This is the Post Oak tree twig with plenty of acrons ready to mature into the food of squirrels and other forest creatures.

For the most part, the Post Oak is a hardy tree with few diseases affecting it. It is sometimes bothered by Chestnut blight or oak wilt.

There is one insect in particular that causes damage to the twigs and branches, namely the "Twig Pruner."

July 11, 2008
By Howard Russell

...The twig pruner (click here) cuts through the twig from the inside, but leaves the bark intact. For a short time the injured branch remains on the tree, but eventually succumbs to the wind, breaks off and falls from the tree. A small oval shaped hole in the end of the branch is a tell-tale sign of the twig pruner. Look closely for this hole because the larva usually packs the opening with a frass plug to keep out predators and other unwanted guests. Twig diameters at the point of the cut usually range from about three-eighths to three-quarters of an inch. Common host trees are reported to include oak, hickory, pecan, walnut, basswood, redbud and hackberry.

Reports of the life cycle of the twig pruner vary somewhat. As we understand it, the females lay eggs in small twigs near the ends of live branches in late spring. The larva eats the inside of the twig, then bores into the center of the branch and tunnels downward. When nearly fully grown, the larva severs the twig or branch by tunneling in circles from the center outward to the bark. Pruned twigs or branches soon break and fall. The larva continues to feed in the severed twig until it pupates. Winter is passed in the severed branch....

Octobrer 17, 2019
By Jennifer Gray and Gianluca Mezzofiore

Winds as strong as those of a tropical storm (click here) pummeled New England on Thursday, as a storm known as a bomb cyclone knocked out power and promised to disrupt travel in the region through the end of the workweek.

The storm "parked over southern New England with the pressure equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane" for much of Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

Thousands of customers from New York to Maine were still without electricity as of Thursday night, according to PowerOutages.us. And more than 100 flights have been canceled Thursday at Boston Logan International Airport, while more than 230 have been canceled at New York's John F. Kennedy & LaGuardia airports, FlightAware.com reports; more delays and cancellations are expected through late Friday.

Wind gusts of up to 50 mph punished New England for much of Thursday, while New York City, Boston, and Portland, Maine, felt winds of at least 39 mph -- the low end of tropical-storm force -- with stronger gusts.

Provincetown, on Massachusetts' Cape Cod, has already been lashed with winds of 90 mph. Boston Logan recorded gusts of 70 mph overnight into Thursday, and gusts atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire were clocked at 125 mph....

These are mature post oak acorns. Each acorn is 1/2 to 1 inch long, elliptical in shape; 1/3 to 1/2 enclosed by a deep cup, green turning brown with maturity in its first year. There is no stem, the acorn is on the twig.

October 4, 2012
By Ken Moore

It is hard for us not to see time (click here) through the lens of our species; humans have life spans measured in decades, at most about a century. Most other organisms with which we form close relationships have life spans shorter than we do. We have pets that live a decade or two. We plant a garden, which dies in the fall and is replanted in the spring. Perhaps we have a psychological vanity that we are nearly immortal, presiding godlike over our dependent animals and plants, watching their beginnings and ends.

However, we live our lives around organisms that live much longer than we do, that may be almost unchanged from the time of our birth to the time of our death, that stolidly oversaw events that we might consider impossibly long ago (a band of Native Americans moving along a trading path, the American Revolution, the founding of the University of North Carolina, the marriage of our great-great-great grandparents, the Civil War) and may see the 24th century. Most trees have life spans of centuries, often many centuries, and while in the eastern Piedmont we lack the “Methusaleh trees” (bald-cypresses, redwoods, sequoias, bristlecone pines) with lifespans of millenia, we still live among trees that far outlast us....

...Instead, consider our post oaks (Quercus stellata) common trees of the high, dry, granite monadnock of Chapel Hill. Sometimes called “iron oak,” this species is a survivor, tolerant of drought and fire and nutrient starvation. It grows slowly, often adding less than 1/16 of an inch of diameter in a year, especially when growing on a dry granite hilltop in acidic soils. Growing as little as half an inch a decade and six inches a century, post oaks develop wood that is hard and tough, the heaviest wood in North America....

