The Federal Reserve won't change their policies. They have other options.

August 19, 2015
By Matthew Boesler

Federal Reserve policy makers (click here) discussed options for winding down the central bank’s balance sheet after a staff presentation at their July 28-29 meeting, according to minutes released Wednesday in Washington.

“Most participants expressed a preference that the timing of the cessation of reinvestments be based on a qualitative assessment of economic conditions and the outlook,” the minutes said.

The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee must decide whether to reinvest $216 billion of proceeds from maturing Treasury securities in 2016, or shrink its balance sheet by allowing the debt to expire. By not reinvesting, the Fed would increase the supply of securities available to investors and put upward pressure on yields.

Shrinking the $4.2 trillion portfolio will add to the monetary tightening from increases in the benchmark interest rate officials envision for this year. That would mark a reversal of the easing the Fed achieved when it bought bonds in three rounds of so-called quantitative easing to speed a recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s....

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index lost five years of growth.

If an investor (click here) is going to play with the market to advance their wealth they know it doesn't last forever.

Below is the Nikki Index (click here) during the same time of five years. It isn't all that bad. 

 
The Chinese markets were inflated. It was time for a rebalance. This can be called a "Bear Market." Wall Street has been on a "QE High" since 2008. Christmas doesn't last forever.

The USA (DJI) Dow Jones Industrials was 11,674.76 on January 3, 2011. It is at 16,459.75 today. It's all time high occurred on May 11, 2015 at 18272.56.

It was TIME for adjustment and people lost money, especially when dealing heavily in Chinese markets. 

So.

Welcome to stability rather than volatility. I guess Wall Street is going to have to invest in order to find new growth, huh?

There is a new investment opportunity right now. True. Set up corporate structure to help the adrenaline junkies of Wall Street. It's an expansion of the health care markets. The new mental health option can be called "I miss Bush." It can be based in conspiracy theory. The task will be to bring all those afflicted with 'adrenaline junkie' status into reality. Recidivism has been high in the past, but, there is real optimism for a cure based in today's standards of practice. 

Raising the minimum wage in the USA IS AN INVESTMENT that will have immediate returns.

Hurricane Danny is gaining strength. It is getting water vapor from the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone).

I don't think dry air in the upper troposphere is going to effect it much right now. Predicting the storms requires identifying where the water vapor is coming from. It is the water vapor that heats up and provides the added velocity to the storm. There can be dry air masses impacting the storm, but, if it has a consistent source of water vapor the dry air will be compensated by the water vapor. 

August 21, 2015
1830:15z
UNISYS Goes East Water Vapor Satellite of the North and West Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

There is a reason why this storm is building in defiance of all predictions otherwise. 

When water vapor is fed into the storm; the storm then populates the dry air with water. That is why the tropics are starving for water. 

From the beginning of this blow I have addressed the complex systems as "Heat Transfer Systems." That is exactly what is happening. The water vapor trail entering the 'system' of Danny is transferring heat to the oceans through the dynamics of the storm. Water is the one component to the physics that will build the system.   

Above to the right is a satellite view of Danny at August 21, 2015 at 0630.19z. (click here) It is easy to see the FAINT water vapor trail from South American to the storm. Danny at this particular time is a Tropical Storm, but, it had fixed it's water vapor source regardless of the dry air north of the storm. Kindly note the additional water vapor trail north, but, attached to the storm. So, the Tropical Storm Danny was well supported and it was being feed with plenty of water vapor to fuel the velocity. 

 

This is Danny's traverse across the Atlantic. It was fairly puny until it reached the water vapor rich air South America. As soon as it met the water vapor source off South American it rapidly accelerated.

Now, the water vapor Danny is working very hard to hold on to and distribute in the regional air mass, the next storms will have an easier time accelerating it's velocity because there is a richer population of water vapor molecules available to support that next storm.

This is not the normal progress of hurricanes before 2006. Storms of the past had a rich water vapor source at the surface of Earth. That is not the case today in 2015. Today, the heat has to be intense enough (and today the direct solar rays are more important to begin the spin) to spawn a desperately thirsty storm to begin the season. 

August 21, 2015
By Doyle Rice

Danny's winds strengthened to 115 mph,(click here) making it a Category 3 hurricane as it spins toward the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center said Friday.

