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Taliban militants kidnap a member of Provincial Council from Samangan-Baghlan Highway
Today's Headlines
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
NASA investigates the first allegation of criminal activity in SPACE
[Daily Mail - Where America Gets its News] Astronaut is accused of accessing her wife's bank account from the International Space Station during their messy divorce

* Astronaut Anne McClain was accused of accessing her estranged wife Summer Worden's bank account while she was in space
* Worden filed an identity theft complaint with the FTC against McClain
* Her parents also filed a complaint with NASA's Inspector General
* McClain said that she was just checking up on Worden's finances
* Worden's parents claim that McClain's actions were part of a custody battle over her son, who she gave birth to a year before the couple were married

NASA is looking into claims that an astronaut accessed her estranged wife's bank account from space during a six-month stint on the International Space Station.

Decorated astronaut and US Army lieutenant colonel Anne McClain has been accused of improperly gaining access to Summer Worden's online bank account using NASA computers, the New York Times reported.

McClain allegedly accessed the bank account as part of a 'highly calculated and manipulated campaign' to obtain custody of Worden's son, who she had given birth to about a year before the couple got married.

Worden, a former Air Force intelligence officer, brought a complaint against McClain with the Federal Trade Commission, claiming that McClain had committed identity theft, even though none of Worden's funds had been tampered with.
Posted by: Frank G || 08/25/2019 08:57 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Not first!
Absolutely!
Ask NASA about moon gems smuggled back...
Or ask Interpol
Posted by: 3dc || 08/25/2019 13:23 Comments || Top||

#2  ...Reality check: the US military has no problems taking people off difficult/dangerous duty when there are things in their personal life that keep them from focusing. Happened to me in 85-86 when my son was born; my wife had a very difficult and dangerous pregnancy and the Air Force didn't want me working with 20mm rounds and missiles if I couldn't keep my mind on it. When my son was born healthy and happy, I was moved right back, and there were no ill effects to my career.

NASA almost certainly knew that LTC McClain was in the middle of an ugly divorce/custody battle, yet they let her go up anyways and in fact had her scheduled for the first all-female spacewalk...which, interestingly, never came off. I know enough about NASA to know that the bottom line here was that NOBODY had the stones to ground a gay female astronaut scheduled for a high-visibility activity, because they were afraid of the shiatstorm that would have followed. I suspect now that the spacewalk got cancelled because NASA finally figured out something was up, not the bullshiat 'the suits don't fit' they fed the media. She had done a spacewalk in the 'too big' suit just a week earlier and reported no problems. The fact that the spacewalk didn't happen at all with people who could fit in the suit should tell you everything you need to know about how important it was to ISS operations.

Thirty-three years ago, a crew died and a multi-billion dollar spacecraft was lost because no one at NASA wanted to 'look bad'.Wonder what their excuse would have been if LTC McClain had managed to seriously damage something, kill herself or kill someone else because she wasn't focused...?

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 08/25/2019 17:04 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: Frank G || 08/25/2019 17:09 Comments || Top||

#4  So Diversity trumps[sic] Psych Profile.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/25/2019 19:28 Comments || Top||

#5  That's it no more female astronauts with wives!
Posted by: jpal || 08/25/2019 19:53 Comments || Top||

#6  Did Frank G really say something out of line, or did my finger jerk while nodding off? I’ve got bronchitis at the moment, and it’s been messing with my sleep with predictable consequences.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 20:41 Comments || Top||

#7  trigger words, tw.
Or blame Auto-fill.
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 20:48 Comments || Top||

#8  I did it myself.
Posted by: Frank G || 08/25/2019 20:55 Comments || Top||

#9  Whew! Bronchitis sleep deprivation absolved, thank goodness.

And anyone who complains about being spamcopped should note that we moderators hold ourselves to the same standard and punishment.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 21:43 Comments || Top||


Suspect taken into custody for ‘hate’ attacks on white people in NYC
[NYPOST] A man wanted in a Manhattan ’hate crime’ spree against white pedestrians has been taken into custody, police sources said.

Todd Lyons, 33, was picked up late Friday night at his West 36th Street home by detectives with the Hate Crimes Task Force.

The suspected hate crime spree began at 9:10 p.m. on Aug. 9, on Fifth Avenue near 14th Street, police said. The suspect ran up behind a 56-year-old man and shoved him to the ground, authorities said.

