August 2, 2019
By Charles Digges
New international research (click here) has suggested that an enormous radioactive cloud that covered part of Europe in 2017 was produced by a nuclear fuel reprocessing accident at Russia’s Mayak Production Association, despite repeated denials from Moscow that the facility bears any blame.
The report, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said further that while the massive release of radiation was not harmful outside of Russia, there may have been more serious fallout in the direct proximity to the site, located near the city of Chelyabinsk near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan....
The actual report from the National Academy of Sciences is worth reading as there is a brief discussion of the beginnings of a radiation detection network in Europe. They have extensive records of times when the people of Europe fell into danger due to radiation detection.
A massive atmospheric release (click here) of radioactive 106Ru occurred in Eurasia in 2017, which must have been caused by a sizeable, yet undeclared nuclear accident. This work presents the most compelling monitoring dataset of this release, comprising 1,100 atmospheric and 200 deposition data points from the Eurasian region. The data suggest a release from a nuclear reprocessing facility located in the Southern Urals, possibly from the Mayak nuclear complex. A release from a crashed satellite as well as a release on Romanian territory (despite high activity concentrations) can be excluded. The model age of the radioruthenium supports the hypothesis that fuel was reprocessed ≤2 years after discharge, possibly for the production of a high-specific activity 144Ce source for a neutrino experiment in Italy....
...Nuclear accidents are serious threats due to their immediate and perceived consequence for both health and environment. The lay public thus relies on the responsibility of their leaders to provide information on radioactive releases and their impact on human and environment health. Early in the 1960s, and even more after the Chernobyl accident, European radioprotection authorities established or strengthened radionuclide monitoring networks on a national scale. Today most of these European networks are connected to each other via the informal “Ring of Five” (Ro5) platform for the purpose of rapid exchange of expert information on a laboratory level about airborne radionuclides detected at trace levels. The Ro5 was founded in the mid-1980s by 5 member countries: Sweden, Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. Today, the memberships have grown to laboratories in 22 countries (while the name was kept), and the Ro5 is still an informal arrangement on a laboratory level and between scientists....
The latest detection of radiation over Europe does not instill confidence in Russia's nuclear program.
August 12, 2019
By Robbie Gramer
Radiation leaks after explosion. (click here) Two days after a mysterious blast at a Russian weapons testing range caused a spike in radiation levels in nearby Severodvinsk, Russia’s nuclear energy authority Rosatom confirmed Saturday that the explosion involved radioactive materials.
U.S. officials and experts believe the explosion, which killed seven, came after a botched test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile that Russian President Vladimir Putin has trumpeted as central to Russia’s 21st-century nuclear deterrent, the New York Times reports.
“The possibility that this was another Russian mishap with its nuclear-powered cruise missile is looking frighteningly plausible,” said Ian Williams, the deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in an email to Foreign Policy....
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Will the real president please address the country.
By Kaitlan Collins and Betsy Klein
...The couple (click here) was on vacation in Wyoming with their children over the weekend, and, on Monday, participated in a Trump Victory fundraiser alongside his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. They returned to Washington this week but with a limited presence in the West Wing, people familiar with the situation said.
The President's daughter and son-in-law -- who are Modern Orthodox Jews -- stayed silent publicly as Trump caused a firestorm by questioning the loyalty of some Jewish Americans to Israel. Trump has recently decided that branding the Democratic Party as anti-Semitic would be savvy political strategy -- and aides have largely supported the fight, but when he questioned the intelligence and loyalty of Jewish people who support Democrats, some inside the West Wing privately conceded to CNN he had gone too far. The comments prompted criticism from many groups that what he said was anti-Semitic, but Trump dug in during the days that followed....
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
I will miss his steadfast benevolence to the Climate Crisis.
Governor Inslee is a natural for the office and the focus of the climate crisis. He knows first hand the problems of high amounts of greenhouse gas in the troposphere.
As a Governor he applied himself to every aspect of governing Washington State. In 2016 when Mississippi allowed business owners and government employees to refuse service to gay, lesbian and transgender individuals, he banned state-funded travel to Mississippi.
Today, Washington State is facing still another crisis with blueberry farmers. The USA Labor Department under Trump has once again attacked immigration labor. The USA Labor Department required employers of Guest Workers to pay twice the salary they were receiving at the time the order was signed. Washington State's blueberry farmers are in their own crisis and I know he feels a great weight of looking for solutions.
Governor Inslee is very special. He has a good deal of wisdom in his governance and is committed to solving the problems people of Washington State face. I simply just don't know a better person to lead this country in regard to the climate crisis when it comes to understanding government and it's potential to solve this current and impending disaster.