October 11, 2019

By Jean Lotus

Baseball-size hailstones destroyed car windows in June 2018 near Colorado Springs.

Denver -- As hail season ends (click here)  in the "hail alley" states east of the Rocky Mountains, weather scientists say these destructive storms appear to be increasing, causing greater property and crop damage and injuring more people and animals.

In 2019, extra-large hailstones measuring 3 inches or more in circumference fell during storms in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas this spring and summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. A total of 176 episodes of severe hail were reported in those states, plus South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

In August, a severe storm with baseball-size hail and 70-mph winds killed between 11,000 and 13,000 waterfowl at a Montana marshland in Yellowstone County. Dead and injured pelicans, cormorants, geese and ducks were scattered around the Big Lake Wildlife Management Area north of Billings, according to state park officials.

"We walked up and saw dead birds strewn across the shoreline and injured birds with broken wings," said Justin Paugh, wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks....

To the right - Patterns of hail-hit areas are now being captured with drone footage, as in this image taken near Wellington, Colo.

The leaves of the Post Oak are unique. They are 3-1/4 to 6 inches wide. The leaves are obovate in shape with 5 to 7 deep, broad and rounded lobes.

The two middle lobes are the largest with a short pointed base lobe with a rounded tip. The base lobe may be thicker than the others. 

It is shiny, dark green, slightly rough with scattered hairs above. The underside of the leaf is grey-green with tiny star-shaped hairs. See right.

The leaves turn brown in the fall/autumn.

October 20, 2016
By Karol Holloway

Texas seeing widespread, sudden death of post oak trees (click here)

The yellow leaves of some post oak trees are not a sign of autumn. Instead, lamentably, they signal the tree's pending death.

Post oaks throughout the state, including North Texas, are sickening and dying, victims of erratic weather, arborists say.

The Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service started getting phone calls in the spring from concerned homeowners and arborists saying post oaks were "suddenly" dying, says Kevin Ong, director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, operated by AgriLife

"When you get a whole bunch of folks asking the same question, and they are frmo all over Texas --- even the panhandle --- you know that something widespread is up,: he says....

The human rights abuses are mounting in Brazil.

October 14, 2019
By Chris Dalby

A damning report (click here) stating that federal agents systematically tortured prisoners in Brazil’s northern state of Pará have found little attention from President Jair Bolsonaro, who dismissed questions about the scandal as nonsense.

In early October, federal prosecutors in Pará issued a report, stating that members of a security task force, intended to stop violence within prisons, had been torturing prisoners in vicious ways, including “beatings with brooms, daily attacks with rubber bullets and pepper spray, impalement of the anus, and the piercing of feet with nails, among other atrocities,” reported El País.

When asked to comment on the report on October 8, Bolsonaro told journalists to stop “asking bullshit.”...

October 8, 2019
By Colin Brineman

A recent report (click here) on Venezuela by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a grim portrayal of a country in a severe crisis. Yet, given the extensive media coverage given to this report, it is important to contextualize what is going on in Venezuela in light of the situation in other countries in the region.

Comparing the rates of violent abuses of state security agents in Venezuela with those of state actors like Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, or Mexico, it becomes clear that Venezuela is far from being an outlier, but rather part of a disturbing pattern of abusive, tough-on-crime, “mano dura” (“iron fist”) security policies in Latin America.

What is an outlier, however, is the disproportionate media attention directed at Venezuela’s human rights situation, in comparison to other Latin American nations.

Another outlier is the US approach to Venezuela, which is clearly driven by the political aims of President Donald Trump — not by any particular concern for human rights. To get a sense of Trump’s double standard when it comes to human rights, one need look no further than how his administration treats Venezuela’s neighbor, Brazil....

Venezuela must be removed from the United Nations Human Rights Council. Maduro is an illegitimate government.

October 17, 2019
By Michael R. Pompeo

...Its membership includes authoritarian governments (click here) with unambiguous and abhorrent human rights records, such as China, Cuba, and Venezuela.  These are among the reasons why the United States withdrew from the Human Rights Council in 2018 (cilck here).

