Russia does nothing to end the killing.

A video image of toddlers after a suspected chemical attack in the rebel-held Syrian suburb of Douma on Sunday.

April 6, 2018
By Ben Hubbard

Beirut, Lebanon — Dozens of Syrians (click here) choked to death after a suspected chemical attack struck the rebel-held suburb of Douma, sending a stream of patients with burning eyes and breathing problems to medical clinics, aid groups said on Sunday.

Medical and rescue groups blamed President Bashar al-Assad’s government for the assault on the suburb, east of the capital, Damascus, which took place after dusk on Saturday.

Foreign governments expressed alarm at the reports of an attack, and the British Foreign Office called for an urgent investigation, saying that if the use of chemical weapons proved to be true, “it is further proof of Assad’s brutality.”

Rescue workers reported finding at least 42 people dead in their homes from apparent suffocation, and antigovernment activists circulated videos of lifeless men, women and children sprawled on floors....

From Sputnik:

April 8, 2018

Earlier, (click here) the US State Department had expressed concern about the reports of chemical weapons use in Douma that allegedly led to deaths of 40 people, claiming that Russia was accountable for targeting Syrians; the Russian military has refuted the allegations, saying they were aimed at disrupting of Jaysh al-Islam militants' evacuation from E Ghouta.

Hoax, also known in the USA as "Fake News." Do Russians ever get anything but fake news?

To the right a picture of the notorious "White Helmets."

"Hoaxes on attacks using chlorine or other poisonous substances by Syrian government forces are continuing to emerge. Another such hoax that has supposedly taken place is the alleged chemical attack in Douma yesterday. At the same time, references have been made to the notorious NGO "White Helmets," which has been repeatedly caught acting with terrorists, as well as other so-called humanitarian organizations based in the United Kingdom and the United States," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry went on to say that it had repeatedly warned about possible provocations involving the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Their major aim is to accuse Syrian government forces of chemical weapons use and justify possible military intervention in Syria from abroad, according to the ministry's statement....

Russia is propagating the war in Syria. Russia will veto any resolution by the UN Security Council. Russia is as guilty of these deaths as Assad.

"Support the White Helmets" (click here)

The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2139 (click here) in 2014 which banned barrel bombs and other indiscriminate weapons. They promised to take further steps if their resolution was violated. More than two years later, thousands more barrel bombs have been dropped, killing thousands more children. The Council didn’t act.

They need armored vehicles to carry out their mission.

Has anyone kept a tally of the religious impact of those killed? It is my suspicion Assad is not killing rebels so much as Sunnis.

The one place that seeks to be sincerely accurate about ethnicity and religious populations is "Wikipedia." (click here). Wiki always seeks the facts as best it can, but, when it comes to reporting on the Syrian death toll there was no breakdown by religion or ethnicity.

The focus regarding the Syrian CIVIL War is numbers of REBELS or CIVILIANS. The reason the definition of rebel entered the descriptors, is due to the ravages of Daesh. 

The real question before the UN Security Council is not that killing is going on, but, whom are being killed. These chemical weapons attacks can no longer be denied by Assad. The earlier attacks were carefully validated by President Obama. Assad continues to use chemical weapons since Trump came into office. Has the killing by Assad changed from enemies of Syria to Sunnis that onced lived in peace with Shi'ties of Syria. I am more convinced than ever that Assad is no longer fighting a civil war, but, conducting ethnic cleansing based in religious differences. It has to be confirmed and to date the numbers do not reflect that.

Assad has to be stopped. His forces have the majority of the country, there should be negotiations with any element other than the Syrian government for surrender and survival and return to peace within Syria. This is not happening. There is no compassion with Assad. His forces are killing for undetermined reasons.

If Assad is getting intelligence from Russia, it isn't intelligence so much as permission. I don't think Russia has sincere intelligence on Syria. Ask Israel.

It is difficult to tell by Governate any majority ethnicity. Many of these governates are cosmopolitan in that there are districts within them representing a diverse population. At least they used to be diverse.