He is absolutely correct, we were the first generation to come to understand this aspect of Earth's benevolence when in balance and we are the last generation to be able to do something about it. Those words are brilliant and I thank him for it.
I wish the people of Washington State well and the best outcomes for their climate crisis problems. It is hard to accept the northern Pacific is actually becoming a hostile environment for shellfish. Washington State is in the best hands with Governor Jay Inslee.
I look forward to him maintaining an interest in the national dialogue regarding the Climate Crisis and thank him once again.
If there was any chance Maduro was leaving Venezuela it ended since the nuclear explosion. No wonder the Russians won't leave.
Trump loves Russia so much, Moscow is waiting.
When is Trump going to talk to the country about the nuclear explosion in Russia and the fallout that is circulating the north right now? I am sure Alaska is worried. They won't be able to tell if the radiation on the Geiger Counters is from Fukashima or Russia.
Trump loves Russia so much, Moscow is waiting.
When is Trump going to talk to the country about the nuclear explosion in Russia and the fallout that is circulating the north right now? I am sure Alaska is worried. They won't be able to tell if the radiation on the Geiger Counters is from Fukashima or Russia.
Trump is asking, pretty please, for Russia to leave Argentina. Russia says, "No."
There are no secret talks, Maduro knows exactly what is transpiring. If there is secrecy it is because Trump doesn't want to appear to fail.
20 August 2019
Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro with national assembly chief Diosdado Cabello, who has reportedly been speaking to Trump advisers
Nicolás Maduro (click here) has confirmed top Venezuelan officials have been talking to members of Donald Trump’s White House, after reports his second-in-command had been negotiating his downfall with the United States.
“I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside – with my express and direct permission,” Venezuela’s authoritarian leader said in a televised address on Tuesday night.
“Various contacts through various channels,” Maduro added.
Maduro’s remarks came after two reports in the US media claimed Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most powerful and feared men, had been engaged in “secret communications” with Trump officials....
...Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House thinktank, said: “I think what the US is trying to do is some sort of psy ops thing, trying to rattle people within Maduro’s administration.”
But on Tuesday Maduro confirmed contact with the US, which he painted as proof that he had been seeking ways “for president Donald Trump to truly listen to Venezuela and the truth of the 21st century Bolivarian revolution”.
Earlier in the day Trump told reporters: “We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela. I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”...
Diosdado Cabello has been around for a long time. None of these people materialized out of nowhere. The crisis in Venezuela is due to the fall in oil prices.
6 January 2013
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s allies (click here) staged a show of unity on Saturday, re-electing the ruling party’s Diosdado Cabello as parliamentary speaker, while their president battles cancer in Cuba.
The closing of ranks by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) came as it emerged as all but certain that illness will keep Chavez from being sworn in to a new six-year term on Thursday as scheduled.
“The president will continue being president beyond January 10, nobody should have any doubt about that,” said Cabello after his election, accusing the opposition of fomenting a “coup d’etat.”
Vice President Nicolas Maduro called the swearing-in a “formality” and said he too would stay on in office without taking any oath until there was an opportunity to do so.
Cabello’s re-election was intended in part to answer persistent rumours of a power struggle within the regime during Chavez’s more than three-week absence, the longest stretch in his 14-year presidency.
“We will never defraud the people and we will get on our knees to defend the proposal made by comandante Chavez, I swear it,” Cabello said as he took his oath of office....
May 6, 2019
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (click here) pressed Sunday for Russia to get out of Venezuela, while his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, called on Washington to “abandon its irresponsible plans” in the crisis-wracked country.
The push and shove set the stage for a Pompeo meeting with Lavrov in Finland this week, and belied the conciliatory tone taken by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday after what he said was “a very good conversation” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The top level contacts follow the failure of a U.S.-backed uprising on Tuesday aimed at ousting Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, that Pompeo has blamed on Russia....
20 August 2019Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro with national assembly chief Diosdado Cabello, who has reportedly been speaking to Trump advisers
Nicolás Maduro (click here) has confirmed top Venezuelan officials have been talking to members of Donald Trump’s White House, after reports his second-in-command had been negotiating his downfall with the United States.
“I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside – with my express and direct permission,” Venezuela’s authoritarian leader said in a televised address on Tuesday night.
“Various contacts through various channels,” Maduro added.
Maduro’s remarks came after two reports in the US media claimed Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most powerful and feared men, had been engaged in “secret communications” with Trump officials....
...Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House thinktank, said: “I think what the US is trying to do is some sort of psy ops thing, trying to rattle people within Maduro’s administration.”