The United States strongly supports multilateral organizations that sincerely and effectively work to protect human rights.  The election to the Human Rights Council of Maduro’s representative is a farce that further undermines the Council’s already frail credibility.  We desire to work with our allies and partners in support of Venezuelan interim President Guaidó’s efforts to restore human rights and democracy in Venezuela, a critical objective that reflects the United States’ commitment to human rights and freedom.....

October 17, 2019
By Rachelle Krygier

Caracas - The government of President Nicolás Maduro (click here) won a seat Thursday on the U.N. Human Rights Council, a controversial victory for a regime accused of using intimidation, torture and murder to cling to power.

The Maduro government, no longer recognized as legitimate by the United States and around 50 other countries, had sought a return to the 47-member panel to counter an image of international isolation — and thwart investigations into its own alleged abuses.

Venezuela and regional rival Brazil beat out Costa Rica for the two Latin American seats up for election. Costa Rica had declared its candidacy only this month in an effort to deny Venezuela a three-year term, but the support of China, Russia, Cuba and other allies gave the socialist state the win.

“We celebrate, once again, the Bolivarian diplomacy of peace at the U.N.,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said after the vote. “This victory is historic, since we faced a ferocious campaign.”...

October 18, 2019
By Jorge L. Ortiz

A firefighter (click here) gives water to a tropical bird rescued from a wildfire in the Santa Cruz Province of Bolivia, August 22, 2019.

The proliferation of fires in the Amazon rainforest (click here) drew international attention in August, especially when French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent action.

Since then, the eyes of the world have shifted elsewhere as House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, Hurricane Dorian leveled large swaths of the Bahamas, a Brexit deal was left for dead and revived, and U.S. troops pulled out of northern Syria

A man works in a burning tract of Amazon jungle as it is being cleared by loggers and farmers in Iranduba, Amazonas state, Brazil, August 20, 2019.

Satellite photos of the Amazon from July 2019 showed an area the size of a soccer field was being cleared every minute, BBC News reported.

Meanwhile, the Amazon continued to burn.

The number of fires decreased by 35% in September, but experts say this is merely a slowdown in a crisis with global repercussions.

Indigenous people from the Mura tribe show a deforested area inside the Amazon rainforest near Humaita, Amazonas State, Brazil, on August 20, 2019.

There were still 19,925 fire outbreaks in September on the Brazilian part of the rainforest, which accounts for nearly 65% of the Amazon basin. Moreover, through the first nine months of the year, the number of fires soared by 41% compared to the same period in 2018, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported....

The bark of the Post Oak is light grey, fissured into scaly ridges. The trunk can be short and crooked, or it can be long and straight depending on drainage, soil type and nutrition available.

Besides being a staple for the coastal forests of New York the Post Oak is among the oaks composing what is known to conservation biologists as "Oak Savannas." These precious ecosystems are becoming an endangered habitat and should be protected.

Below is a picture of an orchard oriole. This is not an exotic bird and if they are disappearing from view it is something to be worried about.

May 19, 2015

The orchard oriole is one of several species that could do better with the restoration of historical oak savanna, according to a new TWS member study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management.

...Oak savanna, (click here) characterized by small tree copses or individual trees surrounded by more open grasslands or low-growing bushes, used to cover a massive area of the country from Minnesota down to Texas. But these ecosystems were reduced almost completely due to agriculture and fire suppression strategies initiated by European settlers who moved into the region. Due to a lack of studies of this kind, not much is known about which birds may have favored these landscapes, but Holoubek said many species may have been lost as the areas disappeared.

Now, only small pockets of oak savanna remain in areas such as Kansas, parts of Oklahoma and Texas, which are often used today for cattle grazing.

Holoubek, now a wildlife biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and a member of The Wildlife Society and coauthor William Jensen from ESU, found that surprisingly little was known about this “extraordinarily rare ecosystem.”

By examining remnant oak savanna areas in southeastern Kansas, they developed a model to predict which species might return to restored savanna areas, and which species may be lost with more or less forest cover than what the norm had been....