The latest attacks include a woman getting hit in the back of the head with a brick and a man who was berated as a "f‐king honky," police said.
Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Illinois State Trooper killed executing search warrant in E. St. Louis, IL
[MAIL] An Illinois State Police trooper died from wounds suffered early Friday while executing a search warrant in East St. Louis.

Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, 33, of Waterloo, a 10-year veteran of the force, was wounded during an exchange of gunfire while serving the warrant at an East St. Louis home, said State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly. He later died at a hospital.

After the shooting, police surrounded the home and arrested three people.
They should burn it down with the assholes inside
Police remained on the scene throughout the day, uncertain if another suspect was barricaded in the house, according to authorities.

The three people arrested were not identified.
For many decades East St. Louis IL has been a no-go zone for anybody sane.
Exactly the kind of insight one hopes to find here from the well-travelled members of Rantburg.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In the 1950-60's When an AC unit went out in the E. St. Louis projects (now long gone), the windows were broken out by residents to permit ventilation. Sort of went downhill from there.

Pruitt-Igoe: the troubled high-rise that came to define urban America – a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 21
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/25/2019 1:32 Comments || Top||

#2  For many decades East St. Louis IL has been a no-go zone for anybody sane.

Which makes it a perfect candidate for relocating HUD out of the swamp.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/25/2019 7:50 Comments || Top||

#3  But INASH
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 9:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Make AOC and the gang of no-nothings mayor and city council of E St Louis. They deserve one another.
Posted by: anymouse || 08/25/2019 20:46 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Summer Weekend Storm Warnings - But "Keep it to yourself,"
Posted by: Phaick Uneretle6310 || 08/25/2019 01:37 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Intense, old style. Some blues songs stop my breath until they’re over. The funny thing is, I had no idea I liked the Blues until a few years ago.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 7:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Da Blues
Posted by: Dale || 08/25/2019 9:01 Comments || Top||

#3  cool! i also like the big bands and found arock and roll arrangement from Eddie Fields of In The Mood on you tube;
computer illiteracy prevents me from posting the link, but y’all might like it.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 08/25/2019 10:15 Comments || Top||

#4  Hugh Laurie is terrifyingly talented. As I recall, he toured round the U.S. a few years ago, playing with local musicians for the sheer joy of the thing, and PBS filmed it.

Is this what you mean, USN, Ret.? Perhaps someone will make it pretty for us both.

Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 13:44 Comments || Top||

#5  And some late 60s blues:
https://youtu.be/QkFOBZRAbMU
Posted by: 3dc || 08/25/2019 13:46 Comments || Top||

#6  Blues: Why a visit to Memphis is a must especially during Memphis in May International BBQ contest on the bluffs.
Posted by: Chath Angens8595 || 08/25/2019 14:52 Comments || Top||

#7  :-) BBQ contest? What fun! The International Blues Challenge is January 28 - Feb 1 this year, a great way to discover new bands to love. If all goes well, Mr. Wife and I will be there again this year — would love to see y’all there!
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 15:36 Comments || Top||

#8  re:#4: yes, TW. thanks
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 08/25/2019 16:16 Comments || Top||

#9  Per TW's request, for US Navy Ret.

Posted by: Phaick Uneretle6310 || 08/25/2019 18:57 Comments || Top||

#10  Rantburg teamwork for the win!! :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 19:15 Comments || Top||

#11  :)
Posted by: Phaick Uneretle6310 || 08/25/2019 19:20 Comments || Top||

#12  TW, Memphis in May is pretty cool. The IBC events are ok too. MiM Music festival has devolved into a Who’s Who of shite performers playing the latest and greatest of pedestrian “music” that’s all the rave on the radio stations. If you’re into teenybopper stuff or hip hop then you will love it. The Blues Tent is still good. The BBQ festival the following week is a pretty grand event. The only problem is that unless you know a cooking team, there’s really not much to do other than walk around and look. There are now some teams that open their booths to the public. But it’s pretty much pronto pups and funnel cakes unless you know someone. If y’all like blues, I recommend Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, MS. Usually in April. Daytime events are family friendly. Nighttime events are not for the feint of heart. Unless you’re a boozer or druggie, nighttime stuff is out anyway. Monkeys ridin’dogs is a must see there. Little macacs dressed in cowboy duds riding border collies round up a bunch of sheep. Regardless if you do come to the IBC or MiM I will gladly serve as an ambassador to Memphis/escort-at-arms for you and Mr. Wife. Same to any other ‘Burgers who would like a tour.
Posted by: Lowspark || 08/25/2019 23:04 Comments || Top||

