[Jpost] Tens of millions of Americans braved Arctic-like temperatures as low as minus 56 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 49 Celsius) on Thursday that paralyzed the US Midwest and were blamed for at least 21 deaths.
Warmer weather was on the way, but that offered little comfort to vulnerable populations such as the homeless and elderly enduring cold that caused frostbite in minutes and made being outside potentially deadly.
Officials across multiple states linked numerous deaths to the frigid air. The death toll rose from a previous 12 after at least nine more people in Chicago were reported to have died from cold-related injuries, according to Dr Stathis Poulakidas at the city's John H Stroger Jr Hospital.
A University of Iowa student was found dead on campus of possible exposure early on Wednesday, according to university officials. The wind chill at the time police found Gerald Belz, 18, was minus 51 F (minus 46 C), according to the National Weather Service. AGW is there nothing it can't do?
#2
The results you talk about, magpie, occur in the physical world - computer model builders (monkeys with a supper stick) are not responsible for the real world.
#4
I read someplace that the cold weather was a result of the polar vortex being disturbed by hot Moroccan air from the south. Prolly warmed by camel methane.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/01/2019 8:15 Comments ||
Top||
#7
A bunch of us older fellas were discussing how we handled the extremely chilly weather (I remember my Dad saying -38 once, and we weren't warned about wind chill 24/7) when we were kids.
We wore double-socks, wore bundled snowsuits and scarves reminiscent of Ralphie's in 'A Christmas Story' and didn't go outside for recess. Since we walked everywhere anyway, we weren't concerned if Mom's car didn't start.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/01/2019 14:18 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Back around 1956 I was in grade school and classes closed early due to an unexpected extremely heavy snow fall. I had ridden my bike to school that morning on dry streets. That afternoon I pushed my bike home through knee deep snow. Visibility was barely adequate, but I could see my way along the streets for the 1.25 miles to home. My mother was enraged when she learned we were sent home early. She hadn't been told to expect us. If the visibility had worsened, I might not be here to tell this tale. I suspect death tolls for cold weather were not as well publicized as they are now.
#9
In my San Diego childhood, I remember the Cold Snap of '67™. We had to walk through the snow uphill both ways, wrapping our feat in bread bags, and wrapping them in barbed wire for traction. I died
Oh, wait. I had to wear a coat. That's all.
yes, I'm a dick
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/01/2019 19:58 Comments ||
Top||
#10
"and we had to throw oranges instead of snowballs, and we liked it!"
[GunsAmerica] Last week, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), along with Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), Rand Paul (R-KY), James Risch (R-ID), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced a bill that would eliminate the federal regulation of firearm sound suppressors.
"Suppressors can make shooting safer for the millions of hunters and sportsmen that exercise their constitutional right to use firearms every year," Sen. Lee said in a press release. "The current process for obtaining a suppressor is far too expensive and burdensome. Our bill would remove these unnecessary federal regulations and make it easier for firearms users to protect themselves."
In introducing the bill, called the Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act or SHUSH Act (S. 202), Sen. Lee explained that it would eliminate the "onerous and unconstitutional process" that must currently be followed when purchasing a suppressor.
The current process requires filing a petition with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). To file the petition, a purchaser must fill out two copies of ATF Form 4 (which requires that a passport photo be attached to each copy), obtain two copies of his/her fingerprints on FBI Form FD-258, and pay a $200 processing fee. It takes nine to 12 months for the petition to be processed.
Suppressors would be considered firearm accessories and the current petitioning requirements would be eliminated if the bill becomes law.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) ‐ Dongyuan Li’s business was called "You Win USA," and authorities say she coached pregnant Chinese women on how to get into the United States to deliver babies who would automatically enjoy all the benefits of American citizenship.
Over two years, the now-41-year-old raked in millions through her business, where mothers-to-be paid between $40,000 and $80,000 each to come to California, stay in an upscale apartment and give birth, authorities said.
Li, who was arrested Thursday, is one of 20 people charged in the first federal crackdown on birth tourism businesses that prosecutors said brought hundreds of pregnant women to the United States.