Should we be boycotting GM?

CEO Mary Barra has come out with an outstanding line of automobiles. Do I dare compare her new direction as saber-rattling as the late Lee Iacocca? Some are downright revolutionary including the "Bolt" and the new truck tailgate, however, the policies of the past in regard to employees and their unions have become frayed. It is time the UAW take back the dignity of their union and put workers first, returning benefits lost due to prior poor management. It is time for GM to show the respect a skilled workforce deserves and sign a contract worth the dignity of GM and the UAW.

October 14, 2019

By Craig Cole

...Introduced back in 2016, (click here) the Bowtie brand's all-electric five-door is getting slightly longer legs. Battery capacity and range have both increased. The car's new 66-kilowatt-hour pack (up from 60 kWh) provides an EPA-estimated 259 miles of driving on a single charge. That's 21 more than before, a not-insignificant figure.

Engineers worked their magic, altering the ratios of various elements inside this liquid-cooled battery and lowering its internal resistance to produce a pack that's no larger or heavier than before, though still appreciably more energy-dense. This gives the Bolt an edge over the Leaf Plus, Nissan's extended-range EV offering, which maxes out at 226 miles. In comparison, the standard Leaf is even less impressive, with an advertised range of just 150....                            

Quercus stellata Wangenh

Soon, this is what the "Post Oak" will look like while walking through the forest. Wintertime creates different expertise in recognizing trees. Sometimes the best way to discern them is to examine their twigs.

Height of 30 to 70 feet, the diameter of the trunk 1 to 2 feet, is adapted to sandy, moist loamy soils of flood planes along streams, gravel and rocky ridges. 

The Post Oak is found among other forest species or often stands alone as a forest species. The wood is marketed as White Oak and used for railroad crossties, posts and construction timbers.

It ranges from coastal Massachusetts, to New York all the way to Florida. The tree is also found as far west as Northwest Texas to Southeast Iowa.

I think the tree has character.

It is Sunday Night

Forest Sounds | Woodland Ambience, Bird Song, Nearby Village | 3 Hours in length video

No lyrics, just the sound of the forest.

Always against the ropes in life, he died as a much loved man.

James Beasley (click here)

He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and after his road tours in wrestling, he returned to raise his family as a full time Dad and husband to Betty Beasley.

I knew him as a simple man, a kind man, one centered on morality and community. He never drank alcohol, smoked a single cigarette, didn't vap anything and never took drugs.

He knew many people in his role as a professional wrestler. People loved him. Children would crowd around him. He would entertain their imaginations at fundraising events from time to time. But, I knew him best as a friend of my youngest son as they were both taxi cab owners and drivers. They carried their own crusades in local town council meetings for a "Taxi Stand" in downtown Wilmington. They also advocated for safer cabs for the drivers as there were several taxi drivers who lost their lives through violence by passengers. The taxi business in Wilmington, NC was not simple and it paid bearly enough to eke out a survival.

James Beasley loved his wife. He was portrayed as a lady's man at ringside, but, he loved his wife dearly. He never wandered. James never drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes. He had no real vices to speak of as he worked anywhere from 12 to 14 hours per day, with a rare day off, except, for his wrestling matches.

Betty became ill with a heart condition and she became the focus of his vigilance. When she died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center a big piece of him died with her. The family had no monies to provide a proper burial and wake afterward, so they held post services in a garage where pictures and posters of her and her life were on display for people to pay their respects. I believe she was about 50 years old.

Life went along as it did until "Uber" came to town. Everyone who cared to make an extra dollar was offering local transportation, even students at UNCW. It devastated James the already marginal income to nothing. "Uber" destroyed the independent taxi business in Wilmington, NC and the state government could not care less. As a matter of fact, North Carolina Unemployment would hand out fliers to become an "Uber" driver when applying for unemployment benefits. The only thing for the independent owners to do was to becomes "Uber" drivers themselves. These were people without many skills, but, they could drive and made a living doing so. That was about 2015. Some families received Medicaid and food stamps after that to try to make ends meet.

