[Guardian] Beijing is buying up media outlets and training scores of foreign journalists to ’tell China’s story well’ ‐ as part of a worldwide propaganda campaign of astonishing scope and ambition.
As they sifted through resumes, the team recruiting for the new London hub of China’s state-run broadcaster had an enviable problem: far, far too many candidates. Almost 6,000 people were applying for just 90 jobs "reporting the news from a Chinese perspective". Even the simple task of reading through the heap of applications would take almost two months.
For western journalists, demoralised by endless budget cuts, China Global Television Network presents an enticing prospect, offering competitive salaries to work in state-of-the-art purpose-built studios in Chiswick, west London. CGTN ‐ as the international arm of China Central Television (CCTV) was rebranded in 2016 ‐ is the most high-profile component of China’s rapid media expansion across the world, whose goal, in the words of President Xi Jinping, is to "tell China’s story well". In practice, telling China’s story well looks a lot like serving the ideological aims of the state.
[Dallas News] The U.S. Geological Survey released a new assessment Thursday that shows portions of the Permian Basin could hold even more promise. Everything is bigger in Texas.
With the potential to double the nation's onshore oil and gas resources, the agency estimates more than 46 billion barrels of oil and some 280 trillion cubic feet of gas are within two formations on the southwestern side of the basin. That's the largest continuous oil and gas resource potential ever assessed.
While agency geologists caution that more study would be needed to determine the profitability of going after the resources, industry groups and top officials within the Trump administration are encouraged and say the assessment underscores the activity that's already happening in the basin.
"Before this assessment came down, I was bullish on oil and gas production in the United States," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement. "Now, I know for a fact that American energy dominance is within our grasp as a nation."
The announcement comes as OPEC countries voted Friday to cut oil production beginning next year as a way to force crude oil prices higher despite political pressure from President Donald Trump. The group of oil-producing nations was looking to rein in supply as prices had fallen about 25 percent because major producers, including the U.S., have been pumping at high rates. Good call, OPEC guys. Higher prices means even more West Texas oil.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/08/2018 09:59 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
But President Obama told me we couldn't drill our way out of the oil
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/08/2018 12:21 Comments ||
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#2
And before that I believe a Democrat Congress told us that it would take 10 long years to access more oil so that was not a good solution.
#5
That oil has been known about for almost 100 years but only now can qualify as ‘reserves ‘ since until now it could not be produced. Someday the huge volumes of oil trapped in the Green River shale may be called ‘reserves,’ if we can figure out a way to produce it economically.
[Breitbart] The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Thursday the Permian Basin’s Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring formation spanning parts of West Texas and eastern New Mexico hold the largest potential oil and gas resources ever discovered. Federal surveyors note the Bone Spring plays could offer roughly seven times the amount of oil as the Bakken shale in North Dakota.
In a new assessment, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated these untapped regions in the Delaware Basin of the Permian contained 46.3 billion barrels of oil, 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 20 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, more than two times larger than its 2016 assessment of the Wolfcamp shale play in the Permian’s Midland Basin.
"Christmas came a few weeks early this year," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke in a prepared statement. "American strength flows from American energy, and as it turns out, we have a lot of American energy." Zinke added, "Before this assessment came down, I was bullish on oil and gas production in the United States. Now, I know for a fact that American energy dominance is within our grasp as a nation."
The Delaware Basin estimate is for continuous (unconventional) oil comprised of undiscovered and technically recoverable resources, according to the USGS. This means, typically they can extract the liquids through slant drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Currently, energy companies are producing oil in the region using traditional vertical well technology and horizontal drilling, as well as fracking.
[Wash Times] Stocks recovered in a late rally Thursday after nearly wiping out all gains for the year, capping a tumultuous trading day that reflected investors’ persistent jitters over the U.S. trade war with China and fears of a weakening global economy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1,500 points in two days before paring Thursday’s losses to 79 points, or 0.32 percent, to close at 24,948. The S&P 500 was down 0.15 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the day up 29.83 points, or 0.42 percent.
Analysts blamed a combination of worries over President Trump’s trade war with China, low oil prices, concerns about the British parliament’s ability to approve a Brexit deal and the arrest of a Chinese high-tech executive wanted by the U.S.
The president thought he had eased the concerns about tariffs last weekend, when he reached a handshake deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a 90-day pause in the trade war to implement specific agreements on certain exports such as oil and agricultural products.
But investors’ worries appeared to accelerate Thursday, even after Beijing belatedly gave an upbeat confirmation of the unwritten agreement with the U.S.
