENT of the total cost of health care.

Got that?

The ACA demanded health care insurers maintain a profit no greater than 15 percent to keep costs to consumers as low as possible. So, Americans need to clearly get the picture about the health care insurance industry, that they like profits and plenty of it. What I believe may be going on is inflated costs within the companies to justify the high profits that are ONLY 15 PERCENT of their income.

We tried that before, but, it didn't work.

Before the ACA there was government sponsored health care in the way of Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. That covered poor children, the elderly and the poor. That worked for the USA, but, what became a real problem were bankruptcies and health insurance practices that were killing Americans. Americans no longer had great private insurance from their employers either. That TRADITION was ended when companies realized they could place significant costs on their employees and the employees couldn't do anything about it. I might add here, unions always pursue health care as a benefit and those policies are still providing excellent care for union members.

Private health care began to be a significant burden on Americans with co-pays and annual minimums and when employed, cost sharing of premium costs. Health care insurance started to become a necessary evil and to many Americans, they simply could not afford to participate in it. For the first time in modern history, Americans were dying and the cause of death was No Health Insurance.

The ACA is a great law. What occurred and why there will never be any bipartisanship is that Murdoch, through FOX News turned health care into a political issue. HEALTH CARE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN POLITICIZED. The Republicans began to dismantle the ACA and today Americans are faced with losing their health care AGAIN because of pre-existing conditions.

We tried that before, but, it didn't work.

When the US House majority was returned this year, they passed laws that would ensure Americans were not measured by pre-existing conditions. Those laws are stalemated by Mitch McConnell and why? Why? Because he uses them as political issues to INSTILL FEAR OF GOVERNMENT when it comes to who is going to choose your doctors and who is going to say whether or not you can receive health care for surgeries and the like.

The idea Americans have control of their doctors is nonsense. THE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THEIR PARTICIPATING PHYSICIANS CHOOSE YOUR DOCTOR. Americans don't have a choice in regard to their personal physician or any specialists. Either they are in network or Americans pay through the nose in co-pays. So lose that idea right now.

And get rid of the idea an American can actually get the medical treatment they need when they need it because as a patient they have to be PRE-QUALIFIED and by whom? Whom? The health insurance companies. These are not personal decisions anymore and Americans can be rejected in having healthcare by these same companies everyone believes are so wonderful. All I ever hear is how great American health care is. THAT IS PROPAGANDA AND BRAINWASHING. While Ameican health care is great and our practitioners excellent, the ACTUAL CARE is blunted by health insurance companies. So lose that idea that American health care is GREAT. It is not and it is the most costly in the world.

We tried that before, but, it didn't work.

What the candidates on the Democratic debate stage have done and are trying desperately to do is FIND A FIX FOR THE BROKEN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

At least they are trying. The Republicans simply want to end Obamacare and forget there is a problem. There is no problem with healthcare. Those are just the Democrats trying to find a way to scare Americans and drive them to the polls for their own elections. Right? I mean that is a reality, right McConnell? No American is having problems with health care according to the Republicans. There is such a minor problem according to Republicans they can move before the Supreme Court to end the ACA and postpone any new program until after the 2020 elections. Basically, the Republicans have no answers, only propaganda that serves their political ambitions and big money donors.

So, here we are now with Democrats and an Independent sincerely concerned for the health of the country and rightfully so. A strong country is comprised of strong people.

Some of the candidates on that debate stage want to improve on the ACA/Obamacare. Some want to bring on a new and better approach that nationalizes healthcare. Nationalizing health care will do several things, it will provide coverage for every American. There will be no bureaucracy in the Emergency Room, there will be open doors to all that require health care. Single Payer means the government pays for everything through the tax dollars collected. But, there will be other costs affiliated with health care and everyone is covered. It would provide no questions asked and a healthy country.

Most Americans when they think about Medicare for All, they don't think it is nationalized health care. They believe Medicare will be available as a public option, but, other than that the private sector remains as it is and life goes on.

We tried that before, but, it didn't work.

The candidates on that debate stage want to end this problem for the American people. I sincerely believe that. There are plenty of ideas, but, there is also a truth that cannot be ignored and that is EVERY TIME  A LAW PASSES TO IMPROVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, SOMETHING COMES ALONG AND DESTROYS A VERY GOOD LAW.

The majority of Americans like having access to healthcare, they like having health care without any determination due to pre-conditions, they like insuring their children all the way through higher education and THEY WANT MEDICATIONS THAT ARE REASONABLY PRICED. They want health care and they want it available to everyone and they want the cost to be reasonable. That is what those on the debate stage are trying to do for the people. 

I think the best way forward that I understand is to allow Medicare as a public option. Medicare works. Ask those that have it. It works. Those that have Medicare have competent doctors and surgeons. They get good care.

So, depending on family income and size the monthly premium to buy into Medicare for All, would be decided and when a family came into employment whereby there is private healthcare, they could move out of Medicare altogether.

As time goes by and people are well and everyone is getting care AND IF there are still high profits and unreasonable circumstances with private insurers, the country may simply want Medicare for All as a national health care plan. There would still be private insurers. They will always be there. The best example of that is the health insurance J.P. Morgan has with two other partners. That is COMPANY PAID healthcare. They are self-insured.