Jing Dong, 42, and Michael Wei Yueh Liu, 53, who allegedly operated "USA Happy Baby," also were arrested.
At least they paid their own way unlike the US-Mexico border where hospitals have had to close because of so many anchor babies whose parents don't pay a dime.
[PULSE.NG] The main ally of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ... 10th president-for-life of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third or fourth term. Maybe it's the fifth.... 's ruling party said Thursday it hoped the ailing incumbent would seek a fifth term in office in April polls.
The National Rally for Democracy (RND) "looks forward to the announcement of the candidacy" of Bouteflika, party chief and Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said.
In power since 1999, 81-year-old Bouteflika uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since a stroke in 2013. The head of state has not yet confirmed whether he will seek a new mandate.
"For some, the future is in change for change's sake. For us at the RND, the future is in continuity," said Ouyahia, at the opening of his party's national council.
Ouyahia, Bouteflika's prime minister since 2003, said the past five years had laid the groundwork for a "promising future".
Presidential candidates have until March 3 at midnight (2300 GMT) to submit their application.
In an interview with TSA Arabi, the Arabic version of a leading Algerian media outlet, RND front man Seddik Chihab said Bouteflika would "probably" announce his decision in early February.
He also brushed aside concerns over the president's health, saying it posed no obstacle to another term.
"We all know that President Bouteflika's state of health isn't the same as it was in previous elections, but since 2014, we have not noticed that his illness was an obstacle in fulfilling his constitutional prerogatives," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Groom someone fast to be around him and learn policy.
[IsraelTimes] Local media reports that at least 10 children aged between 2 and 10 years old have been found dead this month.
The United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... on Tuesday condemned a wave of murders of young children in southern Tanzania, which local media reported were ritual killings in which body parts were removed.
The private newspaper Mwananchi reported that at least 10 children aged between two and 10 years old, mostly albino, had been found dead since the beginning of the month in the southern Njombe region.
In Tanzania, albinos are often kidnapped and their body parts hacked off for use as charms and magical potions in the belief that they bring wealth and good luck.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
"The United Nations in Tanzania offers its deepest condolences to the families and communities of children who have been brutally murdered in Njombe over the last few weeks," read a statement.
"As the UN, we stand ready to support the government in their efforts to address the issue," said Alvaro Rodriguez, the UN’s resident coordinator in Tanzania.
According to the Mwananchi paper, the children had their ears, tongues and sexual organs removed, with the murders linked to "superstition."
[PULSE.NG] More than 700 pieces of ivory and hundreds of pangolin scales have been discovered inside hollowed out logs in the Ugandan capital Kamapala, authorities said on Thursday, as two Vietnamese men were detained suspected of smuggling. First time I ever saw a pangolin, I thought it was a hoax. The critter's scales look like they were carved out of wood.
In the old days we just called them scaly anteaters and were satisfied.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[TheTimes] Attacks on South African farms rose by 25 per cent last year according to an organisation that has recorded cases of increasing brutality, including torture.
Victims were assaulted with electric drills, blowtorches and bleach, indicating “a racial element”, said Ernst Roets, of Afriforum, which champions the rights of the Afrikaner minority.
He said that only white farming families, and never black victims, ever suffered such levels of violence. There were more than eight attacks on rural properties per week, 433 incidents, up from 342 the previous year and the highest recorded by the group
#3
Sad to say this sort of thing is not a surprise White farmers should have fled, even if that meant leaving with nothing. I don't see a future for them in South Africa.
[AnNahar] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... announced Wednesday the end of a high-profile anti-corruption probe that boosted the state coffers by more than $100 billion and has left dozens detained.
The crackdown on graft launched in 2017 saw hundreds of elite princes, ministers and businessmen held at the luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Many were detained for weeks in the upmarket hotel, but most were released after agreeing significant financial settlements.
The corruption investigation concluded Wednesday with the approval of King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians.... , according to a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.
"The public prosecutor has refused to settle the cases of 56 individuals due to already existing criminal charges against them," the statement said.
An additional eight people have seen their cases referred to the public prosecutor after they refused to reach settlements.
"Settlements were reached with 87 individuals after their confession to the charges against them," SPA said.