#13  I’ll pass on your information and generous offer to Mr. Wife, Lowspark — thank you! I’m definitely not a boozer or druggie, though Mr. Wife has been known to be less restrained. ;-) I just love good music played by people having fun, and good food, ditto.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 23:22 Comments || Top||


Due to the possibility of an overpressure event consider evacuation.
Click on the image and read the whole alert.
Posted by: 3dc || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Enquiring Minds want to know about Epstein
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
I didn't know this outfit was still in business.
I haven't seen a copy at a market checkout stand for who knows how long.
Maybe Hitler is alive in Argentina. Elvis, also though not in Argentina. He always had trouble with speaking Spanish.
Posted by: Roger Smith || 08/25/2019 21:49 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Google tells workers to avoid arguing politics in house
[DAWN] Google on Friday told employees to focus on work instead of heated debates about politics with colleagues at the internet company, which has long been known for encouraging people to speak their minds.

Updated workplace guidelines for "Googlers" called on them to be responsible, helpful, and thoughtful during exchanges on internal message boards or other conversation forums.

"While sharing information and ideas with colleagues helps build community, disrupting the workday to have a raging debate over politics or the latest news story does not," the updated guidelines stated.

"Our primary responsibility is to do the work we've each been hired to do, not to spend working time on debates about non-work topics."

The updated guidelines pointed out that comments made internally by Google employees, no matter the intent, could go public and be wrongly attributed to the company, leading to mistaken impressions.

Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yet more evidence that GOOG is a fat happy monopoly, abusing its market power.
Any company that's facing real competition will have employees focused on their work, not wasting time arguing about politics.
Most people at Google today are engaged in nothing more than greasing the wheels of a government-enabled steamroller.
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 0:28 Comments || Top||

#2  Google is sounding more and more like a cult than a business... just saying.
Posted by: magpie || 08/25/2019 3:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Google tells workers to avoid arguing politics in house

Unfortunately, for the Left that's like giving up life itself. When you make everything political (and racists) you just can't avoid it.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/25/2019 7:45 Comments || Top||

#4  What a strange idea - that you should go to work to work.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/25/2019 12:03 Comments || Top||

#5  If they're all leftists, what is there to argue about? Who hates Trump more? How to have free everything and get the "rich" to pay for it?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/25/2019 13:00 Comments || Top||

#6  "No Discussion! No Arguments! You *WILL* follow the Google Groupthink!"
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/25/2019 13:02 Comments || Top||

#7  How can there be argument when everyone agrees?
Posted by: gorb || 08/25/2019 13:14 Comments || Top||

#8  IOW: If you're a conservative and you wanna keep working here, just do as you're told and keep your mouth shut.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/25/2019 14:25 Comments || Top||

#9  It saves then from having to weasel a way to get rid of them.
Posted by: gorb || 08/25/2019 15:24 Comments || Top||

#10  If they're all leftists, what is there to argue about?

Trotsky could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/25/2019 16:11 Comments || Top||

#11  "No one will profess any ideology or political doctrine until we're being investigated. Any activism has to be done in code. Those who can't help but wear their colors to work, will be fired ! Let's see which way the wind blows til 2020."
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/25/2019 16:18 Comments || Top||

#12  "Ixnay on the oliticspay until eathay is ffoay!"



If they're all leftists, what is there to argue about?


Mao vs Stalin, Pol Pot vs the Kims, Los Bros Castro vs Los Bros Ortega.

Sooo many topics to fill a day between manipulating, censoring and deplatforming.
Posted by: charger || 08/25/2019 18:35 Comments || Top||

#13  When are we finally going to tell it like it is: Google is evil. And we need to shun them. Using other platforms is not easy, but those on the right need to quit supporting them.
Posted by: anymouse || 08/25/2019 20:48 Comments || Top||

#14  It was a huge mistake to pretend that a tech company "platform" is not or cannot also be a publisher.

I.e. a shaper of opinion, a political actor.

A member of the Fourth Estate that needs to be watched and criticized and regulated if we are to preserve the integrity of our public discourse and our free political institutions.