The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, reinforced concerns about the difficulties of the U.S. and China reaching a comprehensive trade deal. Mr. Trump has accused China of stealing cutting-edge technology from the U.S.
"You have got the news overnight of the arrest of the CFO of Huawei that I think is throwing a real monkey wrench into the positive optimism that surrounded the weekend meeting," said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer for the wealth management division of Northern Trust in Chicago.
#1
My computations at the beginning of '18 showed that I would have to work another 43 years. As of this morning, it was up to 51. And 60 is in my rearview.
(CNN)At least six people are dead and dozens wounded following a stampede at an Italian nightclub, the country's Civil Protection Agency said.
The stampede happened early Saturday morning at the Lanterna Azzurra nightclub in Corinaldo, a town in Italy's eastern coast province of Ancora and about 88 miles (141 km) east of Florence, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The nightclub was hosting a concert by Sfera Ebbasta, a popular Italian rapper who is among the most popular musical acts in the country.
Five of the victims were minors and the sixth victim was the mother of one of them, ANSA reported.
#2
Fucking journalists, calling them "stampedes". This brings to mind a bunch of irresponsible people stomping on each other trying to get out. It's not. It's a "crowd crush", too many people in too small a space. The mass of humanity takes on the physics of a fluid and it is easy to have your chest compressed such that you cannot breathe.
Stampede, fuck those lying sacks of shit.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
12/08/2018 8:36 Comments ||
Top||
#3
What were the cattle doing in the nightclub?
Big Girl's Night.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/08/2018 10:01 Comments ||
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#4
You are right about the asphyxia, Herb, but the description as a stampede has historical precedent:
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/08/2018 10:03 Comments ||
Top||
#5
What were the cattle doing in the nightclub?
When I lived in PeeAye, two common labels for "Ladies Nite" were:
Heifer nite
Divorce Court
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/08/2018 10:05 Comments ||
Top||
#6
What, because of a single time 40 years ago makes it OK for journalists to lie today? WTF?
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
12/08/2018 14:34 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Oh, sure enough, looking it up reveals that the deaths at that concert were by compressive asphyxia, NOT a "stampede". Journalists lied about it then and haven't changed one bit.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/08/2018 17:00 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Bet that totally spoiled his birthday. And is it too early to declare Eleonora Cool Mom of the Year? Lucky daughter there.
Cent'anni, Gionata Boschetti,
To ponder five lives! Cue confetti.
Now go and get high,
Maybe have a good cry,
Or just die. Wrap it up when you're ready.
PARIS (Reuters) - Paris was in lockdown early on Saturday with thousands of French security forces braced to meet renewed rioting by "yellow vest" protesters in the capital and other cities in a fourth weekend of confrontation over living costs.
The Eiffel Tower and other tourist landmarks were shut, shops were boarded up to avoid looting and street furniture removed to avoid metal bars from being used as projectiles.
About 89,000 police were deployed across the country.
Of these, about 8,000 were deployed in Paris to avoid a repeat of last Saturday’s mayhem when rioters torched cars and looted shops off the famed Champs Elysees boulevard, and defaced the Arc de Triomphe with graffiti directed at President Emmanuel Macron.
Authorities said 575 people had been searched and briefly arrested and 361 people of them remained in custody after police found potential weapons such as hammers, baseball bats and metal petanque balls on them.
Small groups of riot police moved quickly among protesters and clamped down on anyone trying to damage shops or public amenities.
Much of Paris looked like a ghost town, with museums, department stores closed on what should have been a festive pre-Christmas shopping day.
Paris braces for more 'yellow vest' weekend protests
Many shops were boarded up to avoid looting and street furniture and construction site materials have been removed to prevent them from being used as projectiles.
Despite the government’s climbdown over the fuel tax, the ‘yellow vests’ continue to demand more concessions, including lower taxes, a higher minimum wage, lower energy costs, better retirement benefits and even Macron’s resignation.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkey’s head of intelligence has traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. lawmakers and intelligence officials, sources said, in an apparent bid to improve ties with the Americans after a breakdown in the NATO allies’ relationship last summer.
Hakan Fidan, a close confidant of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, has met with senators to discuss NATO issues and was expected to meet with U.S. intelligence officials later on Friday, according to five sources familiar with the matter, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was discussed in the meeting with members and staff of the NATO Observer Group, a bipartisan group of senators that advocates for the alliance, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
12/08/2018 01:10 ||
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Link ||
[11129 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[IndependentSentinal] After winning the 2018 Miss Universe Spain pageant, Angela Ponce, a biological male who has undergone gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy, has become the first trans contestant in the Miss Universe competition. She is also the oddsmakers’ favorite.