Would pressure cooker roasting provide the same taste of coffee, maybe even better. It seems to me warning labels aren't enough.

March 29, 2018
By Daniela Galarza

Coffee products (click here) in California will soon include cancer warning labels — assuming an LA judge’s recent decision stands. This means shops like Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee, in additional to smaller roasters like Four Barrel, may soon be required to post signage or include warnings on individually packaged products or in physical retail locations.

According to the Associated Press, a Superior Court judge ruled in support of a suit filed by Council for Education and Research on Toxics, who say they want consumers to be aware of a carcinogen called acrylamide, which is produced during the coffee roasting process. Coffee lobbyists argue that acrylamide, a known carcinogen, is “harmless” at the levels it’s found in roasted coffee; they did not see a need to include a cancer warning because the chemical “results naturally from the cooking process to make the beans flavorful.”

The proposed ruling — which falls under the state’s proposition 65, a rule that says businesses must give customers a “clear and reasonable warning” about ingredients or materials that may affect health — could be challenged and reversed, though a reversal is unlikely, according to the A.P....

To abandon coffee is to abandon an entire culture in the USA that has provided a way of life for many in impoverished countries.

"Fairtrade" (click here)

Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages and 80% of it is produced by 25 million smallholders....

The truth of the matter is this concern about acrylamide goes far beyond coffee.

Acrylamide (click here)

Acrylamide is a chemical used primarily to make substances called polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers. Polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers are used in many industrial processes, such as the production of paper, dyes, and plastics, and in the treatment of drinking water and wastewater, including sewage. They are also found in consumer products, such as caulking, food packaging, and some adhesives.

Acrylamide is also found in some foods. It can be produced when vegetables that contain the amino acid asparagine, such as potatoes, are heated to high temperatures in the presence of certain sugars (1, 2). It is also a component of tobacco smoke....

I believe a time component is part of this as well. In other words, eating toast when light brown is okay, but, burnt toast at the same temperature as unburnt toast, will contain acrylamide.

The information about the issue of acrylamide and how it relates to food is well studied. This is not a surprise to anyone, except, perhaps the public. So, I'll let the experts tell the tale.

Oh, the Maillard reaction? Every chemical reaction known to scientists/chemists that is predictable has the name of the person who discovered it.

Louis Camille Maillard (click here)

Nutr Cancer. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 Jul 1.

Published in final edited form as:

Nutr Cancer. 2014; 66(5): 774–790.

Published online 2014 May 29

Mandeep K. Virk-Baker, Tim R. Nagy, Stephen Barnes, and John Groopman

...In 2002, (click here) the Swedish National Food Administration first reported the presence of acrylamide in foods (1). Acrylamide is a by-product of the cooking process and is formed when reducing sugars (glucose or fructose) react with the amino acid asparagine during the Maillard reaction (click here) (2;3), the reaction responsible for the browning of food during baking, frying, and roasting. The levels of acrylamide in cooked foods are thus influenced by factors such as the cooking temperature, length of cooking time, moisture content, and the amount of reducing sugar and asparagine in raw foods (4–6). In potatoes, the level can be affected by cultivar variety (7), fertilizer use (8), and storage temperature (9). For instance, the storage of potatoes at 2°C results in increased free sugar content that converts to higher acrylamide levels during cooking as compared with potatoes stored at 20°C (9;10). Variations of acrylamide content in various foods, and between batches of the same foods, have presented a challenge for estimating the actual intake by using the commonly used approach such as the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). These variations also present a major challenge of accurately classifying individuals with low or high acrylamide intake....

Transgender Americans have the protection of the Title VII of the Civil Rights ACT of 1964.

March 28, 2018

By Robert Pear

Washington — Employers (click here) are moving to adopt or strengthen policies to prevent bias against transgender people after the latest in a series of court rulings that have extended protections for an increasingly diverse work force.