But on Tuesday Maduro confirmed contact with the US, which he painted as proof that he had been seeking ways “for president Donald Trump to truly listen to Venezuela and the truth of the 21st century Bolivarian revolution”.
Earlier in the day Trump told reporters: “We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela. I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”...
Diosdado Cabello has been around for a long time. None of these people materialized out of nowhere. The crisis in Venezuela is due to the fall in oil prices.
6 January 2013
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s allies (click here) staged a show of unity on Saturday, re-electing the ruling party’s Diosdado Cabello as parliamentary speaker, while their president battles cancer in Cuba.
The closing of ranks by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) came as it emerged as all but certain that illness will keep Chavez from being sworn in to a new six-year term on Thursday as scheduled.
“The president will continue being president beyond January 10, nobody should have any doubt about that,” said Cabello after his election, accusing the opposition of fomenting a “coup d’etat.”
Vice President Nicolas Maduro called the swearing-in a “formality” and said he too would stay on in office without taking any oath until there was an opportunity to do so.
Cabello’s re-election was intended in part to answer persistent rumours of a power struggle within the regime during Chavez’s more than three-week absence, the longest stretch in his 14-year presidency.
“We will never defraud the people and we will get on our knees to defend the proposal made by comandante Chavez, I swear it,” Cabello said as he took his oath of office....
May 6, 2019
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (click here) pressed Sunday for Russia to get out of Venezuela, while his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, called on Washington to “abandon its irresponsible plans” in the crisis-wracked country.
The push and shove set the stage for a Pompeo meeting with Lavrov in Finland this week, and belied the conciliatory tone taken by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday after what he said was “a very good conversation” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The top level contacts follow the failure of a U.S.-backed uprising on Tuesday aimed at ousting Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, that Pompeo has blamed on Russia....
Greece is not aiding Syria. End of discussion. Observations can be made to be sure the oil does not reach a Syrian port.
Trump and Pompeo have no right to any further assurances. Greece stated it is not allowing transit to Syria and that is all that is needed.
Greece is a member of the European Union and is an ally to the USA. Their invention on behalf of the Iranian oil tanker, formerly known as Grace 1, is appreciated. If the Brits are satisfied with the agreement and the ship was to sail to Greece then the proper passage is underway and there is no need for further suspicion. The USA has a port in Italy and any necessary observations can be made to ensure the sanctions are respected.
August 21, 2019
Athens - Greece will not provide assistance (click here) in delivering oil to Syria to an Iranian tanker now sailing eastward through the Mediterranean, Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said on Wednesday.
“We have sent a clear message that we would not want to facilitate the trafficking of this oil to Syria in any instance,” Varvitsiotis told Greece’s ANT1 television.
The Adrian Darya 1, which was released after being detained in Gibraltar, is carrying 2 million barrels of crude. It is now sailing east with trackers giving its stated destination as the Greek port of Kalamata, with an expected arrival date of Aug. 26....
Greece is a member of the European Union and is an ally to the USA. Their invention on behalf of the Iranian oil tanker, formerly known as Grace 1, is appreciated. If the Brits are satisfied with the agreement and the ship was to sail to Greece then the proper passage is underway and there is no need for further suspicion. The USA has a port in Italy and any necessary observations can be made to ensure the sanctions are respected.
August 21, 2019
Athens - Greece will not provide assistance (click here) in delivering oil to Syria to an Iranian tanker now sailing eastward through the Mediterranean, Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said on Wednesday.
“We have sent a clear message that we would not want to facilitate the trafficking of this oil to Syria in any instance,” Varvitsiotis told Greece’s ANT1 television.
The Adrian Darya 1, which was released after being detained in Gibraltar, is carrying 2 million barrels of crude. It is now sailing east with trackers giving its stated destination as the Greek port of Kalamata, with an expected arrival date of Aug. 26....
"The Log Cabin Republicans" find security, regardless of Trump's politics, in the Robert's Court decision. Their equality from here going forward with the Republicans will rely on the court.
United States v. Windsor (2013) (click here)
The Supreme Court ruled that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. In a 5 to 4 vote, the court ruled that DOMA violated the rights of gays and lesbians. The court also ruled that the law interferes with the states' rights to define marriage. It was the first case ever on the issue of gay marriage for the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. voted against striking it down as did Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. However, conservative-leaning Justice Anthony M. Kennedy voted with his liberal colleagues to overturn DOMA.
Kennedy is no longer there.
Examining the LGBT Record of Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch (click here)
Examining the LGBT Record of Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch (click here)
President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. In keeping with the president’s campaign promise, Judge Gorsuch is a conservative justice in the tradition of Justice Scalia. As such, he is likely to reach decisions that negatively impact many parts of the LGBT community when considering issues of race, immigration, and reproductive health.