This now qualifies the hurricane as a "major" hurricane, which is defined as any storm of Category 3, 4 or 5 strength. A crew aboard a "hurricane hunter" aircraft, which flew into the storm, confirmed the hurricane's strength Friday afternoon.

As of 2 p.m. ET, Danny was located 900 miles east of the Caribbean's Leeward Islands and was slowly moving to the west-northwest at 10 mph. On its current track, the storm will move across islands such as Guadeloupe, Montserrat, and Antigua and Barbuda by Monday.

Danny should "weaken below hurricane strength as it approaches the Caribbean islands," the hurricane center said. The storm could actually deliver needed rain to many of the parched Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico, much of which is in a drought.

Despite its wind speeds, "Danny is a tiny hurricane," the hurricane center said. "Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 60 miles."...

If a climatologist can't understand the new high velocity storms and insists on defining them based in old world process, he or she doesn't belong in the business. The hurricanes of 2005 are extinct.

The American Public has to have 60 days to review the trade agreements. I don't it passing by December.

Representative Rosa DeLauro has been strongly against the TPP. She states the agreement can't go forward without terms regarding monetary policy. She states if the currency issues continue there will be more and more American jobs lost. 

The USA's communities has to hold on to their local economies, energy initiatives and government that protects it. There are provisions in the first draft of the TPP that were to destroy the local economies of the USA. The provisions would allow Wall Street to bring in their merchandise to stores without any choice otherwise.

These agreements are going to require the best of local governments to approach the illegal impingement against American rights.

August 20, 2015
By Vicki Needham

Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) (click here) said Thursday that Vietnam's recent currency devaluation is another reason for using trade agreements to stop the practice.

DeLauro, who is campaigning against the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — of which Vietnam is a part — said that without action by the Obama administration, dropping currency values will continue to hurt American workers.

"We will see time and again what we have seen over the past nine days: that when one country devalues its currency, it causes a domino effect throughout the region and American workers suffer the consequences," DeLauro said.

She said that the deliberate lowering of currency values is "cheating" that "will only exacerbate our trade deficit and cost us jobs."

This week, the State Bank of Vietnam lowered the value of its currency, the dong, by about 1 percent against the dollar — the third adjustment this year — following the depreciation of China's yuan last week.

She said it's another reminder of the "lengths that Vietnam, and other Asian countries including partners to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), will go to ensure that their goods are subsidized at the expense of American jobs.

"This administration must not allow Vietnam and other nations to continue to game the system and destroy our manufacturing industry," DeLauro said....

Currency stability is becoming an overlay to the defeat of the trade agreement.

August 22, 2015

...Groser's diplomacy has been more nuanced. (click here) This is not surprising given he is heading off to Kuala Lumpur this weekend for an Asean meeting where a Southeast Asian group-led meeting will endeavour to make more progress on the rival Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in which China is also a participant.

At the Amcham dinner Key said he would be concerned if the deal was not done by Christmas. He said it was really down to three or four leaders who could make it happen; the most influential by a significant margin is President Barack Obama.

It's Key's contention that Obama sees the deal as forming part of his presidential legacy along with the Iran deal and Obamacare, and was prepared to devote political capital to get it across the line....

The majority of the activity is voyeurism, not infidelity. There is just too many women in India to take this seriously.

Add caption

Ashley Madison usage in a map. Most of the men in the rest of the world were calling women in India. That is funny. India's call centers were busy with calls of infidelity.

August 21, 2015

...Several searchable (click here) databases of names, emails and sexual fantasies linked to the 9.7 gigabyte data leak had to shut down within minutes of going live because they could not cope with demand.

Data from the hack has even been mapped, revealing the popularity of the site in different towns and cities across the world. Users of a data map plotted by CartoDB can see how many people in their area allegedly have accounts with the adultery site (see map below)....

How many women made lots of money from Ashley Madison? Raise your hand. See, it's literally a CALL GIRL site.

Wow, "Thought Infidelity." Give me a break. 

Looks as though there will be a major confrontation with North Korea.

I hope there was an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called. North Korea has been aggressive for some time now by pushing it's borders to surrounding islands and tampering with the DMZ. The current Leader, Kim Jong-un saw his father since a South Korean ship in May of 2010. So, the tensions have been escalating. This is more tampering with the DMZ by the north and it looks as though it may be a tipping point by both leaders.