A federal appeals court, rejecting the position of the Trump administration, ruled this month that transgender people are protected by a civil rights law that bans workplace discrimination based on sex.

Lawyers who specialize in employment cases said that the decision, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, was highly significant. The court held that job discrimination on the basis of transgender status was inherently sex discrimination, and that the employer in this case could not claim an exemption from the law because of his religious beliefs....

The work of removing discrimination of transgender Americans still has a few tasks to complete. The law removes discrimination, bias and criminal implications against people in statistical minority American populations, but, it doesn't end hate.

Now, (click here) anyone can marry in any of the 50 states, regardless of gender—and also regardless of whether someone’s gender is recognized by officials in the state where they live.However, transgender people and their families continue to face marriage-related problems in the wake of the historic Supreme Court ruling. Here are some examples:

• Some courts will continue to challenge certain parent-child relationships.
• Not all state or local officials provide a marriage license that reflects a person’s gender identity.
• Many states only have marriage licenses and certificates with “bride” and “groom” language, which may not be relevant for all couples.
• Some officials may insist that a person’s name and gender be registered according to what is listed on identity documents, even when the information is no longer accurate.

None of these scenarios affect the validity of a marriage, but some may have the effect of outing people, and parenting disputes often have serious repercussions....

Hate is still evident in the USA through racism and bigotry. Racism and bigotry can still kill. For some reason people that embrace hate and bigotry believe they are a special population that will change the face of the USA's laws as well. I don't see that happening and as the younger generations take over more and more frequently, the diluting of hatred's power becomes more evident.

To be more specific, "Hate Crime Law" adds brevity to a crime obviously inspired by hate or bigotry; but, it is not ending cultural hatred.

April 6, 2018
By Nina Golgowski

Residents of Anchorage, Alaska, (click here) defeated a ballot proposition that would have made it illegal for transgender people to use municipal restrooms, locker rooms and dressing rooms that match their gender identity, as opposed to the gender they were assigned at birth.

Proposition 1 went down Tuesday by a vote of 47.3 percent in favor and 52.7 percent opposed during the city’s first vote-by-mail election, according to the city’s Municipal Clerk.

The Fair Anchorage campaign argued that the proposal, which would have repealed parts of the city’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance, was discriminatory and would open the door to harassment.

“Transgender people simply want the same rights afforded to all other people — the ability to live openly and participate fully in the world, without the fear of being harassed, intimidated, or vulnerable to violence,” the coalition said in a press release.

Proposition 1 would have required people to provide proof of gender by birth certificate....

Louisiana on the other hand, can't get out of it's own way. One has to wonder what drives this mess. If it is based in religion, then it is religious bigotry and there wall between the state and religion needs strengthening. If it is the idea a child can be molded, either trans or not, to be identifying their gender differently, then it is based in ignorance and idiocy. Idiocy is when people continue to hold a specific discriminating belief when all information before them states otherwise.

Example:

People who are attracted to others of the same sex develop their orientation before they are born. This is not a choice. And scientific evidence shows their parents cannot be blamed.

Research proving that there is biological evidence for sexual orientation has been available since the 1980s. The links have been emphasized by new scientific research.

In 2014, researchers confirmed the association between same-sex orientation in men and a specific chromosomal region. This is similar to findings originally published in the 1990s, which, at that time, gave rise to the idea that a “gay gene” must exist. But this argument has never been substantiated, despite the fact that studies have shown that homosexuality is a heritable trait....

As a society, it is the obligation of any authority to evaluate dangerous ideas and trends. This is one of them.

I also find very upsetting the idea that understanding the "gene replication process" is a social responsibility to relieve the transgender woman or man from it's UNFORTUNATE genetic predisposition. What right does anyone have to say whether a transgender individual needs relief? It is completely bizarre to think a person is born with dysfunctional genetics, besides being a dangerous path to even begin to investigate.