What a huge mess was created when Congress opted for the idiot-libertarians' wet dream of an anything-goes, Wild West internet.
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 21:17 Comments || Top||


Amazon fires: Bolsonaro sends army after EU threat on trade deal (though it’s just the annual burning o’the fields)
[Al Jazeera] As EU threatens trade retaliation, the far-right leader announces he has authorised troops to help contain raging fires.

Don't Panic: Amazon Annual Burning Is Mostly Farms, Not Forests

[Reason] Interestingly, when NASA released the satellite image on August 21, it noted that "it is not unusual to see fires in Brazil at this time of year due to high temperatures and low humidity. Time will tell if this year is a record breaking or just within normal limits."

So why are there so many fires? "Natural fires in the Amazon are rare, and the majority of these fires were set by farmers preparing Amazon-adjacent farmland for next year's crops and pasture," soberly explains The New York Times

...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...

. "Much of the land that is burning was not old-growth rain forest, but land that had already been cleared of trees and set for agricultural use."

It is routine for farmers and ranchers in tropical areas burn their fields to control pests and weeds and to encourage new growth in pastures.

What about deforestation trends? Since the right-wing nationalist Jair Bolsonaro became Brazil's president, rainforest deforestation rates have increased a bit, but they are still way below their earlier highs:

Various researchers have noted a U-shaped relation between environmental degradation and economic growth. As development takes off, levels of pollution and land degradation rise, but they begin to improve once certain thresholds of per capita incomes are attained. A 2012 study found, after parsing data from 52 developing countries between 1972 and 2003, that deforestation increases until average income levels reach about $3,100 per capita. As it happens, Brazilian per capita incomes reached $3,600 per capita in 2004,which is when deforestation rates began trending decisively downward.

While problematic deforestation is still taking place in the Amazon region, a 2018 study in Nature reported that the global tree canopy cover had increased by 865,000 square miles from 1982 to 2016. As Brazilians become wealthier, the deforestation trend in the Amazon will likely turn around toward afforestation, as it already has done many other countries.
Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Time will tell if this year is a record breaking or just within normal limits."

Oh, yeah. Same as every month is announced breathlessly as "the warmest hottest month ever" by the NASA crowd. They should just stick to their muzz self esteem booster program. It's more believable.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/25/2019 14:53 Comments || Top||

#2  According to the Beeb, the number of fires this year is unprecedented since 2010, meaning it hasn't happened since the last time it happened.

As the news stories get summarized and repeated, the "since 2010" part will quickly fade away and become simply "unprecedented" or "a record number".

As a historical note, slash & burn agriculture is an old, old practice, especially in areas with nutrient poor soil like the tropics.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/25/2019 15:42 Comments || Top||


Dr. Tim Ball Defeats Michael ‘Hockey Stick' Mann's Climate Lawsuit
[ClimateChangeDispatch] The Supreme Court of British Columbia has dismissed Dr. Michael Mann's defamation lawsuit against skeptical Canadian climatologist Dr. Tim Ball. Full legal costs were awarded to Dr. Ball, the defendant in the case.
In Canada? I am truly shocked. Their ruling class seems to prefer the masses remain unthinking and compliant.
The Canadian court issued its final ruling in favor of the Dismissal motion that was filed May 2019 by Dr. Tim Ball's libel lawyers.

Mann's "hockey stick" graph, first published in 1998, was featured prominently in the U.N. IPCC 2001 climate report.

The graph showed a spike in global average temperature in the 20th Century after about 500 years of stability. Skeptics have long claimed Mann's graph was fraudulent.

On Friday morning (August 23, 2019) Dr. Ball sent an email to WUWT revealing:

"Michael Mann's Case Against Me Was Dismissed This Morning By The BC Supreme Court And They Awarded Me [Court] Costs."

Professor Mann is a climate professor at Penn State University. Mann filed his action in 2010 for Ball's allegedly libelous statement that Mann "belongs in the state pen, not Penn State."

The final court ruling, in effect, vindicates Ball's criticisms.

On Feb. 03, 2010, a self-serving and superficial academic ‘investigation‘ by Pennsylvania State University had cleared Mann of misconduct. Mann also falsely claimed the NAS found nothing untoward with his work.

But the burden of proof in a court of law is higher.

Not only did the B.C. Supreme Court grant Ball's application for dismissal of the nine-year, multi-million dollar lawsuit, it also took the additional step of awarding full legal costs to Ball.