In 2010, the global community, including China, told both Korean militarizes to exhibit restraint. There is a good chance China will not tolerate an escalation of tensions into war. China has acted before to end such outrageous disruptions of the peace on the peninsula. I hope China will once again find reasonable areas of compromise to end any violence. It would be absolutely horrible for the Korean Peninsula to slip into war. It would be devastating.
 
August 21, 2015

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (click here) on Friday declared his frontline troops in a "quasi-state of war" and ordered them to prepare for battle a day after the most serious confrontation between the rivals in years.
South Korea's military on Thursday fired dozens of artillery rounds across the border in response to what Seoul said were North Korean artillery strikes meant to back up a threat to attack loudspeakers broadcasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda.
The North's declaration Friday is similar to its other warlike rhetoric in recent years, including repeated threats to reduce Seoul to a "sea of fire," and the huge numbers of soldiers and military equipment already stationed along the border mean the area is always essentially in a "quasi-state of war." Still, the North's apparent willingness to test Seoul with military strikes and its recent warning of further action raise worries because South Korea has vowed to hit back with overwhelming strength should North Korea attack again....

A rare photograph of an elephant family visiting the carcass of a recently killed elephant. Some wildlife biologists believe elephants are emotionally close to humans and actually mourn their dead. These elephants have made repeated nightly visits to their recently deceased family member.
Credit: CBS
August 22, 2015

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) " A Kenyan court (click here) has released on bail a man suspected to be a high level operative in illegal ivory trafficking in the region, causing an uproar among wildlife conservationists who fear that he may flee or interfere with witnesses.
Magistrate Davis Karani released the suspect, Feisal Mohammed Ali, on Friday on a $100,000 bond at a Mombasa court after eight months in custody.
Ali was arrested in December in Tanzania in connection with illegal elephant tusks weighing more than 2 tons that were found during a raid last year.
Ali was listed by Interpol as a most-wanted trafficker of ivory. The police group alleged that Ali is the leader of an ivory smuggling ring.

Ted Cruz heard about the controversial idea in Iowa and immediately signed up for an interview the next day.

This radio station wants to reinstitute slavery with illegal immigrants. Ted Cruz will run to any extremist constituency to win an election. He did the same thing in Texas when he won the Senate.

August 20, 2015
By Salvatore Colleluori

...During an interview (click here) with Media Matters, Mickelson stood by his comments, calling them "constitutionally defensible, legally defensible, morally defensible, biblically defensible and historically defensible." He claimed you would likely only have to force "maybe one or two people" to work in a "highly visible fashion," which would lead to "a vast sucking sound of illegals departing the state."

Republican presidential candidates have flocked to Mickelson's show. According to Mickelson, candidates "would understand [his position] from a historical and intellectual point of view," and "most of them would understand my point isn't serious, the point is philosophical." (On his show the day he laid out his plan, Mickelson told a caller, "you think I'm just pulling your leg. I am not.")
Today, as Mickelson's comments receive widespread media coverage, the host announced that Sen. Cruz will appear on the August 21 edition of his program:...

....Cruz has been a repeat guest on Mickelson's program this year. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker appeared on Mickelson's August 17 broadcast after the host laid out his immigration plan.
                  
On August 19, Cruz was endorsed by Steve Deace, another prominent Iowa-based conservative radio host. Like Mickelson, Deace has made offensive remarks about the LGBT and immigrant communities. He also recently suggested that the Republican Party should have thanked presidential candidate Donald Trump for his suggestion that Mexican immigrants are rapists....

The Americans born to foreign national mothers can obtain monies from the USA without stepping into the country.

Whether you plan to study (click here) abroad for a semester or get your entire degree outside the United States, you may be able to use federal student aid to pay your expenses. The type of aid you can get—and the process you must follow—will depend on the type of program (study-abroad or full degree) you plan to enter.

Why not hand out education monies to the world? The absentee ballots should be interesting, too.

I have life insurance. I've owned a policy to protect my family for decades.

What sincerely bothers me about these commercials is the diversity. The USA has a profound problem. There is a lack of wealth or the opportunity of building wealth by African American families. I think this group needs to come up with a new set of commercials that is inclusive of American diversity.

Americans to Protect Family Security (click here) is a partnership of America’s financial advisors, life insurance agents, and life insurance companies that is dedicated to educating policymakers about the role our products play in the financial lives of 75 million American families.