During the probe more than 400 billion Saudi riyal ($107 billion) were recovered by the state "in the form of real estate, companies, cash, and other assets".
The figure matches that announced a year ago by the attorney general, who at the time said 56 suspects remained in jug.
Saudi's anti-graft sweep led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ...Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as of 2016.... has been labelled by some critics as a shakedown and power grab, but authorities have insisted the purge targeted endemic corruption.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
Hat tip: gCaptain.
Venezuela's oil inventories have started to build up at the country's ports and terminals as PDVSA is finding it cannot export crude at its usual rate due to U.S. sanctions imposed earlier this week, according to sources and shipping data.
Sanctions announced on Monday by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at driving President Nicolas Maduro out of power after his contested re-election last year, have barred PDVSA's U.S. customers from transferring payments to the firm. That is effectively limiting state-owned PDVSA from shipping that oil because Maduro's government cannot collect the proceeds.
As of Wednesday, Venezuela had 25 tankers with nearly 18 million barrels of crude – representing about two weeks of the country's production – either waiting to load or expecting authorization to set sail. Most of those were anchored near the port of Jose, the country's largest, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.
PDVSA responded to the U.S. sanctions by prohibiting tankers loading oil bound for the United States to leave Venezuelan ports if cargoes are not prepaid.
In addition, PDVSA's inability to pay for crucial imports means fuel imports are delayed, adding to the glut of tankers off Venezuela's coast.
"We are facing problems to continue storing Merey crude," a PDVSA source said, referring to the most common crude grade it exports.
Most cargoes were bound for U.S. customers – including PDVSA's refining unit Citgo Petroleum, Chevron Corp, Valero Energy and PBF Energy. Other large vessels loaded with Venezuelan oil and fuel were waiting to depart for Singapore, India and China.
PDVSA exported 1.25 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude last year, including 500,000 bpd to the United States. The company boosted sales in early January in anticipation of sanctions, according to the Refinitiv Eikon data.
Wills Rangel, a PDVSA board member, on Wednesday told Reuters the state-owned company, which is currently producing 1.2 million bpd of crude, does not plan to cancel supply contracts with U.S. clients. That comes even though PDVSA President Manuel Quevedo on Tuesday said a declaration of force majeure that would free PDVSA from paying penalties for undelivered cargoes was under consideration.
Meanwhile, PDVSA is eying exports to other destinations.
"An instruction was given to define new export markets in 15 to 30 days," Rangel said.
The company is looking to India for more imports and is also considering imports of light crude if necessary to boost domestic production of gasoline.
Washington's measures against the socialist Maduro, who has overseen the country's economic collapse and an exodus of millions of Venezuelans in recent years, aim to back a new government formed by the opposition leader Juan Guaido.
GASOLINE IN SHORT SUPPLY
PDVSA is facing problems unloading fuel imports for domestic use because sanctions are making it difficult to complete payments for deliveries, according to Rangel, who also leads the firm's labor union.
Sanctions require PDVSA's U.S.-based customers, including its refining arm Citgo Petroleum, to deposit proceeds from imports of Venezuelan oil in special accounts out of Maduro's reach.
They also limit U.S. dollar transactions with PDVSA, but do not specify if U.S. fuel can still be exported to Venezuela.
"Even being here and having secured the money, shippers in some cases have intended to block tankers from discharging," said Rangel.
PDVSA will insist the fuel cargoes are discharged and try to find a way to pay for them, according to Rangel. He did not elaborate on how the state-run company would convince suppliers and shipping firms hired to transport the cargoes to accept payments and discharge shipments under PDVSA's terms.
Venezuela's main fuel providers are Citgo and India's Reliance Industries Ltd, which typically ships naphtha, alkylate for gasoline, diesel and components from the United States, according to internal PDVSA trade documents.
PDVSA has fuel inventories at its terminals sufficient to cover a month of domestic Venezuelan consumption, according to Rangel's numbers, as its main refining complex, the Paraguana Refining Center, is working at 40 percent of its 955,000-barrel-per-day capacity.