September 15, 2019
Watching the confirmation hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh last week, (click here) I had a flashback to two defining moments of my life. Both underscore the profound anxiety gripping many advocates of LGBT rights at the prospect of this nominee replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
In the coming months, the high court may accept a case from one of several appeals courts that will determine whether or not LGBT people have any rights under existing federal anti-discrimination law. Meanwhile, some of the few protections we enjoy under the Constitution, for privacy and marriage equality, rest on rulings that Kennedy authored but that Kavanaugh has implicitly criticized — such his 2016 warning, in a tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, against making up "new constitutional rights that are not in the text of the Constitution."...
Wikipedia:
Below (click here) is a list of the names of the LGBT persons who have served on the highest court of a state or territory in the United States.
The first state with a LGBT justice was Oregon, where Rives Kistler was named to the bench in 2003.[1] The first U.S. territory with a LGBT justice was Guam, where Benjamin Cruz was appointed in 1997.[2] There are currently eleven LGBT state supreme court justices, serving in ten states....
September 15, 2019
Watching the confirmation hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh last week, (click here) I had a flashback to two defining moments of my life. Both underscore the profound anxiety gripping many advocates of LGBT rights at the prospect of this nominee replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
In the coming months, the high court may accept a case from one of several appeals courts that will determine whether or not LGBT people have any rights under existing federal anti-discrimination law. Meanwhile, some of the few protections we enjoy under the Constitution, for privacy and marriage equality, rest on rulings that Kennedy authored but that Kavanaugh has implicitly criticized — such his 2016 warning, in a tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, against making up "new constitutional rights that are not in the text of the Constitution."...
Wikipedia:
Below (click here) is a list of the names of the LGBT persons who have served on the highest court of a state or territory in the United States.
The first state with a LGBT justice was Oregon, where Rives Kistler was named to the bench in 2003.[1] The first U.S. territory with a LGBT justice was Guam, where Benjamin Cruz was appointed in 1997.[2] There are currently eleven LGBT state supreme court justices, serving in ten states....
The Prime Minister speaks well of the relationship between the US and Denmark. Most Americans would agree.
The simple idea of cleaving off Greenland from Denmark would be like losing family. The culture is different and the history is different. It wouldn't work for any of the nations of people involved.
Capitalism at it's very worst - Trump's detained child policy feeds the adoption industry.
Trump keeps racking up those human rights violations. Being impeached is the least of his worries. Does he plan to ever leave the country again outside the protections of being president?
October 9, 2018
By the AP
As the deportees were led off the plane (click here) onto the steamy San Salvador tarmac, an anguished Araceli Ramos Bonilla burst into tears, her face contorted with pain: "They want to steal my daughter!"
It had been 10 weeks since Ramos had last held her 2-year-old, Alexa. Ten weeks since she was arrested crossing the border into Texas and U.S. immigration authorities seized her daughter and told her she would never see the girl again.
What followed — one foster family's initially successful attempt to win full custody of Alexa — reveals what could happen to some of the infants, children and teens taken from their families at the border under a Trump administration policy earlier this year. The "zero-tolerance" crackdown ended in June, but hundreds of children remain in detention, shelters or foster care and U.S. officials say more than 200 are not eligible for reunification or release....
It is a real problem for DSS agencies across the USA. The DSS across the USA have very poor records of family reunification, the majority are less than 1 to 2 percent. There have been false reasons to arrest parents to harvest children. I know it for a fact. They not only issue false arrests for such things as human trafficking if the parents actually beat the charges the detectives involved up the ante to obtain the children by drumming up new charges. TRUTH. The "human trafficking" charges are also touted by politicians when it occurs to increase their political clout.
Trump is feeding the adoption industry. There are no cutbacks in a foster care program that promises to provide adoptions, is there? There are YouTube videos where parents won't visit with their children without a witness and/or the other parent in the same room so they can make a video to counter any claims by DSS to continue to remove the children. It is happening. Religious bigotry plays into it in "The South." They are harvesting children.
The Working Poor don't have a chance. They are dependent on the court ordered attorney system. The attorneys are successful with criminal charges the child custody attorneys are rarely successful.
One other thing. The already traumatized parents are told if they fight for their children to the very last, they will be declared incompetent and will never have child custody of any children they may have in the future, therefore, it is better to sign off your parental rights. And they do.