Speculation on being Transgender (click here)

There are no clear identifying characteristics of gene expression or modification clearly pointing to what causes a brain to develop with a gender identity, nor a dysphoric gender identity.  It is intriguing, however, that Histone Methyltransferases(HRTs) are affected when methyls are added, and Hormone Replacement Therapy(HRT) also involves a methylation process.

We can clearly extrapolate on the complex developmental process the genome and epigenome collude to create.  Starting with viable hypotheses and from the data highlighted above, logical arguments have been postulated.  Researchers from University of Maryland School of Medicine may have made a crucial first step toward that understanding, however.

What ethical consequences arise if science does determine what processes determine gender identity?

Transgender identity does NOT CAUSE CANCER!!!!!!!!!!!

It is very dangerous to a society of people when one person is viewed as more perfect in genetic content than another. To even imply there is such a PROBLEM is nothing but hatred and IF YOUR BIBLE teaches you to hate, then you have a very troubled Bible.

And since when does Moses in Deuteronomy replace Jesus or God as an authority of any values?

Women must not wear men’s clothes, and men must not wear women’s clothes. Everyone who does such things is detestable to the Lord your God. Deutoronomy 22:5 (CEB)

Deuteronomy is in the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Old Testament and written about Moses. You know, the guy with the burning bush. The one who gave the world the ten commandments that most USA southern politicians believe is intended to replace the USA Constitution. Yes, that Moses! None of that text is God or Jesus discussed as it's primary subject or author.

The point is that if children are born with a trans-DNA strand then the discussion is over. There should be NO DISCRIMINATION of a child in a school system. If there are wise guys within the class or school that like to identify as the opposite gender then they are lying. LYING. Why are legislators in Louisiana promoting lying, discrimination, bias, bigotry and hatred. The Louisiana legislature needs to be replaced when it states it is okay to practice hate as a social construct in schools.

Children are vulnerable to all kinds of values. Why would any legislative body promote hatred? Just as a matter of fact, there are white guys that are "Trans," too.

Enough.

March 26, 2018
By Julia O'Donoghue

Louisiana Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, (click here) pulled his legislation to outlaw discrimination against students based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public and private schools that receive state funding.

Senate Bill 228 also would have prohibited students from being excluded from any school that receives state funds -- including those that are private -- on the basis of race, disability, national origin or creed.

Currently in state law, only public schools are prohibited from turning away students based on race, disability, national origin or creed. An exception is also made for religious schools, who are allowed to pick students or provide a preference for students from a certain religious sect. 

The socially conservative Senate Education Committee was likely to kill Morrell's legislation if it had come up for a vote Thursday (March 22), which may have been why the senator chose to pull the bill.

"I believe filing this bill is part of an ongoing dialogue," he said during the committee hearing. "No matter whatever circumstance they are in, kids should feel safe."...

"Warning, Will Robinson, Warning!"

This is the most idiotic idea of assessment of any court. Any court that hears appeals is made up of individuals. The court decisions are WEIGHTED by a majority of judges and passed down to the people. That means one individual can bring judgement to a court. It is ridiculous.

But, so long as lawyers find they are more successful before one judge or another; does it mean there is corruption within the USA court system? Answer that and then it might be understandable why this delineation of one court vs. another is actually relevant.

Every state is allowed States Rights because of it's simple geography and the difference in law that it can cause. It is easy to say one court is different from the other, establishing corruption or not, because of the same reason States Rights stands as constitutional.

Disagreement of a lower court with the Supreme Court is not a measure. Who is to say the Supreme Court is correct if it is corrupted?

There are many schools of thought. Is one better than the other and is it constitutional to state the same? Court decisions are based in MAJORITY. That simple designation and the fact there is a majority and minority assessment of most court decisions indicates there should never be condemnation of thought or values; with the exception where human rights are assigned as an enemy.

December 2012
By Mark Walsh

For some time, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (click here) has suffered a reputation as being the circuit most at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court. The San Francisco-based court has frequently been the most reversed among the circuit courts, with one term in the mid-1990s seeing 27 of its 28 decisions reversed or vacated by the high court.