Then in 2018 Hurricane Florence paid a visit to Wilmington, North Carolina. Afterward, James' stepson, Eric Wolfe (click here) became ill and was admitted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. He complained about feeling ill, collapsed after a week in the hospital, rushed to the intensive care unit where the doctors finally discovered his body systems were failing. Eric would die at the age of 37 due to gross neglect in New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Now it comes to James. Devastated twice by people he loved dearly dying for what seemed needless and senseless losses. He lost Eric a year ago. It is said he recently was diagnosed with cancer. He went to the doctor's that Friday for a check-up with the understanding he would see the doctor again on Monday. James "The Beast" Beasley died that night. Best anyone can say is that he just died. He was not expected to die, but, to fight cancer. But, on Friday night he died alone at home at the age of 57 years old in my opinion of a broken heart and a lack of will to continue.

These three people died in the care of the medical professionals of New Hanover Regional Hospital. They died leaving behind people that loved them. Their lives were mostly absent by what most Americans call "normal." They worked hard, harder than they should have and their diets were limited to poverty economics. They always voted Republican no different than most of the impoverished working poor in the southern USA. They loved their country and would fly a flag in a heartbeat, but, their country didn't love them back.

James Beasley, his wife Betty and his stepson Eric will live in my heart forever. They were good decent people and received nothing more than a raw deal from their government and society.

Trump doesn't want to give up the tariffs.

October 17, 2019

By Gina Heeb

China said on Thursday (click here) that it expected the US to roll back tariffs on its products as part of any final trade agreement, casting another layer of uncertainty on progress announced by President Donald Trump last week.

"China's position, principle, and goal for the China-US trade negotiations has never changed," Gao Feng, a Commerce Ministry representative, said at a weekly press conference, according to a translation. "Both sides' ultimate goal for the negotiations is to end the trade war, cancel all additional tariffs."

The White House did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment....

Trump wants free ride and wants to eliminate taxes. He wants the people that import products to a large population of consumers to pay for the operations of the government.

Three days before this was in the news. Additionally, on the same day China stated it was not ready to sign an agreement.

October 14, 2019
By Gina Heeb

Faced with a formal impeachment inquiry (click here) ahead of his reelection bid, President Donald Trump was swift to assert that the US had made "very substantial" progress on trade with China last week. But American businesses and investors saw little refuge ahead from a 19-month tariff dispute between the largest economies.

The White House announced on Friday that China would increase agricultural purchases, pursue unspecified changes to its currency and intellectual-property rules, and open up access to financial-services markets. In return, the US postponed tariff increases that had been scheduled for this week.

Yet those agreements have not been put on paper by either side. Early Monday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin confirmed that the preliminary pact was "subject to documentation" and that the US could still follow through with plans to slap additional import taxes on virtually all imports from China in December....

For Flint, the Mayoral race is vital to continued improvement in replacing the water pipes.

I doubt Flint, Michigan will ever trust a Republican again in a position on the Mayor and Council.

October 15, 2019

If it wasn’t for the yard signs (click here) sprinkled around town, you might not know that Flint is electing a mayor next month. 

It’s been a low-key campaign between incumbent Karen Weaver and state representative Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint).

However, the quiet nature of the campaign may change this week. Weaver and Neeley will meet in their only debate this Thursday, where the two may exchange barbs publicly that until now have only been said in private.

Elected in 2015 and surviving a recall election in 2017, Karen Weaver led Flint through its water crisis.  Since 2016, the mayor says her administration has made significant progress upgrading the city’s water system and replacing lead service lines.... 

Everyone knows the current Mayor Karen Weaver (click here), but, who is Sheldon Neeley? Rep. Neeley believes Flint's water resolve should be further along. I don't believe that is a valid point of view when considering the faulty methods being used in the beginning of the water pipe replacement. And if 
Rep. Neeley sincerely wants to have the Flint project more along more quickly, will he be as thorough in the assessment as Mayor Weaver has been. I think Mayor Weaver has won the trust of the people in protecting them from exploitative practices by contractors. That is going to be hard to beat.