October 9, 2018
By the AP
As the deportees were led off the plane (click here) onto the steamy San Salvador tarmac, an anguished Araceli Ramos Bonilla burst into tears, her face contorted with pain: "They want to steal my daughter!"
It had been 10 weeks since Ramos had last held her 2-year-old, Alexa. Ten weeks since she was arrested crossing the border into Texas and U.S. immigration authorities seized her daughter and told her she would never see the girl again.
What followed — one foster family's initially successful attempt to win full custody of Alexa — reveals what could happen to some of the infants, children and teens taken from their families at the border under a Trump administration policy earlier this year. The "zero-tolerance" crackdown ended in June, but hundreds of children remain in detention, shelters or foster care and U.S. officials say more than 200 are not eligible for reunification or release....
It is a real problem for DSS agencies across the USA. The DSS across the USA have very poor records of family reunification, the majority are less than 1 to 2 percent. There have been false reasons to arrest parents to harvest children. I know it for a fact. They not only issue false arrests for such things as human trafficking if the parents actually beat the charges the detectives involved up the ante to obtain the children by drumming up new charges. TRUTH. The "human trafficking" charges are also touted by politicians when it occurs to increase their political clout.
Trump is feeding the adoption industry. There are no cutbacks in a foster care program that promises to provide adoptions, is there? There are YouTube videos where parents won't visit with their children without a witness and/or the other parent in the same room so they can make a video to counter any claims by DSS to continue to remove the children. It is happening. Religious bigotry plays into it in "The South." They are harvesting children.
The Working Poor don't have a chance. They are dependent on the court ordered attorney system. The attorneys are successful with criminal charges the child custody attorneys are rarely successful.
One other thing. The already traumatized parents are told if they fight for their children to the very last, they will be declared incompetent and will never have child custody of any children they may have in the future, therefore, it is better to sign off your parental rights. And they do.
I could not help but comment on this. As a biologist it was obvious to me.
When I first saw this image it reminded me of condensing chromosomes.
The image below and right was borrowed from a journal article at this link. (click here)
August 19. 2019
By Jeff Parsons
The image below and right was borrowed from a journal article at this link. (click here)
August 19. 2019
By Jeff Parsons
The expanding red giant (click here) as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope (ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Wade)
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured another memorable image to add to its vast collection.
The space-based observatory has spotted a ‘Jellyfish’ like star out in deep space, lurking within the Orion constellation.
Officially known as NGC 2022, the star is a ‘red giant’ and has expanded to a size far larger than our own sun.
The core glows a bright yellow-orange while the layers of gas emanating from it are picked up in hues of pink and purple by Hubble....
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured another memorable image to add to its vast collection.
The space-based observatory has spotted a ‘Jellyfish’ like star out in deep space, lurking within the Orion constellation.
Officially known as NGC 2022, the star is a ‘red giant’ and has expanded to a size far larger than our own sun.
The core glows a bright yellow-orange while the layers of gas emanating from it are picked up in hues of pink and purple by Hubble....
I believe him.
A relative at a recent family gathering has it right. He is a gun owner and participates in competitions. He measures his performance at these competitions against his best measured against other competitors. He says his measure to the effectiveness of guns in the USA by real issues and the potential of the gun industry to cause harm. He doesn't hunt, he shoots for accuracy. He owns the spectrum of guns and maintains tight security of them to protect his family. He makes his own ammunition.
He stated, "They will never pass a background check on gun purchases because of their politics. That just causes gun owners to buy more guns and ammunition to maintain a sufficient arsenal when the crimes against humanity make it to their front doors."
He stated, "They will never pass a background check on gun purchases because of their politics. That just causes gun owners to buy more guns and ammunition to maintain a sufficient arsenal when the crimes against humanity make it to their front doors."
Dana Milbank is putting words together that don't make sense, "The USA must take Greenland by force."
I don't think so.
In an attempt to keep the petroleum industry happy and content, Trump canceled a trip to an ally, Denmark. Trump is an idiot and a bully. It isn't going to work. Trump is attempting to end any USA assistance to our allies in order to get an island to satisfy the petroleum industry. Trump is crazy. Just that simple. He is an idiot and revises history to suit his purpose. Before too long it will be the G6 and the USA will be expelled.
If one follows the trend by the Trump administration they are eliminating the federal government. By the time Trump finishes, he will be a dictator. He refuses to accept the will of the American people as does McConnell. They OBTAIN power through politics. They are fools and the American people are being compromised.
I don't think so.
In an attempt to keep the petroleum industry happy and content, Trump canceled a trip to an ally, Denmark. Trump is an idiot and a bully. It isn't going to work. Trump is attempting to end any USA assistance to our allies in order to get an island to satisfy the petroleum industry. Trump is crazy. Just that simple. He is an idiot and revises history to suit his purpose. Before too long it will be the G6 and the USA will be expelled.