Conservatives decry the 9th Circuit’s perceived liberal bent. As candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Newt Gingrich practically recommended abolishing the circuit, while Rick Santorum suggested that its judges be banished to Guam.

But more recently, another federal circuit has reigned as the most reversed. The 6th Circuit, based in Cincinnati, has had a particularly dismal record before the high court. In the seven Supreme Court terms completed since the fall of 2005, the 6th Circuit has been reversed 31 out of 38 times, for an 81.6 percent reversal rate, based on figures compiled by two Philadelphia lawyers. That leads all the federal circuits for that time period, with the 9th Circuit coming in as the second most reversed—100 out of 128 cases, or 78.1 percent....

This is a local report from Marion, Ohio.

April 2, 2018

By Sarah Volpenheim

Marion — Police are investigating (click here) a bump in overdoses that sent more than a dozen people to the hospital over nine days at the end of March.

The Marion Police Department has seen a rise in the number of drug overdoses in March, with police responding to 24 suspected overdoses in the month, compared with seven in January and 10 in February, said Marion Police Lt. Chris Adkins. Four of the 24 suspected overdoses in March were fatal, Adkins said.

"It's higher than we've seen the last several months," Adkins said. "I wouldn't say it's not typical. It's just kind of unnerving, I guess, to figure out why it happens."

Adkins said the spike was concentrated between March 21 and 29, when police responded to 14 suspected overdoses.

There could be a number of reasons for the recent uptick in overdose calls, Adkins said, including an uptick in recovering users relapsing or a stronger batch of heroin or fentanyl being sold on the street....

I believe when a CLUSTER of drug overdoes occurs is because there was a change of some kind in supply. There certainly wasn't a group of people that got together and said, "Hey, let's through a party to confuse police over the stretch of ten days."

The same would hold true for increased deaths due to drug overdoes. The supply changed in some way. It may even be a new dealer that is trying to establish a clientele. But, rarely is it a conscious effort by people to make a mark on the calendar.

I think the Marion Police have displayed a concern for the community in tracking these changes and acting on them to bring about a clearer understanding of their community and the dangers that lie within it. I think this is great work. Also, the news media bringing these findings by the police to the community is an act of compassion in hopes those that can be effected can be stopped by people who care about them, including social agencies.       

With all the talk about the US southern border and drugs, a reality check was in order.

There is an initiative begun in 2015 that brought this conviction.

April 5, 2018
By Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Mexico

Albuquerque – Lorenzo A. Ruiz-Gonzalez, 26, (click here) entered a guilty plea to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M.  Immediately thereafter, Ruiz-Gonzales was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment.  He will be deported after completing his prison sentence.

Ruiz-Gonzalez , a Mexican national who had been residing in El Paso, Texas, was arrested in July 2017, after New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officers found approximately 1,061.1 grams of methamphetamine and 612 grams of heroin inside Ruiz-Gonzalez’s vehicle during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 10 in Dona Ana County, N.M.

Today, Ruiz-Gonzalez pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty plea, Ruiz-Gonzalez admitted that on July 13, 2017, he drove a vehicle containing approximately 856.8 grams of methamphetamine and 493 grams of heroin.  Ruiz-Gonzalez admitted that he was in the process of delivering the drugs to another when he was pulled over by law enforcement for a traffic violation.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the NMSP.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brock E. Taylor of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.  The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico.  Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities.  Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico....

Most Americans don't trust their city's water.

April 6, 2018
By Alice Yin

Lansing, Mich. (AP) — Four remaining free bottled water stations (click here) will close in Flint, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Friday, more than two years after the state opened them in response to a man-made, lead-tainted drinking water crisis that threatened the health of its residents.

The statement came with an update that the city's water has tested below the federal lead and copper limit of 15 parts per billion for about two years. Levels of 4 ppb were recorded during the first three months of 2018.