A more detailed public statement from the world-renowned skeptical climatologist is expected in due course.

This extraordinary outcome will likely trigger severe legal repercussions for Dr. Mann in the U.S. and may prove fatal to alarmist climate science claims that modern temperatures are "unprecedented."

According to the leftist The Guardian newspaper (Feb. 09, 2010), the wider importance of Mann's graph over the last 20 years is massive:

"Although it was intended as an icon of global warming, the hockey stick has become something else – a symbol of the conflict between mainstream climate scientists and their critics."

Under court rules, Mann's legal team have up to 30 days to file an appeal. For readers interested in accessing the court website directly, use this link.

‘HOCKEY STICK' DISCREDITED BY STATISTICIANS IN 2003
In 2003 a Canadian study showed the "hockey stick" curve "is primarily an artifact of poor data handling, obsolete data and incorrect calculation of principal components." When the data was corrected it showed a warm period in the 15th Century that exceeded the warmth of the 20th Century.

So, the graph was junk science. But the big question then became: did Mann intentionally falsify his graph from motivation to make a profit and/or cause harm (i.e. commit the five elements of criminal fraud)?

No one could answer that question unless Mann surrendered his numbers. He was never going to do that voluntarily – or face severe consequences for not doing so – that is, until Dr. Ball came into the picture!

Dr Ball's legal team adroitly pursued the ‘truth defense' such that the case boiled down to whether Ball's words ("belongs in the state pen, not Penn State") fairly and accurately portrayed Mann i.e. Mann knowingly and criminally misrepresented his claims by using statistical fakery (see: ‘Mike's trick‘ below).

In the pre-trial Discovery Process, the parties must give up key evidence in a reasonable fashion, that proves or disproves the Claim.

Dr. Mann lost his case because he abused Discovery by refusing to honor the "concessions" he made to Ball in 2018 to finally show in open court his R2 regression numbers (Mann's math ‘working out') for his graph (see ‘update' at foot of article).

Dr. Ball has always argued that those numbers‐if examined in open court‐would prove Mann was motivated to commit a criminal fraud.

The graph first appeared in the UN IPCC 2001 Third Assessment Report (TAR) and has been an iconic image used ever since by environmentalists clamoring for urgent action on man-made global warming.

The mainstream media has long acclaimed Mann as "a world-leading climate scientist" and last year was heralded as their champion to help dethrone "climate denier" President Trump.
Posted by: Beavis || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Tide turning?
GFW!
GO FIGHT WIN!
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 0:38 Comments || Top||

#2  The 1998 article by Mann only went back to 1400.

The 1999 article by Mann extended the graph back to 1000.

At one point I tried to figure out how many tree were part of the 1000-1400 extension of the curve but never was able to pin that down.
Posted by: lord garth || 08/25/2019 0:53 Comments || Top||

#3  Leaving aside that the "results" being reported from the distant past are subjectively arrived at - at best - totally pulled out Mann's backside (much more likely) what's that required by law disclaimer you see on ads for financial products? "Past performance is not indicative or predictive of future results..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/25/2019 8:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Kind of ironic that the people who invented the term "climate deniers" claim to be on the side of rigorous statistical analysis of facts.

Maybe they should be called "math deniers"...
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 9:19 Comments || Top||

#5  The instant Mann said "I can't show you the data. You'll only try to find something wrong with it.", the scientific community should have tossed him out on his ass.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/25/2019 12:13 Comments || Top||

#6  He's either incompetent or a corrupt liar.
Or both.
PSU should have fired him long ago.
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 12:15 Comments || Top||

#7  Now he has to pay for Ball's legal costs
Posted by: Frank G || 08/25/2019 12:33 Comments || Top||

#8  Loser Pays would sort out a lot of the SLAPP and greenmail (pay up in settlement or we sue and cost you tons more in court whether we win or no) lawsuits.
Posted by: Injun Bucket8891 || 08/25/2019 22:36 Comments || Top||


Gillette ‘Shifting Spotlight from Social Issues’ After Anti-Masculinity Ad Disaster
[BREITBART] Shaving company Gillette says it is "shifting the spotlight from social issues to local heroes," after the company’s brief foray into the SJW-style demonization of masculinity drew a massive backlash from customers.