If one follows the trend by the Trump administration they are eliminating the federal government. By the time Trump finishes, he will be a dictator. He refuses to accept the will of the American people as does McConnell. They OBTAIN power through politics. They are fools and the American people are being compromised.
Donald Trump is a revisionist.
Russia didn't outsmart anyone but Donald J. Trump. There are Russian jets with nuclear capacity in Venezuela. In order to avoid a war of any kind, Trump sells out to the communists.
Trump has abandoned democracy in Venezuela.
Trump is allowing expansionism in the Pacific by China.
This is about as stupid as it gets. A wealthy Israeli businessman purchased spy planes for Saudi Arabia. No sooner than the Saudis have all this intelligence capacity (which they have no clue as to how to operate and use the data) the Houthis launch a surprise attack. In response to the attack by the Houthis, the USA sends a multi-million dollar drone into Yemen to spy on the Houthis. Well, the USA drone was shot down over Yemen and now the Houthis have sophisticated drone technology and no longer need Iran. Yep, Trump is a brilliant strategist.
August 19, 2019
A drone attack (click here) by the Yemeni Houthis caused fire at an oil and gas field in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Energy Minister said as quoted by the Saudi Press Agency.
Khalid al-Falih also said the damage caused by the explosive-laden drones was limited to a processing unit of the natural gas processing plant at the Shaybah field.
The Yemeni rebel group had earlier said it was using 10 drones to attack the Shaybah field in what they said was the “biggest attack in the depths” of Saudi Arabia yet, as per a Reuters report on the event. The Shaybah field lies about 600 miles from the Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen.
The Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Falih as referring to the event as a “terroristic attack” and noting it had resulted in no casualties and had had no effect on Saudi oil and gas production or exports.
The minister also said, as quoted by the SPA, that “these attacks not only target Saudi Arabia, but also the global energy security of supply and through that the global economy, demonstrating once again the imperative for the global community to confront all terrorist entities that carry out such acts of sabotage, including the Houthi militias in Yemen.”...
Trump has abandoned democracy in Venezuela.
Trump is allowing expansionism in the Pacific by China.
This is about as stupid as it gets. A wealthy Israeli businessman purchased spy planes for Saudi Arabia. No sooner than the Saudis have all this intelligence capacity (which they have no clue as to how to operate and use the data) the Houthis launch a surprise attack. In response to the attack by the Houthis, the USA sends a multi-million dollar drone into Yemen to spy on the Houthis. Well, the USA drone was shot down over Yemen and now the Houthis have sophisticated drone technology and no longer need Iran. Yep, Trump is a brilliant strategist.
August 19, 2019
A drone attack (click here) by the Yemeni Houthis caused fire at an oil and gas field in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Energy Minister said as quoted by the Saudi Press Agency.
Khalid al-Falih also said the damage caused by the explosive-laden drones was limited to a processing unit of the natural gas processing plant at the Shaybah field.
The Yemeni rebel group had earlier said it was using 10 drones to attack the Shaybah field in what they said was the “biggest attack in the depths” of Saudi Arabia yet, as per a Reuters report on the event. The Shaybah field lies about 600 miles from the Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen.
The Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Falih as referring to the event as a “terroristic attack” and noting it had resulted in no casualties and had had no effect on Saudi oil and gas production or exports.
The minister also said, as quoted by the SPA, that “these attacks not only target Saudi Arabia, but also the global energy security of supply and through that the global economy, demonstrating once again the imperative for the global community to confront all terrorist entities that carry out such acts of sabotage, including the Houthi militias in Yemen.”...
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Trump has a long way to go to prove he cares about race and religious minorities.
By Rosie Gray
President Trump (click here) defended the white nationalists who protested in Charlottesville on Tuesday, saying they included “some very fine people,” while expressing sympathy for their demonstration against the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It was a strikingly different message from the prepared statement he had delivered on Monday, and a reversion to his initial response over the weekend....
There seems to be no end to the Chinese expansion into the Pacific Ocean.
China is moving into the West Philippine Sea. Both Vietnam and the Philippines are going to extraordinary measures to declare the area occupied and off-limits to China. China doesn't seem to care where poorer countries draw their boundaries. It nearly appears as though China wants to expand into Vietnam and the Philippines. It is a problem. The Philippines should never have sent the USA away.
I can't help but wonder if what is going on in Hong Kong is the same expansionism witnessed in the Pacific. China has five year plans. I haven't read the latest one. The fear witnessed in Hong Kong by the people is something more than just simple protests about democracy and freedom; there must be an underlying premise.