75 million American families turn to life insurance companies and trusted agents and advisors to protect their financial futures with retirement plans, life insurance, annuities, long-term care, and disability income insurance.

The Secure Family Coalition includes the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), GAMA International, Insured Retirement Institute (IRI), National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA), National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA), and National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). 

Our goal is to highlight facts about our products and their importance to the financial and retirement security of American families. 

For more information about the Coalition, contact info@securefamily.org.

The wealthy are coming for birth tourism.

ebruary 9, 2015
By Aimee Picchi

...The number of Chinese women (click here) giving birth in the U.S. more than doubled to about 10,000 in 2012, up from about 4,200 in 2008, according to CNN Money, which cited Chinese state media. While that's a small sliver of the estimated 16 million babies born in China every year, the boost represents a trend among well-heeled Chinese families who want to give their child the opportunity to secure a U.S. passport. 

The trend hasn't only hit the U.S., with Hong Kong seeing a doubling of births to moms from mainland China in 2012, thanks in part to the former British colony's providing automatic rights to the mothers and their babies. While Hong Kong has since cracked down on the practice, so-called "birth tourism" isn't illegal in the U.S., and businesses in China have popped up to provide expectant mothers with travel packages to the U.S. for rates as high as $50,000, according to Foreign Policy magazine. 

For some Chinese mothers, traveling to the U.S. to give birth allows them to bypass China's one-child policy, CNN Money notes. Not every couple can have more than one child in China, despite an easing of the rules. It noted that one woman, a hairstylist named Miao Yu, spent $30,000 to give birth to her second child in the U.S....

The fourteenth Amendment is important, but, birth tourism before the birth of the child is illegitimate and can be legislated. The legislation has to be focused on the mother and the criminality of her actions in coming to the USA for the sole purpose of changing her child's country homeland. The idea a woman comes to the USA to change the country homeland of her child has to be a violation in laws in China. It could be connected to the recognition of passports when leaving China.

I am sure there are more than Chinese women coming to the USA for birth tourism. 

The practice has lasting effects on the USA.

May 1, 2015
By Matt Sheehan

BEIJING -- When Ma Fahong (click here) approached the immigration desk at Los Angeles International Airport, the customs agent had only two questions for her.
“Why are you coming to the U.S.?”
“I’m here to have a baby.”
“How much cash do you have on you?”
“I only have $1,000 in cash, but I have a debit card with much more in the bank.”
Passport stamped. Welcome to Los Angeles.
Ma is part of a growing wave of Chinese women who are flocking to the United States -- California, in particular -- to have children who will grow up as American citizens. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizenship to every person born on American soil, a fact that has long motivated foreigners from all over the world to give birth in the U.S....

Why do a census? Why does the USA complete a census every ten years?

The actions of these women are illegal. The place where they cross the line lies with the census of the USA and it's purpose. 

The U.S. Constitution (click here) empowers the Congress to carry out the census in "such manner as they shall by Law direct" (Article I, Section 2). The Founders of our fledgling nation had a bold and ambitious plan to empower the people over their new government. The plan was to count every person living in the newly created United States of America, and to use that count to determine representation in the Congress....

So what is going to happen with birth tourism? Will the State Department have to go around the world to conduct a census for babies not yet residing in the USA as an American? Is that going to happen? They are Americans, right? So, they have to be counted for the census. 

How is that going to work? Will their birth be credited to their birth place in the USA or will it be attributed to foreign relations in some capacity? 

This IS an issue. It is not a made up problem. These are not simply babies, they are planned Americans from China or any other country a mother decides to give birth in the USA. 

Personally, I think this is treason to the country of origin. Why? Because mothers are planning to have their child take up residency in the USA, possibly at the age of five when they have the right to attend school. And, mom will come with them. And, possibly Dad and siblings. 

THIS IS A MESS. 

I have all the compassion one can muster if a woman is having health issues with her pregnancy and the USA has the facilities that will provide for a safe delivery, but, that occurs with the understanding the child is a foreign national at birth.

But, birth tourism operates under the radar to deceive the USA and the country of origin. In the case of China, the women are seeking to circumvent the one child policy. That is criminality.  

The USA is a compassionate standard for those seeking asylum. A baby of a foreign national will never have that need. They can simply get an airline ticket and come home to the USA.