The company landed itself in hot water last year when it ran a #MeToo-themed ad borrowing language from far-left anti-male feminists, depicting the abuse of women by men and encouraging male Gilette customers to "shave their toxic masculinity."

Other attempts to demonstrate the company’s "woke" credentials included an ad showing a dad teaching his transitioning female-to-male child how to shave.

Shaving brands are not difficult to boycott. Most major retailers stock competitors to Gillette in their shaving sections, at similar or lower prices. There are plenty of other brands that have taken a different approach, with competitor Schick even running ads spotlighting sexist expectations against men.

Consumers did not reward Gillette for its attempt to dabble in left-wing identity politics. Gillette’s parent company, Procter & Gamble (P&G), posted a net loss of $5.24 billion in the fourth quarter, compared to profits of $1.89 billion a year ago.

News.com.au finance editor Steven Chung tied Gillette’s losses to its political messaging, noting the perils of alienating half the population.

Via news.com.au:

Advertising is increasingly the battleground of the culture wars, with big brands like Target, Nike and Starbucks copping backlash, and praise, for taking sides in divisive
...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
social and political issues like race, gender and sexuality.

But by alienating roughly 50 per cent of potential customers, many brands end up taking a hit to their bottom line ‐ "Get woke, go broke."

At the time, Gillette CEO Gary Coombe said the loss was a "price worth paying" and that he didn’t mind alienating some customers.

With the company now "shifting away from social issues," it’s possible that Coombe’s view failed to win out.
Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "The story changed."
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 0:16 Comments || Top||

#2  Just sell the blades and get out of sh!t politics.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 08/25/2019 1:05 Comments || Top||

#3  I wonder if the P&G stockholders consider it a ‘Price worth paying’?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/25/2019 5:36 Comments || Top||

#4  I have used their Sensor razor for years and watched it climb in price to $22 for a ten pack. Utter highway robberyy by a company that insults their market demographic. Cretinous political blathering by a feminist that somehow has kept the job. Apparently a business loss of 8 billion is ok if you are virtuous!
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 08/25/2019 10:49 Comments || Top||

#5  P&G "should have done more proctoring and less gambling [with shareholders' money]" -ex Head of Citibank
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 11:21 Comments || Top||

#6  I suppose the the next ad could feature MMA fighters, clips of knockouts, swagger, blood on stubble. A tagline like;

"When you live rough, keep it smooooth."
gillete ♪ the best a man can ♫..

They can say later 'we fired the fags that wrote the last one'. One way to get that market back.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/25/2019 13:46 Comments || Top||

#7  Nah... bumfights or bust....
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/25/2019 14:40 Comments || Top||

#8  We now know that a writeoff of $8 billion will get management's attention.

Posted by: Tom || 08/25/2019 16:18 Comments || Top||

#9  At LinkedIn, Gary Coombe is listed as CEO of P&GGlobal Grooming

YJCMTSU.

Explains a lot about him.

I wonder if he knew Epstein?
Posted by: charger || 08/25/2019 18:30 Comments || Top||

#10  Gary Coombe is listed as CEO of P&GGlobal Grooming

*shrug* It’s a big company, so they reorganized it into more manageable parts. Grooming (shaving stuff, both male and female) used to be under beauty care (hair stuff, lotions, underarm anti-stinkies). Before that, it used to include health care as well (toothpaste/mouthwash, Pepto-Bismol).

You want to scoff, think about bring in charge of feminine care. And then being the technician who had to explain to management why tampon sales suddenly went through the roof: “We’ve got a whole new market now, boss: armies! We’ll put them in Army green wrappers in waterproof packages of three, and ship them out bundled on skids for dropping from airplanes.”
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 19:32 Comments || Top||

#11  Options? Flick your Bic.
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/25/2019 21:29 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Former Jihadi commander killed after clashing with his cousin in Kabul
He may have given up fighting for the cause, but he seems to have clung tightly to being a vicious ass.
[KhaamaPress] A former Jihadi commander lost his life after clashing with his cousin in Kabul, the security officials said Saturday.

Ferdaws Faramurz, a front man for Kabul Police Headquarters confirmed that the clash took place late on Friday night in Qarabagh district.

Faramurz further added that Haji Kamil and five others bit the dust after clashing with his cousin Qarabagh Bazar on Friday nigth.

Furthermore, Faramurz said another individual also sustained injuries during the exchange of fire between the two sides.