Every American has to remember, We tried that before, but, it didn't work. And the way forward could be a very different answer that we have to be opened minded enough to understand it and consent to it. But, for now, let's keep what is left of the ACA, protect our kids through college, end pre-existing conditions and high profits AND RETURN health care insurance to those Americans unable to provide it for themselves.

PUBLIC HEALTH IS HUGE and that is why ALL people in the USA have to be considered for one type of health care or another. We don't need the Bird Flu, or SARS or any other lousy disease killing Americans in large numbers. The only way we prevent that is if all the people in the USA receive a minimum standard of healthcare.

Americans need to start asking themselves today, is Medicare for All the real answer?

We haven't tried that before and it already works.

June 28, 2019

Flint - Michigan Solicitor General (click here) Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy along with their team are holding what they call a "Community Conversation" with residents in Flint....

Trump yuks it up with Putin, while Putin continues to covet the politics of the USA.

Why is it I feel really good about Putin disliking liberals? Putin states openly that the policial system of the USA is better if Liberals were not a part of it. They are obsolete to him.

Liberals never existed in Russia, only communists. 

Liberals “cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades.

Oops, there it is. I think Vladimir Putin is tired of having an economy that is an abject failure. He blames The West for his troubles while he has broken treaties that have caused thousands of deaths. Russia does not have a good government and uses expansionism for politics and economic resolve.

Make no doubt about it, the invasion into Ukraine was to return control of certain economic strengths that Russia lost with the dissolution of the USSR. Expansionism is a legitimate method of economic growth in the opinion of communists. If they can't BLEND with The West to GARNER economic strength and growth they turn toward war and killing.

Putin's politics is nothing but expansionism. He wants the return of the USSR and it's military prowess to control more and more people and create economics that communists appreciate. Both Russia and China have governments of oppression. Oppression does not bring about growth. There is no opportunity in communism that the government does not control.

I am quite confident Putin has hated liberalism for a very long time. It brings with it the engagement of invention and economy. People are happy when they can fill their lives with security and hope. Liberalism provides happiness in the way of self-expression and social structure that provides for gathering and friendship. Those are very strong personal desires.

In his statement at the G20, it is obvious Putin is still pursuing the end of democracy and in particular control over USA elections.

Russia is our enemy. It has invaded, without a single doubt, the elections of 2016. Putin lead the charge then and he is continuing to covet for destruction the USA's democracy and freedom.

It isn't over yet.

A word about the G20. It is a place where emerging economies meet their future. Russia is a dead economy. It has nothing in common with the other PROMISING countries at the G20. Russia does not belong there.

June 28, 2019
By Sam Meredith

Russian (click here) President Vladimir Putin believes the dominant western ideology since the end of World War II has “become obsolete.”

In an interview with the Financial Times published Friday, the Russian president said liberalism has now come “into conflict” with what people around the world want.

Liberals “cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades,” Putin said, as world leaders gathered in Osaka, Japan for a two-day G-20 summit.

Putin criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to admit more than 1 million refugees to Germany in 2015, predominantly from war-torn Syria, as a “cardinal mistake.”...

What happens when the biggest bubble bursts? They are making references to 2008.

June 28, 2019
By Ambrose Evans-Prichard

Worrying (click here) excesses are building up in the world's $US52 trillion ($74.2 trillion) nexus of shadow banking, and investors risk serious losses when the financial cycle turns, the ratings agency DBRS has warned.

The hunt for higher yield has led to a surge in leveraged loans, collateralised loan obligations (CLOs) and other -arcane high-risk instruments with echoes of the Lehman crisis.

While banks have been forced to raise their capital buffers and are deemed much safer than in 2008, the hazards have migrated to dark pockets of the vast non-bank sector. This now makes up 62 per cent of the $US97 trillion assets of the financial industry.

The sector lends directly for takeover bids and corporate activity much like the banking industry, but is not regulated as strictly....

...DBRS (click here) warned of "significant risk" in the changing character of US shadow banking - the world's biggest by far, still dwarfing China - and especially in leveraged lending. "The quality of these loans has deteriorated," it said....

...Leveraged lending is defined as loans to companies with a debt burden over four times cash flow....

...The Bank is also alarmed by the growth of closed-end funds, reaching $US30 trillion worldwide. These funds are often trapped in illiquid assets - it takes 297 days on average to sell commercial real estate - but they promise investors they can withdraw their money at any time. This creates a dangerous maturity mismatch....

...The pitfalls of this model have been on vivid display over recent days as -investors pulled more than €5bn ($8.1bn) from six funds run by H20 -Asset Management, triggered by a scare over links to a controversial German tycoon. The run on the Natixis-owned funds has since halted....

What is it with this administration and the shifting baseline of language? The last time there was a Goldman-Sachs US Treasury Secretary he was supposed to stop the decline in the markets that started in 2007. Now, there is another one and he wants to change the language to hide what he is doing.

November 9, 2017
By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa

This is a weird one: (click here) Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker and hedge fund manager, wants to ban the widely used term "shadow banking."

First coined by the former Pimco economist Paul McCulley, the term refers to a wide swath of financial activities that occur at firms that are not commercial, deposit-taking banks. Because the behavior of such entities, which include hedge funds and private-equity firms, is bank-like but not overseen by bank regulators, many experts worry the sector could become the next candidate for a financial crisis now that rules on actual banks have been tightened....

Anyone at The Fed could update those that care.