There is also a problem with the safety of the citizen. Currently, Russia demands people to pay a fee if they have dual citizenship. I think everyone knows with the nationalism in Russia that law will lead to different penalties and not just fees. Russia doesn't allow adoption of their children anymore, what happens if a pregnant Russia gives birth in the USA? 

I think it is very, very wrong and remiss for the USA to simply look the other way and shrug shoulders and claim the 14th Amendment wins out. I do not believe this issue is that simple. 

The entire concept plays with awarding VISAs. The number of VISAs awarded has fluctuated over time. They are issued because workers are needed or a student is attending the university, but, what happens when 10,000 people come to the USA from one generation of Chinese? 

Birth tourism is simply wrong. The USA has to take this seriously because it assaults the US Constitution and the depth of meaning of that document. The USA Constitution never meant to invite foreign nationals to have their babies on our soil. This idea of expensive travel to give birth is unethical medically and it is immoral when considering the children are innocent to the actions of their parent.

The State Department needs to start recording these babies and their homeland. The parents can be made to register with their country of origin before they are allowed entry to the USA. That idea is legal and can act to prevent such movement of people to the USA. 

The USA currently has Americans in China and who knows where else, what are we doing to insure their well being? What action is being taken to be sure the country of origin of their parents is providing a quality of life Americans are used to? It's time to get serious and begin the paperwork to understand the enormity of the issue and how it will impact the USA. One of the reasons the US Census is conducted is to also understand our people and their conditions to plan for the future. Currently, the USA is missing information for it's census. I have to wonder if the Census can be challenged because these children were accounted for!!!!! 

FOX News just had an interview with AWARD WINNING Platte River Networks. They handled the private server of Hillary Clinton since 2013 after she left office. The server has been in their possession and in secure storage in New Jersey the entire time until a few days ago when the FBI picked it up. It was never in a bathroom anywhere. It was in secure storage the entire time.

According to Chris Matthews, Senator Clare McCaskill will vote for the Iran agreement. Good for her. She has confidence in the President. I like that. President Obama would never do anything to place the country or allies in the path of danger. The Iran agreement provides a greater safety margin than ever expected. Thank you, Senator McCaskill.

This is not new. North Korea has been inching into the DMZ.

August 20, 2015
By Ju-min Park and Tony Munroe
Seoul

South Korea (click here) fired dozens of artillery rounds toward North Korea on Thursday after the North shelled across the border to protest against anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts by Seoul - the first exchange of fire in 10 months.

North Korea did not return fire but warned Seoul in a letter that it would take military action if the South did not stop the loudspeaker broadcasts along the border within 48 hours, the South's Defense Ministry said.

In a separate letter, Pyongyang said it was willing to offer an opening to resolve the conflict even though it considers the broadcasts a declaration of war, South Korea's Unification Ministry said....

Would it be wishful thinking to believe North Korea wanted to end tensions? This is from The Korea Herald.

August 20, 2015

North Korea’s rocket provocation (click here) Thursday sharply raised cross-border tensions and further dimmed the prospects of bilateral reconciliation, posing a tougher challenge to Seoul’s hitherto unfruitful efforts to build trust with the communist regime.

Pyongyang’s firing of a rocket toward Seoul’s propaganda loudspeakers appeared intended to stop the South Korean military from expanding its anti-Pyongyang broadcasts along the tense border, which could potentially awaken North Koreans to the dictatorial nature of the regime, analysts said.

They also pointed out that the recent spate of provocations by the North underscored its lack of will to mend fences with the South. The rocket attack came as tensions remained high due to the Aug. 4 land mine attack that injured two South Korean troops.

This is not classifed material.

This is old news. It had brevity when the events were occurring. It wasn't being published at the time it was important. There is no there there. I am sure it looks consequential, but, this is 4 years later. This is nonsense. It plays with the public in order to defame Hillary Clinton.

As far as the investigation inside Libya regarding the criminals that set fire to the compound that would ultimately produce smoke that caused the death of the ambassador; it has been ongoing. That is also being reported in a public sphere. I have heard and/or read several reports of the search for Ambassador Stevens murderers. I have to qualify the idea of murderer. Ambassador Stevens died of smoke inhalation. He was not directly killed, however, his death was caused by the actions of those inside and outside the compound.

The rampaging Republicans are barking up the wrong tree on several counts. It is all politics and the federal government is somewhat obligated to answer court proceedings when defined as freedom of information.