"As the competition nears, online bookies are taking action, and Ponce has grown to become the clear favorite with current odds of +600," The Blast reports. "The folks at MyBookie.ag compiled their list of where all the countries currently stand. She’s the favorite to win +2000.
This is idiotic and will probably help put an end to beauty contests. Taking someone who is completely altered surgically and having the person compete is nonsensical. Such a strange, upside down world.
Ponce is pushing the transgender agenda, saying she knew she was a female when she was a 3-year old male.
Miss Universe was once owned by President Trump and competing in this contest is a message to him.
"Trans women have been persecuted and erased for so long. If they give me the crown, it would show trans women are just as many women as cis women," said Ponce.
The surgically-fixed male has a message for the President. She said it will be "more than a message to him, it would be a win for human rights."
How is letting a biological man ‐ who have been surgically altered ‐ compete against women a win for human rights? The same thing is going in in sports where women don’t have a prayer against a biological male. Treating transgenders with respect is one thing, but this is quite another. This is a blow to women and it’s bizarre.
In 2012, a Canadian transgender model sued the Miss Universe contest and they gave in, allowing transgenders to participate.
#7
If you can enter a biologically male human in the "Miss" Universe Pageant... then why not a Siberian Tigress... of a the bust of Nefertiti? Madness...
[Military Times] This fall has been rough for headlines involving special operations troops.
Two Navy SEALs and two Marine Raiders face murder charges in the death of a Green Beret last year in Mali. Meanwhile, a Navy SEAL is under investigation for murdering an Iraqi detainee, and a dozen of his colleagues could be called as witnesses.
Now, after U.S. Special Operations Command has been entrenched in the Global War on Terror for going on two decades, Congress is calling on a Defense Department review of the entire organization, from its operational load to ― notably ― the state of its professionalism and ethics programs.
The most recent National Defense Authorization Act points to "growing congressional concern with misconduct, ethics, and professionalism," according to a Congressional Research Service report published in late October.
"That review is ongoing right now," a defense official told Army Times on Wednesday.
Senior leaders within the Army have also taken notice, pushing out guidance ahead of DoD’s official report back to Congress.
#2
This review will go absolutely nowhere. The Pentagon (Big Army) no longer controls SOF forces (Tier-1 and Tier-2). You can thank Goldwater-Nichols Act and the separate SOF budget for that.
Wiki:The Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of October 4, 1986 Pub.L. 99–433, (signed by President Ronald Reagan), made the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since the department was established in the National Security Act of 1947 by reworking the command structure of the United States military.
#5
...The same problem that the SF units ran into in Vietnam has raised its ugly head here: demand for these guys increased exponentially, and that meant guys who ordinarily never would have gotten near these outfits got selected. When this is all over (from my lips to God's ears), watch the SF communities get shrunk hard.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/08/2018 10:46 Comments ||
Top||
#6
....and that meant guys who ordinarily never would have gotten near these outfits got selected.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Guardian] Beijing is buying up media outlets and training scores of foreign journalists to ’tell China’s story well’ ‐ as part of a worldwide propaganda campaign of astonishing scope and ambition.
[Dallas News] The U.S. Geological Survey released a new assessment Thursday that shows portions of the Permian Basin could hold even more promise.
"Before this assessment came down, I was bullish on oil and gas production in the United States," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement. "Now, I know for a fact that American energy dominance is within our grasp as a nation."
[Breitbart] The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Thursday the Permian Basin’s Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring formation spanning parts of West Texas and eastern New Mexico hold the largest potential oil and gas resources ever discovered. Federal surveyors note the Bone Spring plays could offer roughly seven times the amount of oil as the Bakken shale in North Dakota.
[Wash Times] Stocks recovered in a late rally Thursday after nearly wiping out all gains for the year, capping a tumultuous trading day that reflected investors’ persistent jitters over the U.S. trade war with China and fears of a weakening global economy.
PARIS (Reuters) - Paris was in lockdown early on Saturday with thousands of French security forces braced to meet renewed rioting by "yellow vest" protesters in the capital and other cities in a fourth weekend of confrontation over living costs.
[IndependentSentinal] After winning the 2018 Miss Universe Spain pageant, Angela Ponce, a biological male who has undergone gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy, has become the first trans contestant in the Miss Universe competition. She is also the oddsmakers’ favorite.