Meanwhile,
...back at the barn, a little lightbulb figuratively appeared over Bossy's head...
Faramurz said the two sides clashed due to personal enmity but an investigation is underway into the incident.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Africa North
Tunisia's Karoui remains presidential candidate despite arrest
[Al Jazeera] Nabil Karoui, the Tunisian media mogul arrested on charges of money laundering and tax evasion, remains in the race for next month's presidential election despite his detention, an electoral official has said.

"As long as there are no changes in his legal status and no final verdict, Nabil Karoui remains a presidential candidate," Nabil Baffoun, the head of the electoral commission, told news hounds on Saturday.

Tunisian police arrested Karoui on Friday in a move his party, Qalb Tounes, called a politically-motivated attempt to exclude him from the September 15 election race.

A government official quoted by Rooters news agency rejected that accusation, saying the arrest was "a judicial matter that has nothing to do with the government".

Karoui, 56, owner of the Nesma TV channel, is one of the frontrunners contesting the presidential election following the death last month of 92-year-old President Beji Caid Essebsi - the first head of state to be democratically elected in Tunisia following the popular uprising of 2011.

Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Africa Subsaharan
East Africa’s forgotten slave trade
In which the German reporter is shocked to be told that the East African slave trade to the Muslim world began in the 7th century, a thousand years before Europeans got involved, and while toothless laws were passed against the trade in the 19th and 20th centuries, the trade continues. But really, it is the fault of the Africans themselves for taking a profit instead of building internment camps for their tribal war captives. Key facts: males slaves for the Muslim market were castrated, three out of four slaves sent to the Ummah died along the way, and slave markets recently reappeared in Libya. BLUF:
[DW] Author N'Diaye estimates that 17 million East Africans were sold into slavery: "Most people still have the so-called Transatlantic [slave] trade by Europeans into the New World in mind. But in reality the Arab-Muslim slavery was much greater," Senegalese author Tidiane N'Diaye said.

"Eight million Africans were brought from East Africa via the Trans-Saharan route to Morocco or Egypt. A further nine million were deported to regions on the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean."
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In the 19th century, except Zanzibar, there were two other important slave trade centers, such as Kilwa in Tanzania Mainland, and Quelimane in Mozambique. But in the middle of the 19th century, Stone Town in Zanzibar became the major slave trade center for Eastern Africa. Every year, about 40–50,000 slaves were taken to Zanzibar.
Posted by: Chereting Pelosi1889 || 08/25/2019 14:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Did the NYT mention this in their 1619 project? I didn't think so.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/25/2019 15:24 Comments || Top||

#3  Does not fit the narrative.

To the memory hole.
Posted by: charger || 08/25/2019 21:57 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Hong Kong street battle
[Twitter]
Street battle in Hong Kong with shot fired.

Posted by: 3dc || 08/25/2019 14:06 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies


N. Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea
[EN.YNA.CO.KR] North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, ratcheting up tensions even after the end of a joint military exercise between the South and the United States.

The projectiles were fired at 6:45 a.m. and 7:02 a.m. from the eastern town of Sondok in South Hamgyong Province into the East Sea, and both flew around 380 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 97 km and a top speed of around Mach 6.5, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

"Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said in a release, adding the South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing their exact type.

Saturday's firings marked the seventh round of such launches since July 25 when the North broke a 17-month hiatus and started firing missiles and projectiles to test new weapons and protest the South-U.S. joint military exercise that it has long denounced as a rehearsal for invasion.

The exercise concluded earlier this week, raising hope for a halt in the North's missile launches and a resumption of denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  And I'm wondering what one of those bogies costs ? Can they afford to sink their money like this ? It's not even like they're testing something.

Could it be that the poor bastards have been trying to hit Japan all this while and no one noticed ?☺
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/25/2019 13:52 Comments || Top||

#2  trying to hit Japan

It could be Dron66046. Goodness knows the Gazans cumulatively missed Israel more often than they hit it, even before Iron Dome came along — a third to half, as I recall, never get out of Gaza, and some numbers of the rest land in Egypt or Jordan.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/25/2019 19:37 Comments || Top||


Protestors in Hong Kong are cutting down facial recognition towers
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Some guy in Chennai was sending four thousand Donald Trump masks to HK. The shipment was sadly confiscated by the Han Swordsmen checking everything at HK customs now. Would've been cool, just saying.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 08/25/2019 4:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Brilliant.
Can we send them by boat?
Labeled/Disguised as, I dunno, Frozen or Mulan or Pocahontas masks?
Posted by: Lex || 08/25/2019 20:40 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Man chops off sister’s foot in DG Khan
[DAWN] DERA GHAZI KHAN: A man allegedly chopped off one foot of his sister over suspicion about her activities at Kot Chhuta tehsil on Friday.

Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Shakoor Qaisrani told Dawn that Shahnawaz Ahmedani chopped off his sister’s foot and the woman was shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospital by the Rescue 1122.

He said a case had been registered against Shahnawaz under Section 334 of the Pakistain Penal Code.

He said the police had arrested the man.
Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A female relative? I thought they were fair game for pretty much anything. What's the problem?
Posted by: AlanC || 08/25/2019 11:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Cut the cost of slippers in half.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/25/2019 19:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Anything in the Koran about chopping off your sister's foot? If so then he won't be charged.
Posted by: jpal || 08/25/2019 19:46 Comments || Top||

#4  It keeps her from running away, anyway.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/25/2019 19:56 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Dozens wounded, detained in West Papua crackdown
[Al Jazeera] Several demonstrators have been injured and dozens detained as Indonesian authorities crack down on separatist protests in the West Papua region, according to witnesses, but the police strongly deny anyone was maimed.

A family member of one of the injured protesters, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, confirmed to Al Jazeera on Friday that a relative was injured during the protests in Fakfak Regency, West Papua province.

Rights groups Amnesia Amnesty International Indonesia and Human Rights Watch also confirmed to Al Jazeera that there were several reports of injuries in Fakfak.

They urged the authorities in West Papua to "ensure the safety" of all people across the region, and refrain from using excessive force in dealing with the situation.

"Police have the right to remove part of the protests that is violent, but must guarantee the rights and the safety of others who want to protest racial and discriminatory treatment of Papuan students by the police and mass organizations in Surabaya and Malang, East Java," Usman Hamid, executive director at Amnesty, said in a statement.

Violent protests started earlier this week when authorities detained Papuan students studying in the island of Java for reportedly holding a pro-independence rally. Another group of Papuan students was accused of damaging the Indonesian flag.

Posted by: Fred || 08/25/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
29[untagged]
6Govt of Iran
6Commies
5Taliban
5Islamic State
4Govt of Iran Proxies
3Govt of Pakistan
3Sublime Porte
2Hezbollah
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1Hamas
1Islamic Jihad (Palestian)
1Moslem Colonists
1Narcos
1Thai Insurgency
1Abu Sayyaf (ISIS)
1al-Nusra
1Arab Spring
1Boko Haram (ISIS)
1Fulani Herdsmen (Boko Haram)
1Govt of Iraq
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1Govt of Sudan

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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2019-08-25
  Taliban militants kidnap a member of Provincial Council from Samangan-Baghlan Highway
Sat 2019-08-24
  Afghan Special Forces storm the hideout of a key ISIS facilitator of suicide bombings
Fri 2019-08-23
  Gaddafi-loyal commander killed by pro-Haftar forces
Thu 2019-08-22
  Iran moves to strike 4 zeroes from its battered currency
Wed 2019-08-21
  Taliban chief Mullah Haibatullah was the primary target of Quetta bombing
Tue 2019-08-20
  Furniture, books 'torched' at girls school in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer
Mon 2019-08-19
  Another prayer leader killed near Quetta
Sun 2019-08-18
  Explosion Targets Wedding Hall In Kabul; Casualties Feared UPDATE: 63 dead, ISIS claims it
Sat 2019-08-17
  Two killed in Pakistan mosque bomb blast
Fri 2019-08-16
  Special Forces arrest Khalifa Daud, Haqqani network’s key member in Kabul
Thu 2019-08-15
  Iraq anti-terrorism troops kill 10 IS militants, capture 5 others in Anbar
Wed 2019-08-14
  On beyond Veritas: Google Insider Turns Over 950 Pages Of Docs And Laptop To DOJ
Tue 2019-08-13
  North Macedonia police find 22 migrants packed into SUV
Mon 2019-08-12
  UAE-backed forces expel Saudi-backed troops from Yemeni Presidential Palace
Sun 2019-08-11
  Southern Transitional Council stages an attempted coup, says Yemeni government

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