There is no scandal. There is no tempest in a tea pot. 

Emails from Clinton aides (click here)

Death threats? Really? There is no stopping hate in the USA.

August 18, 2015
By Tamara Chuang

Getting hired by Hillary Clinton (click here) was a major coup for a small IT management company in Denver. But Platte River Networks didn't — and couldn't — talk about its new client back in June 2013.

And when Platte River became the latest name to emerge in the Clinton e-mail controversy, the company maintained its silence — until last week, when it hired a crisis-communications expert to defend against political innuendo, death threats and allegations that it stored her e-mail in the bathroom of a downtown Denver loft.

"There never was, at any time, data belonging to the Clintons stored in Denver. Ever," said Dovetail Solutions CEO Andy Boian, who added that Clinton's server was always in a New Jersey data center. "We do not store data in any bathrooms."

Platte River Networks had no prior relationship with Hillary Clinton, said Boian, whose online biography says he served on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential transition team.

Having worked on a transition team does not equate to a relationship with Hillary Clinton with a private server.

Hillary Clinton's decision to have an employee set up a private e-mail server in her New York home in 2008 has plagued the former secretary of state's presidential campaign....

The Obama Transparency

After taking office, President Obama wanted more transparency to the American public. He wrote an Executive Order outlining the classification of information. In remembering what Hillary Clinton stated about her emails, it was to provide greater transparency so Americans could know what her work was about.

This Executive Order changed the requirements for classification from the previous administration. 

Executive Order 13526

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

PART 1 -- ORIGINAL CLASSIFICATION (click here)
 
Section 1.1.  Classification Standards.  (a)  Information may be originally classified under the terms of this order only if all of the following conditions are met:
 
(1)  an original classification authority is classifying the information;
(2)  the information is owned by, produced by or for, or is under the control of the United States Government;
(3)  the information falls within one or more of the categories of information listed in section 1.4 of this order; and
(4)  the original classification authority determines that the unauthorized disclosure of the information reasonably could be expected to result in damage to the national security, which includes defense against transnational terrorism, and the original classification authority is able to identify or describe the damage.
(b)  If there is significant doubt about the need to classify information, it shall not be classified.  This provision does not:
(1)  amplify or modify the substantive criteria or procedures for classification; or
(2)  create any substantive or procedural rights subject to judicial review.
(c)  Classified information shall not be declassified automatically as a result of any unauthorized disclosure of identical or similar information.
(d)  The unauthorized disclosure of foreign government information is presumed to cause damage to the national security.

Sec. 1.4.  Classification Categories.  Information shall not be considered for classification unless its unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause identifiable or describable damage to the national security in accordance with section 1.2 of this order, and it pertains to one or more of the following:

(a)  military plans, weapons systems, or operations;
(b)  foreign government information;
(c)  intelligence activities (including covert action), intelligence sources or methods, or cryptology;
(d)  foreign relations or foreign activities of the United States, including confidential sources;
(e)  scientific, technological, or economic matters relating to the national security;
(f)  United States Government programs for safeguarding nuclear materials or facilities;
(g)  vulnerabilities or capabilities of systems, installations, infrastructures, projects, plans, or protection services relating to the national security; or
(h)  the development, production, or use of weapons of mass destruction.

Secretary of State had the authority to classify and the Secretary of State had the authority to designate her personnel to classify. If Hillary Clinton states the private server did not contained classified information nor were their classified information received or sent then she is authorized to say so.

Because a US House Benghazi committee can't find any reason to destroy the reputation of Hillary Clinton doesn't mean they even understand or consent to the Executive Order. Under President Obama every person authorized to determine classified status is the law. It was a judgement call based in the knowledge of the person considering the content of an email before him or her. 

Sec. 1.5.  Duration of Classification.  (a)  At the time of original classification, the original classification authority shall establish a specific date or event for declassification based on the duration of the national security sensitivity of the information.  Upon reaching the date or event, the information shall be automatically declassified.  Except for information that should clearly and demonstrably be expected to reveal the identity of a confidential human source or a human intelligence source or key design concepts of weapons of mass destruction, the date or event shall not exceed the time frame established in paragraph (b) of this section.

Additionally, today a court ordered the State Department to query the FBI to obtain the progress in their examination of controversial emails.