But sources at PDVSA estimate stocks at closer to 15 days of consumption, with little finished gasoline or diesel.
As of Wednesday, over 15 tankers were anchored near PDVSA's ports waiting to discharge some 5.5 million barrels of imported diesel, gasoline, vacuum gasoil, liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha – enough for an estimated 13 days of consumption.
That would give PDVSA more leeway to supply gas stations and power plants if tankers are finally discharged.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/01/2019 13:07 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Zeihan has some pretty good analysis of geopolitics and has some interesting info on this:
Formally, about 32% of Venezuela’s crude oil exports end up in the United States, but this vastly understates how dependent Venezuela is upon the American market for a pair of reasons that can only be the normal state of operation in a country as broken as Venezuela has become.
Of the seven-tenths of Venezuela’s oil exports that do not flow to the United States, the majority – technically –goes to China and Russia. However, Venezuela gets no cash from these “sales.” Instead, the oil is accepted as payment-in-kind to whittle down the billions of dollars of loans those two countries have extended to Venezuela over the years. Nearly all this crude oil is then sold on to the American market where the Chinese and Russian intermediaries are paid in cash.
Bottom line 1: the direct sales to the United States are Venezuela’s primary source of income. Without them, Venezuela’s humanitarian/economic/political catastrophe – a mess that has already resulted in widespread famine – will become truly apocalyptic.
Bottom line 2: It is unclear if the new U.S. sanctions will touch these flows as well. If they do, the Chinese and Russians will be left holding gobs of crude they – and nearly anyone else on the planet – lack the capacity to refine. With no one able to take Venezuelan crude in appreciable volumes, PDVSA will have no choice but to shut down nearly all operations and experience a massive skilled labor bleed. That would add – at minimum – two years to any theoretical future recovery.
More is in the article and a lot on how US refineries are moving more toward shale crude and there is fewer and fewer refineries that can process the crap Venezuela crude.
#3
Darth---Read that article the other day that Peter Zeihan wrote. Yes, the implications are huge. Venezuela requires naptha or light crude to refine their heavy, sour crude. Very thick stuff. I would like to see Chicoms and Putin holding the bag with their pet thug Maduro.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/01/2019 20:15 Comments ||
Top||
[ELUNIVERSAL] Néstor Reverol, Minister of Interior Relations, Justice and Peace, said on Thursday that a group of "hired assassins" had been hired, according to what he said, by the Venezuelan opposition to commit "selective killings" and generate anxiety among the citizens.
At a presser, the official said that, according to information handled by the security and intelligence agencies, it was possible to obtain data on "the entry from Colombia" of this group of people.
He added that the "coup group" will be dismantled completely, because "the investigation is just beginning and no more detentions are ruled out"
Later he said that "following the formats of the war," there was "a conspiratorial plan against the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro."
"Field investigations and telephone analysis allowed us to find the location and capture of one of the terrorist hordes in the Valles del Tuy, " he added.
According to the information provided, one of the apprehended was Miguel Ambrosio Palacio Salcedo, alias Marcos, who was in charge of providing weapons and logistics. It was detailed that he was a non-commissioned officer of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) who had defected since 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
IMO, they should be released - selective murders are such a rarity nowadays.
[ELUNIVERSAL] The legislative head and sworn in interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, thanked the presence of deputies and media that approached his residence in Santa Fe, after he denounced the "intimidation" of FAES at his home to "intimidate " To his family.
"Colonel Bastardo, who directs the FAES, has been in charge of massacring, persecuting and without a bit of hesitation, without any second of fear here we are facing Venezuela even though they are also being persecuted and imprisoned, despite that they are also being intimidated are here reporting this moment, "said Guaidó from his residence, in the company of his wife Fabiana Rosales and their 20-month-old daughter.
He reiterated that on Saturday they will take to the streets peacefully and called on FAES to allow the entry of humanitarian aid.
"On Saturday we must go out to accompany the ultimatum that the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... gave Maduro (...) will start humanitarian aid, but it depends on the Armed Forces," he said.
The event occurred while Guaidó was at a public event in the auditorium of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), in Caracas, presenting the Country Plan.