October 2, 2019
By Tom Travis

Speaking with East Village Magazine (click here) on his birthday, Sept. 20, Flint mayoral candidate Sheldon Neeley offered insight about how he would conduct his administration if he wins the Nov. 5 election. He was pressed for time and was able to grant 20 minutes on the phone for the interview.

Neeley cited that if elected, his focus would be on what he calls his “Five Points of Light” — residential, recreation, economics, education and safety.

Neeley is familiar to many Flint residents, having served as Flint’s Sixth Ward councilperson for nine years and for the last six years as Michigan’s 34th District state representative.

He could be characterized as a seasoned politician, from his years of experience holding elected offices. In his terms in the state legislature, he has served on the health policy, commerce and trade, tax policy, local government, and transportation and infrastructure committees. For the past four years Neeley has served on the legislative Black Caucus in the House of Representatives....

Rep. Neeley has been frustrated with these circumstances for some time now.

May 31, 2018

..."In 2015, on behalf of the residents of my city, (click here) I demanded that the state take action to address the water crisis. It took three months for Attorney General Schuette to review Gov. Snyder's administration's involvement in the crisis and begin to hold them accountable. One month ago, I once again demanded that the state take action to protect the most vulnerable people in our community, including seniors, pregnant women and homebound individuals. I urged him to advocate on behalf of our most vulnerable population and restore bottled water distribution to concerned residents after it was cut off. We have still not received a response.

Rep. Neeley must be knowledgable to the problems Flint residents have encountered for years now. He seems involved in all the events leading up to deceptive practices by the contractors to the current state Attorney General to review the cases regarding the deaths and injuries to Flint residents.

July 14, 2017

State Representative Sheldon Neeley (click here) believes that Governor Rick Snyder's decision to allow two Health and Human Services employees charged with felonies over the Flint Water Crisis is hurting Flint residents trust in government.

Shortly after Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced new charges in the Flint Water Crisis against Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, and Chief Legal Executive Dr. Eden Wells, Governor Rick Snyder took to the airwaves to show his support for the pair.

Snyder is allowing Lyon and Wells to stay on the job until the charges make their way through the court system.

Snyder says in a video released by his office that Wells and Lyon are committed to the recovery of Flint, and are presumed innocent until otherwise proven differently in court.

Lyon is facing involuntary manslaughter charges, and Wells is facing obstruction of justice charges, for their handling of the Legionnaire’s outbreak which spread through the city in 2014 and 2015.

State Senator Jim Ananich, (D) Flint, says he doesn’t believe they can effectively do the job, and should be fired.

“These are very serious charges and it calls into question whether or not they are able to manage the agency, and protect millions of people in the state whose safety depends on them. I felt that the governor’s statement defending these employees, but saying nothing about the damage they did to Flint resident tone deaf to say the least and disgusting to be honest about it,” Ananich says....

It is never too late to uphold the dignity of life.

October 17, 2019

Hamburg, Germany — Bruno Dey was 17 years old when he joined the unit Death's Head unit of Adolf Hitler's SS, the division tasked with running Nazi death camps. On Thursday, now 93, Dey faced the first day of his trial on charges of being an accessory to more than 5,000 murders. It could be the last trial of its kind in Germany, as Dey is one of the few Nazi suspects still alive who could be charged over their actions during the Holocaust....

...Judy Meisel (click here) is one of the 20 co-plaintiffs in the case against Dey. She witnessed the atrocities carried out by the Germans in Stutthof. Together with her mother and her sister Rachel, she was sent to the concentration camp from her native Lithuania in 1941 after Hitler's forces invaded.

"Her mother was murdered in the gas chamber," Meisel's grandson Benjamin Cohen told CBS News on Thursday after watching the trial begin. "They were tortured, her hair was ripped out by two SS men when they arrived at the camp. It was total brutality."

Meisel is now an American citizen and lives in Minnesota. She couldn't travel to Germany for the trial for health reasons.

She and her sister both managed to escape from Stutthof. Her grandson has vowed to tell her story, and he hopes to hear Bruno Dey's side of the story, too, to get an answer to the question his grandmother has longed for.