There has been a court involved in this mess since the beginning. The State Department has worked through the courts answering any inquiries before them. The primary organization seeking the courts intervention is Judicial Watch.

President Obama wanted the American people to have confidence in their government after so much had gone wrong and out of the reach of the American people to understand by the previous administration. Transparency was important to the Obama presidency and this Executive Order reflects exactly that.

Melanoma. This is terrible news.

My understanding about melanoma is besides radiation there is no treatment with chemotherapy. The former president is correct there is a gene therapy that can address melanoma. It is terrible cancer.

August 20, 2015
By David Beasley

...Carter entered a news conference (click here) at the nonprofit Carter Center bearing his name in Atlanta walking normally, smiling, and wearing blue jeans.
“I am perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” Carter said, noting his deep Christian faith. He said he was pleased that he did not become angry or despaired. “I am ready for anything and looking forward to a new adventure.” The news that cancer had spread to his brain came a week after he revealed his liver surgery found the disease had spread to other parts of his body. He announced at that time that he was rearranging his schedule to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, where he previously underwent elective surgery to remove a small mass in his liver. His prognosis was then considered excellent, the Carter Center said in a statement earlier this month....There is a chemotherapeutic drug given in conjunction with gene therapy.

Ganciclovir is actually an anti-viral.It is an interesting therapy. I dearly hope it works. I wish him and his family peace during this trying time.

Hum Gene Ther. 1996 Jan 20;7(2):255-67. Klatsman, D. 

Gene therapy for metastatic malignant melanoma: (click here) evaluation of tolerance to intratumoral injection of cells producing recombinant retroviruses carrying the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene, to be followed by ganciclovir administration....  

The therapy introduces the gene therapy carried by a herpes simplex virus. The Ganciclovir is then administered to end the virus circulation in the blood stream and in tissues. The reason a virus is attached to the gene therapy is because virus is RNA and seeks the DNA of cells to reproduce itself. So, in the case of gene therapy, the virus will introduce the gene attached to it into the cancer cells and disable their ability to replicate and survive.It is incredible medicine. I am so happy it was developed and approved before former President Carter became ill. 

The USA needs comprehensive immigration reform and soon.

Jeb Bush states spending $166 billion on an immigration program as Donald Trump has outlined is not conservative.

Right.

But, spending $2.2 trillion on the Iraq War was a good idea. I don't think so.

Jeb Bush's position on immigration has changed over three years time. He is inconsistent.

On Immigration: 2009: favored deportation; 2012: favored path to citizenship (click here)

Immigration reform is touchy for Republicans specifically, and Americans in general. 48% of voters think undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay, with a path to citizenship--down from 57% in 2013. That statistic, combined with a perceived electoral need to reach out to more Latino voters, has put many Republicans vying for the presidency in a sticky spot. [Our guide, in Q&A format]:

Q: Should the government offer immigrants already living in the US illegally a pathway to citizenship? 

A: Yes. Bush flipped from favoring deportation for undocumented immigrants to favoring a path to citizenship "sometime between 2009 & 2012." Since then, he has supported a path to citizenship. "You have to deal with this issue," he said in 2012. "You can't ignore it, and so either a path to citizenship, which I would support--or a path to residency of some kind."
In April, Bush said there should be "penalties for breaking the law" but that coming to the US illegally is often "an act of love." 

Source: National Journal 2016 series: Republicans on immigration Feb 23, 2015   The USA needs comprehensive immigration reform. The numbers are getting silly. The countries experiencing immigration need to do better with their economies and quality of life.   January 31, 2013 Immigration (click here) had its first peak in the first decade of the 20th century, when over 8 million people from other countries became legal permanent residents of the United States, a number that wasn't exceeded again until the 1990s. By the 1960s, however, immigrants from North America (mostly Mexico) exceeded those from Europe; Asian immigrants exceeded Europeans in the 1970s. (These data, and many more, can be found in the Department of Homeland Security's annual yearbook of immigration statistics.)...  

 

Who is Carl Icahn?

He is ranked #31 by Forbes and his net worth is $31 billion. (click here)

Carl Icahn keeps shaking up companies through his brand of activist investing. His biggest trading position, a bet on the shares of Apple, has performed very well, but those gains were offset in 2014 by Icahn's holdings in various energy companies that got clobbered by the drop in crude oil prices. Shares of Icahn's publicly-traded investment vehicle, Icahn Enterprises, have fallen by some 8% in the last year. At 79, however, Icahn remains as active as ever in the financial markets. He recently helped break-up crane-maker Manitowoc and won a seat on its board and on its food service division that is now slated to be spun off. He is trying to get board seats at Gannett. He also continues to support Herbalife, the diet shake seller that rival hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman calls a pyramid scheme. 