China must have an agenda not widely discussed. The complete picture is worrisome.
Media reports say Simon Cheng, (click here) who is thought to be from Hong Kong, is believed to have gone missing on 8 August while on a business trip.
The Foreign Office said it was "seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong".
The British embassy in Beijing is providing support to his family.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained while returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen."
Shenzhen, in south-east China, links Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland....
That is precious. The Working Poor are spending 5% of their low income to health care premiums.
I am not convinced Americans like their employee health care plans, they simply don't know anything different.
In 2017 the Huffington Post (click here) produced research in graphs regarding health care spending where the USA is compared to other major western countries.
Considering the focus of the leading Democratic candidates and their insight regarding subsidized care and/or free care the chart below was interesting to me. The subsidized care of the USA reach the levels of countries that provide free care to all their citizens. Considering all the out of pocket expenses of Americans between 5 to 10 percent or more, a sincere study to the actual cost of "Medicare for All" where there are no out of pocket costs needs to be conducted. Ten percent of a USA's household income is an astounding number. Americans have a decision to make for the future of American health care.
August 18, 2019
By Adrian Belmonte
In 2017 the Huffington Post (click here) produced research in graphs regarding health care spending where the USA is compared to other major western countries.
Considering the focus of the leading Democratic candidates and their insight regarding subsidized care and/or free care the chart below was interesting to me. The subsidized care of the USA reach the levels of countries that provide free care to all their citizens. Considering all the out of pocket expenses of Americans between 5 to 10 percent or more, a sincere study to the actual cost of "Medicare for All" where there are no out of pocket costs needs to be conducted. Ten percent of a USA's household income is an astounding number. Americans have a decision to make for the future of American health care.
August 18, 2019
By Adrian Belmonte
As Americans continue grappling with rising health care costs, (click here) research indicates that a sizable group of people with employer health care are still spending a ton on their medical bills.
According to the Commonwealth Fund (TCF), “employer plan premium contributions and out-of-pocket costs, like those for prescription drugs, are eating up an increasing portion of household budgets.”
An estimated 23.6 million Americans with employer coverage had high premium contributions, high out-of-pocket costs, or both, according to the report....
...High premium contributions were defined as such by TCF “if the total annual amount they pay for their employer plan premiums equals 10% of more of annual household income.” Americans were considered to be paying high out-of-pocket costs if “the total annual amount they pay out of pocket for medical expenditures not covered by their employer plan … is 10% or more of annual household income, or 5% or more for families earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level.”...
19,000 Data Points
The public colleges and universities are the majority of quality educators in the top ten of MONEY's Best Colleges 2019. The University of California carries four of those ten slots. Three private universities are in the top ten; Princeton, Stanford and MIT. These top ten universities graduate students that achieve greater than $60,000 per year in their early career. The University of California - Irvine's has the highest graduation rate of 85% with graduates averaging an annual salary of $57,700 in their early career with an average student investment of $14,900 per year of education.August 16, 2019
...MONEY’s 2019 Best Colleges rankings. (click here) Pursuing a college degree is one of the most expensive decisions you can make—and with ever-rising prices, families from every background worry they’ll get it wrong. That’s where MONEY’s rankings can help. For our annual analysis, we considered more than 19,000 data points including graduation rates, tuition fees, family borrowing, and alumni salaries to identify the colleges that best combine quality and affordability.
The result is a mix of 744 colleges that highlights campuses like No. 13 California State University-Long Beach, where incoming students report average SAT scores of about 1100 out of 1600, alongside more selective schools like No. 14 Harvard University, where nearly a quarter of students submitted perfect SAT scores. Recent graduates of both colleges report higher-than-expected salaries, according to MONEY’s calculations. (See a breakdown of the all data we use here.)...
This satellite image, made available by Maxar Technologies, shows military and security vehicles parked in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Shenzhen, China on August 12, 2019 (issued August 14, 2019). According to media reports, military and security vehicles from the People's Armed Police have gathered in Shenzhen, a city just outside of Hong Kong.
China's military buildup (click here) in response to over 10 weeks of escalating protests in Hong Kong can now been seen from space.
This WorldView-1 satellite image, taken Monday (Aug. 12) and released yesterday by Maxar Technologies, shows dozens of reported Chinese paramilitary vehicles inside the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, which is located just outside of Hong Kong.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Arctic can't be drilled, but, the USA petroleum industry is hoping Greenland can be.