"How could they do this? How could someone be a part of that?" he said. "Her lesson is the power of the human spirit, to come out of it not hateful and not looking for revenge."...                 

October 13, 2019

Washington - US Defense Secretary Mark Esper (click here) said Sunday the Pentagon would cooperate with the congressional impeachment inquiry -- in an apparent break with President Donald Trump's policy to thwart the probe.''

Esper said his department would try to comply with a subpoena from House Democrats seeking records relating to the withholding of US military aid to Ukraine.

"We will do everything we can to cooperate with the Congress," Esper said on CBS's "Face The Nation."

His reassurance came days after the White House announced it would not cooperate with the Democratic-led House of Representatives, calling its impeachment push illegitimate and unconstitutional....

This is reported in RT.

The "pause" isn't about the Kurds or anyone else, it is an excuse to remove sanctions from Turkey. The agreement was most likely engineered by Putin. This is how communist countries take care of each other, they propagandize policy and pretend it is all going to be okay.

17 October 2019

...According to a text of the agreement, (click here) Ankara promised that the military operation, dubbed ‘Peace Spring’, will be "halted upon completion of this withdrawal."  The "safe zone" in question, the text says, "will be primarily enforced by the Turkish Armed Forces."

During the 120-hour period no further sanctions - triggered by the Turkish incursion - will be imposed on Ankara. When the ceasefire becomes a “permanent” one, Washington will cancel the executive restrictions against Turkey, Pence explained.

The US President Donald Trump, for his part, stated that the sanctions were no longer necessary after the deal had been agreed upon. Hailing the "amazing" outcome of the negotiations,Trump also said that it required a “tough love" to get the deal done....

The BBC

Yep, everyone is blowing smoke up Putin's skirt. 

17 October 2019

By Steven Rosenberg

These aircraft blazed a trail in the colours of the Russian flag during Mr Putin's visit to Abu Dhabi on 15 October

...In the Middle East, (click here) the transformation is stark. Four years after Moscow launched its military operation in Syria, Russia is replacing America as the key player and power broker in the region.

In the space of just a few days, Vladimir Putin has spoken by phone to the Turkish president and invited him to Moscow; he had a phone call with the Israeli prime minister where they discussed "security issues"; he visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

This is how popular Russian tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets views the change:

"The current situation in the Middle East would have been unthinkable in the days of Henry Kissinger and his idea of 'global geopolitical chess'. The oversized giant by the name of America lost its way in broad daylight… while Russian diplomacy is ahead of the game.

"Russia plays the role of the universal mediator and political broker, and none of the regional powers can ignore it."...

This is what Vladimir Putin has accomplished in Syria and for this he gets fanfare? He is responsible for innumerable deaths in the Middle East, increased aggression by Turkey and continued the war at the eastern border of Ukraine. I hardly call him a peacemaker. Trump is his puppet in hopes of winning another term in office.

..The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), (click here) a monitoring group based in the UK, estimated the death toll since the start of the war to be as high as 511,000 as of March 2018. Years of relentless fighting left 6.6 million displaced internally and 5.6 million around the world, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)....

...Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects by the Syrian-Russian military alliance persisted in 2018. In February, government forces launched a military campaign to retake Eastern Ghouta, an urban suburb of Damascus. Over 1,600 civilians were reportedly killed between February 18 until March 21. The Syrian-Russian military alliance struck at least 25 medical facilities, 11 schools, and countless civilian residences.

Similarly, on June 16, the alliance led an offensive in Daraa and Quneitra governorates, southwest of Syria, triggering massive displacement towards Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Parties to the conflict continued to use unlawful weapons. The Syrian-Russian military alliance used internationally banned cluster munitions and chemical weapons in re-taking areas. Human Rights Watch investigated 36 cluster munition attacks between July 2017 and June 2018 and another two-dozen more possible cluster munition attacks. Evidence suggests the alliance used incendiary weapons in Ghouta and Daraa....

Very sorry to hear of the passing of US Representative Elijah Cummings.

It appeared to me his health was failing over the past few months. He never spoke of it. He will be missed.

Sympathies to all those that loved him.