Donald Trump states the USA is being killed on trade and would have people such as Carl Icahn working for the USA to change the trade gap. He is a hedge fund manager trusted by Wall Street folks. 

August 17, 2015

Carl Icahn (click here) recently filed his 13F (click here) for the second quarter of the year, disclosing his long equity stakes as of June 30, 2015. On top of his much-discussed Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) closure, the quarter saw three more moves from the billionaire.

Following these transactions, Icahn’s equity portfolio’s value fell from $32.05 billion to $31.2 billion. This concentrated portfolio comprises 21 stocks, and is mostly focused on information technology and industrials stocks, each of which account for 35 percent of the portfolio’s total value.

Icahn’s most talked-about move of the quarter was the closing of his position in Netflix. Having juiced the bet enough, the investor decided to sell all of his 9,883,482 shares (the number reflects the post-split amount of shares), worth more than half a billion dollars.

Netflix is receiving competition to it's expansion plans.

August 19, 2015
By Toby Shapshak

A newly-launched South African (click here) video-streaming service has the whole country abuzz as locals wait for Netflix NFLX -1.64% to arrive. Called ShowMax, it could derail Netflix’s plans not only in South Africa, but across the African continent.
ShowMax is a new division of South African media giant Naspers , whose DStv satellite service is the continent’s dominant broadcaster with some 10.2-million customers across 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa....

Some of his interests are traditional conservative companies. Today, he is purchasing stocks in nitrogen trading. There are several companies in the USA that produce nitrogen. What is special about nitrogen? Plant fertilizer. There is a merger between two nitrogen companies and Carl Icahn is investing in the sector. That is a standard and more secure investment. It is a known product with a defined market and is a sure thing. 

Carl Icahn has a good deal of knowledge about "the market." He probably can bring a traditional policy to any administration. That maybe a safe bet by Donald Trump, but, he is definitely Wall Street. In that if Carl Icahn were responsible for USA trade in closing the trade balance he would bring time tested approach. That is mostly good for government. No one wants a 'hair on fire' approach to balancing the trade gap for the USA.

August 19, 2015
By Alexandr Oleinic

Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn has disclosed a 59.7% stake in Rentech Nitrogen Partners LP (NYSE:RNF), which contains 23.25 million common units representing limited partner interests, and which was obtained following the company’s merger with CVR Partners LP (NYSE:UAN). CVR Partners was formed by CVR Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CVI) to operate its nitrogen fertilizer business. CVR Energy subsidiaries own a majority of CVR Partners common stock, while Icahn controls around 80% of CVR Energy. Carl Icahn’s firm, Icahn Enterprises LP (NASDAQ:IEP), and its affiliates received the shares under the terms of a Voting Agreement with Rentech....

The descriptor of the billionaire as an activist is interesting. Perhaps he is more controversial than his current investment reveals. Carl Icahn's name is included in the example of an activist investor. He probably coined the phrase.

Private equity firms, (click here) hedge funds and wealthy individuals are types of entities that might decide to act as activist investors. One well-known activist investor is Carl Icahn. He has attempted to make major changes at Yahoo!, Blockbuster, Time Warner and RJR Nabisco, among other companies. Other big-name activist investors include Kirk Kerkorian, Bill Ackman, Eddie Lampert and Nelson Peltz.
One indication that a company may have become a target for activist investors is the filing of SEC Form 13D, which must be filed when an investor purchases 5% or more of a company's shares.

Carl Icahn has purchased 59.7 percent in Rentech. That is a majority share holder, hence, ACTIVIST. He can begin to shape the business to a path that will increase the companies income only to sell it later when the stocks have increased value.

Activist Investor = majority stockholder

Recently nitrogen appeared as a method to kill people on death row in Oklahoma. That amount of nitrogen is not the reason Carl Ichan would purchase Rentech. There isn't that much of a market in Oklahoma's death row.

While Donald Trump would consider Carl Ichan for a trade ambassador, there is nothing to say Carol Ichan would consent to it.