"We have worked diligently to restore the water quality and the scientific data now proves the water system is stable and the need for bottled water has ended," Snyder, a Republican, said. "We will now focus even more of our efforts on continuing with the health, education and economic development assistance needed to help move Flint forward."

Residents and local officials criticized the move, noting that many in the city of 100,000 remain distrustful after their water supply was contaminated with lead for 18 months. The contamination happened in 2014 and 2015 when officials used river water that wasn't properly treated. As a result, lead leached from old pipes and fixtures, and the state is still working to replace pipes in the community....

The difference between most Americans and the residents of Flint, is poverty. The residents of Flint were dealing with poisoned water for over a year and their circumstances are still troubling. The lead came from the pipes and most Americans don't expect their water to leach lead into their water. It is unjust to do this to the residents of Flint.

March 5, 2016
By Lucy Schouten

Peggy Schwartz (click here) has lived in Phoenix for 54 years, where she drinks bottled water to avoid what she describes as the bad-tasting tap water.

"I use, for drinking, all bottled water and have forever," says Ms. Schwartz, a realtor, in a phone interview. "But I've never had anything tested. I don't know statistically if it's good, bad, or what."

Schwartz is not alone in wondering about her water quality. More than half of Americans worry that Flint's water crisis is a bellwether for bad water, according to a poll by the Associated Press/GfK, and only one in three is willing to drink water straight from the tap....

April 4, 2018
By Steve Carmody

After more than six years of state oversight, (click here) the city of Flint is finally emerging from receivership.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver could hardly contain her feelings about the end of state oversight of her city.

“I’m excited. I’m glad they’re gone,” Weaver told reporters after the news broke this afternoon.

The city of Flint is the last Michigan municipality to be under state financial oversight through a Receivership Transition Advisory Board....

California needs to apply for or issue, thorough state legislation, temporary work status for agricultural workers.

Non-Immigrant Visa

Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States on a temporary basis for tourism, business, medical treatment and certain types of temporary work. The type of nonimmigrant visa needed is defined by immigration law, and related to the purpose of the travel. Generally, an individual applies directly to the U.S. consulate or embassy abroad for a tourist (B-2) or business nonimmigrant (B-1) visa. However, foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States to study or work may require certain authorization and documentation prior to applying for a nonimmigrant visa. For an alphabetical listing all of the nonimmigrant visa classifications and specific requirements refer to the USCIS website. or the U.S. Department of State website.

Sometimes I wonder if the attacks on the Undocumented isn't an attack on California agribusiness.

The sales value (click here) generated by California
agriculture increased by 4.6 percent between the 2012 and 2013 crop years. The State’s 77,9000 farms and ranches received $46.4 billion for their output, up from the $44.3 billion received in 2012. California’s increase in revenue was led by the dairy industry followed by the almond and grape industries, respectively....

California agribusiness contributes heavily to the USA GDP and it should not be tampered with when it comes to harvests of agricultural products. There are several farm unions that California can work with to guarantee worker safety while employed by a farmer.

"The United Farm Workers" (click here)

"Agricultural Workers Industrial Union" (click here)

"National Farm Workers Union" (click here)

California could ask farmers to organize. By doing so they bring economic power to the legislative agenda. Farmers can grow their crops without immigrants, legal or otherwise, but, they can't harvest them.

In realizing this will become an emergency the state of California needs to have a plan in place that will allow "temporary workers" into the state to assist in harvesting.

When considering the economic state of Mexico's tourism, the worst thing that can happen is alienation of Mexican workers from California agriculture. There is no time for funding of studies regarding California and it's need of the Undocumented. The California legislature needs to problem solve this issue and the federal government needs to act to provide some degree of Visas to those that come to work in the harvest of California.

Part of what the California legislature needs to bring to a focus is the global inequity that parallels the income inequality of Americans. It is referred to as "The Elephant Chart." (cilck here)

Brookings:

...In doing so, we find that the primary narrative is one of convergence: Poorer countries, and the lower income groups within those countries, have grown most rapidly in the past 20 years. The data do not support the idea that the poorest people are being left behind, nor that the richest are taking all the income gains....