I believe it was less than a year ago when the Arctic defeated the best technology in the world at drilling a hole for oil. There are no rules there. Earth has two ice poles and they are supposed to be the thermostats of the planet. There is no taming either of the poles. Earth is a planet and it has it's own geophysical rules.
The reason Trump is digging up the old ideas of the petroleum industry is that they want to own the petroleum assets of Greenland. That is the primary reason there is any interest at all. I don't consider such activity in the Oval Office humorous.
Greenland and Denmark need to protect their country's assets. Someday, a century or two from now they might actually need it. At least there will still one country where oil is still in the ground when people actually need it.
December 19, 2012
By Andreas Østhagen
The prospect of offshore oil and gas activity (click here) in the waters around Greenland constitutes a highly contentious issue in the larger debate on Arctic petroleum development. Given Greenland’s special status as a part of the Danish Realm, with a high degree of self-governance and a majority Inuit population, oil and gas drilling there has engaged actors with a wide range of interests.
Arctic oil and gas development is often generalized into a two-sided conflict between those who emphasize the protection of the environment and those who seek potential profits, with the interests of local communities variably used in favor of one or the other depending on the area of the region under question. Some of the dimensions that seem to determine much of the actual development are often lost in this dichotomy, to the dismay of those in favor of an informed debate.
Taking into account that Greenland is just one of the many parts of the Arctic that is experiencing this development, with its own unique characteristics, this article sets out to shed light on the importance of internal political and commercial factors when discussing petroleum development around the island....
The reason Trump is digging up the old ideas of the petroleum industry is that they want to own the petroleum assets of Greenland. That is the primary reason there is any interest at all. I don't consider such activity in the Oval Office humorous.
Greenland and Denmark need to protect their country's assets. Someday, a century or two from now they might actually need it. At least there will still one country where oil is still in the ground when people actually need it.
December 19, 2012
By Andreas Østhagen
The prospect of offshore oil and gas activity (click here) in the waters around Greenland constitutes a highly contentious issue in the larger debate on Arctic petroleum development. Given Greenland’s special status as a part of the Danish Realm, with a high degree of self-governance and a majority Inuit population, oil and gas drilling there has engaged actors with a wide range of interests.
Arctic oil and gas development is often generalized into a two-sided conflict between those who emphasize the protection of the environment and those who seek potential profits, with the interests of local communities variably used in favor of one or the other depending on the area of the region under question. Some of the dimensions that seem to determine much of the actual development are often lost in this dichotomy, to the dismay of those in favor of an informed debate.
Taking into account that Greenland is just one of the many parts of the Arctic that is experiencing this development, with its own unique characteristics, this article sets out to shed light on the importance of internal political and commercial factors when discussing petroleum development around the island....
So, let me get this right;...
Munchkin lead Sears into bankruptcy before he was US Treasurer. Not only did he lead Sears into bankruptcy, but there is also $2 billion in the companies assets that were transferred into accounts that prevented third parties from being paid? Is that right? Isn't that illegal?
August 12,, 2019
By Josh Saul
Treasury Secretary (click here) Steve Mnuchin speaks during a ceremony to swear in Joseph M. Otting as Comptroller of the Currency.
Almost four months ago, (click here) the bankrupt estate of Sears Holdings Corp. sued Eddie Lampert and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over allegedly wrongful transfers of $2 billion in company assets. Now lawyers representing the two men have asked the federal judge overseeing the retailer’s Chapter 11 case to lift the bankruptcy stay so Sears insurance policies can pay their legal fees, according to a new court filing.
Before Sears went bankrupt in October, the company carried a $150 million insurance policy that covered its officers and directors against legal fees and expenses, according to the filing. Lampert was chairman of the Sears board starting in 2005 and chief executive officer from 2013, while Mnuchin was a director of Sears from 2005 until 2016, court papers show....
August 12,, 2019By Josh Saul
Treasury Secretary (click here) Steve Mnuchin speaks during a ceremony to swear in Joseph M. Otting as Comptroller of the Currency.
Almost four months ago, (click here) the bankrupt estate of Sears Holdings Corp. sued Eddie Lampert and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over allegedly wrongful transfers of $2 billion in company assets. Now lawyers representing the two men have asked the federal judge overseeing the retailer’s Chapter 11 case to lift the bankruptcy stay so Sears insurance policies can pay their legal fees, according to a new court filing.
Before Sears went bankrupt in October, the company carried a $150 million insurance policy that covered its officers and directors against legal fees and expenses, according to the filing. Lampert was chairman of the Sears board starting in 2005 and chief executive officer from 2013, while Mnuchin was a director of Sears from 2005 until 2016, court papers show....
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