Basically, the global wealth is concentrated in a few countries as well as a few individuals. That makes it nearly impossible for a country like Mexico to pull out of impoverishment because it's citizens are unable to grow an economy that benefits the population. In Mexico, in particular, the impoverishment has meet with organized crime of drug cartels and simply gangs that have no other means of making a living. The impoverishment of Mexico, with few people to grow their economy through investment is compounded by a collapsing Mexican currency.

Case in point:

Unhappy: Carlos Slim (pictured, here in 2011) has slipped from being the world's richest man to sixth position

Mexico's richest man, Carlos Slim, (click here) has seen his personal fortune shrink by $16 billion because of Donald Trump. When Trump launched his presidential bid on June 15, 2015, the Mexican telecoms tycoon's wealth stood at $67 billion. As a result of Trump reaching the White House and the consequent slide in the Mexican currency, the peso, Slim's fortune has slipped to $51 billion....

Now, I do not feel sorry for Mr. Slim exactly, but, he has been an investor that has reaped many financial rewards within the Latin American. His losses are only reflected by the fact when the migrant worker stays in Mexico rather than harvesting in California there is little alternate work for them. Mr. Slim's loss is also the loss of the people within his industries.

I am sure people like Mr. Slim know the economic dynamics of Mexico's failing tourist industry and the future of economic growth. They could speak to the need to have Mexicans working in the harvest fields of California. 

Someone has to do something and certainly adding the National Guard to the southern border will only increase the deterrent of migrant workers to their much needed service in the agricultural fields of the USA.

"21 Minutes, 11 Combines, 1 Wheat Field"

6 John Deere S690 Combines with MacDon 45 ft FD75 Draper Heads (click here) 1 Case IH 9230 Axial-Flow with a MacDon 45 ft FD75 Draper Head 1 CLAAS Lexion 760 TT

I might add, this dynamic does not hit as hard in Red States where the product is mostly grain crops harvested by combines.

"The Don" gets caught with his pants down.

April 5, 2018
By Julia Hirshfield Davis

Washington — President Trump denied (click here) on Thursday knowing of a $130,000 payment his lawyer made to a pornographic film actress who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him, an assertion that threatened to complicate his legal battle against her.

Mr. Trump made his first public remarks about the matter aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., where he had held a round table on tax cuts. Asked by a reporter if he knew about the payment to the actress, Stormy Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, he said, “No.”

Asked why Michael D. Cohen, his personal lawyer, had made the payment, Mr. Trump said: “You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney, and you’ll have to ask Michael Cohen.”

The president said he did not know where the money had come from, and ignored a question about whether he ever set up a fund Mr. Cohen could draw from....

So, let's see. Something like nine women or more have stated they had an affair with "The Don" behind the backs of the women he publically was involved with; "The Don" says it is all nonsense to get money, BUT, given the opportunity to sue for $20 million for a non-disclosure agreement he never signed he launches a lawsuit against one woman stating, they had an affair and was threatened with her life to keep quiet.

Would I sign a non-disclosure agreement with a gun to my head? Well, let's just say I agree with the Bald Eagle.

I a strange man can find me in a parking lot completely defenseless while I am caring for my baby daughter, I pay attention.

California P.C. 422(a): Criminal Threats (click here)

A conviction for criminal threats can carry substantial consequences which is why one should immediately retain a criminal defense attorney to start your defense. This charge may be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony with a “strike” allegation. Consequently, if one is convicted of a strike offense, their sentence will double if they’re subsequently convicted of another felony. Often times, this charge consists of only one witness making an allegation that you threatened them without any recorded (video and or audio) evidence....

I think the entire mess needs a court date.

March 16, 2018

President Donald Trump's attorneys claim (click here)  that Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had an affair with Trump that began in 2006, violated a nondisclosure agreement and is now liable for at least $20 million in damages, The New York Times reported Friday.

The $20 million figure reportedly represents the 20 times Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, violated that agreement, according to The Times.

"Mr. Trump intends to pursue his rights to the fullest extent permitted by the law," one of the filings read.

Trump's court filings come amid a civil suit Clifford filed earlier this month. In the suit, she alleged that a $130,000 nondisclosure agreement between her and Trump is invalid because Trump never signed the form. Clifford has also offered to return the money so she could freely talk about her experience....

This hasn't happened in a while. 5.3 is a significant quake. Too close to the San Andreas.

This is still another quake that hasn't occurred in some time. This is getting to be a bit of a phenomenon.

2018-04-05 19:29:16 UTC (click here)
33.838°N   119.726°W
9.9 km depth

Channel Islands (CBSLA) —  A magnitude 5.3 earthquake (click here) was felt throughout many parts of Southern California Thursday afternoon.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the quake was a magnitude 5.0, but it was later upgraded to magnitude 5.3. The quake was the most widely felt in the L.A. area since 2014 when a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Encino.

According to the USGS, the quake happened at around 12:29 p.m. and was reported near Channel Islands, just off the coast of Southern California.

The epicenter of the quake was approximately 28 miles southwest of Santa Cruz Island and about 11 miles deep in the ocean.

“The offshore faults that produced today’s M5.3 quake are part of the system that moves Southern California around a bend of the San Andreas fault,” said seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones on Twitter following the quake....

Bald Eagles have no shame when danger strikes and take to the air to live another day.

     

Former President Park is appealing her 24 year jail sentence handed down by a lower Korean court.

April 6, 2018
By Kim Se-jeong

...This makes her the nation's third ex-president to be criminally convicted....

...The judge (click here) found her guilty of pressuring major conglomerates to donate 77.4 billion won to the Mir and K-Sports foundations, organizations controlled by her key confidant Choi Soon-sil. Choi received a 20-year jail sentence in the lower court for taking bribes....

...Her downfall began with the ferry Sewol disaster in April 2014 in which more than 300 passengers of the commercial passenger ferry died....

...In 2016, a corruption scandal involving her confidant Choi eventually stripped her of her presidential office. On March 10 last year, the nation's Constitutional Court confirmed her removal from power. She left the presidential office and headed to a detention center in southern Seoul for a criminal investigation into corruption allegations....

Shouting over the internet is not the way this is done.

I don't have a problem with the idea of balancing trade with other countries, including China. But, to conduct trade negotiations this way is not appropriate or PRODUCTIVE. 

The USA has not had active trade negotiations since Nixon. The USA Pre-NAFTA sought trade through negotiations. It is the way it should be. Wall Street came along and put plenty of money in the palms of US politicians and all of a sudden there were huge CONTRACTS that treated countries homogenously. It is crazy, it hurts Americans (the best workforce on the planet) and it contributes to the national debt. The USA loses income to the US Treasury every day when Americans are underpaid.

The USA needs to be a leader, step away from Wall Street and conduct trade negotiations that stabilize the US economy and returns the American Dream. Shouting across the internet is not the way it is done. When Nixon went to China it opened paths, not "Windows."

April 6, 2018

China warned on Friday (click here) it would fight back "at any cost" with fresh trade measures if the United States continues on its path of protectionism, hours after President Donald Trump threatened to slap an additional $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods.

In light of China's "unfair retaliation" against earlier U.S. trade actions, Trump upped the ante on Thursday by ordering U.S. officials to identify extra tariffs, escalating a high stakes tit-for-tat confrontation with potentially damaging consequences for the world's two biggest economies.

On Wednesday, China unveiled a list of 106 U.S. goods — from soybeans and whiskey to frozen beef and aircraft — targeted for tariffs, in a swift retaliatory move only hours after the Trump administration proposed duties on some 1,300 Chinese industrial, technology, transport and medical products....