Minutes later, the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) declared via Twitter that it is "totally false" that FAES commissions were in Santa Fe, east of Caracas, in search of the family of Guaidó.
The United States, which recognized Guaidó as interim president, has warned that there will be "serious consequences" if the government of Nicolás Maduro -declared by the Legislature as "usurper" - takes measures against the opposition.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
[ELUNIVERSAL] The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) expects to sell 15 tons of gold from its reserves to the United Arab Emirates in the next few days, in exchange for euros in cash to finance its imports, said a Venezuelan government source familiar with the movements. .
According to an article published by Rooters - quoted by an official source - the issuing institute already made a first shipment of about three tons of gold to that nation on a charter flight from the company Solar Cargo that departed on January 26.
"The sales of bullion are almost the only alternative that the Government of Nicolás Maduro has to obtain liquidity, given the decline in oil revenues and the closure of almost all international financing options for the sanctions imposed by the United States," he said. the news agency.
Likewise, he said that in February a third shipment of 11 tons of monetary gold is contemplated. He added that if it is completed, the Government will have sold 29 tons in two months and reduced Venezuelan international reserves, which are in maximum purity ingots, to eight-year minimums, according to BCV data.
Rooters indicated that the monetary authority did not respond to a request for information and the UAE embassy in Bogota also did not respond to an email.
The US government has warned bankers, operators and global companies to avoid negotiating with the Maduro government for gold sales, and has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan state oil company Pdvsa to limit its purchases and sales of crude in the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
[ELUNIVERSAL] "I wish Nicolás Maduro and his principal advisers a long and peaceful retirement, living on a nice beach somewhere away from Venezuela," said the US National Security Adviser.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
[IsraelTimes] The Trump administration is expected to announce as soon as tomorrow that it will withdraw from an arms treaty that has been a centerpiece of superpower arms control since the waning days of the Cold War.
Some analysts worry that the treaty’s demise could fuel a new arms race.
An American withdrawal, which has been expected for months, follows years of unresolved dispute over Russian compliance with the pact, signed in 1987 and known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.
It is the first arms control measure to ban an entire class of weapons ‐ ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500 kilometers (310 miles) and 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).
The US asserts that Russia has deployed a missile in violation of the treaty. Russia denies this.
[DailyMail] Russian fighter aggressively forced US-made plane to divert from its flight path.
The Su-27 cut across the F-15 from the side during the dangerous manoeuvre.
Pentagon said Russian jet had come close to colliding with one of its fighters over Black Sea on Monday - but it's not known if the two incidents are related.
#1
...Be wary of this video. It's being looked at very, very closely.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/01/2019 4:57 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Who just happened to be filming at exactly the right moment? Reminds me of the 'video' taken from a satellite showing the space shuttle exploding, or an F-15 breaking up into four or five pieces.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/01/2019 8:28 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Our patrols are usually 2 ship formations. The wingman was most likely filming the whole time and we see the edited clip of the SU-27 being a bellend.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group (FSG), co-founded by former U.S. military services contractor Erik Prince, has signed a deal to build a training base in China’s far western region of Xinjiang, the company said in a statement.
Xinjiang is an important part of China’s sprawling Belt and Road infrastructure network but the region has faced attacks blamed on members of the Muslim ethnic Uighur minority, to which the government has responded with a security clampdown that has drawn condemnation from rights groups and Western governments.
Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment at offices in Beijing and Hong Kong.
FSG, a security, logistics and insurance provider, signed a deal with the Kashgar Caohu industrial park in southern Xinjiang to build a training center, FSG said in a Chinese-language statement on its website.
It did not provide details of the project but said a signing ceremony in Beijing on Jan. 11 was attended by officials from Xinjiang’s Tumxuk city and from CITIC Guoan Construction, owned by state-run conglomerate CITIC Group.
FSG will invest 4 million yuan ($600,000) in the center, which will have the capacity to train 8,000 people a year, state media said in a report.
Prince, deputy chairman of FSG, is a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer and the brother of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
He founded a U.S. military contractor formerly called Blackwater that drew harsh international scrutiny and faced lawsuits for shootings and other conduct in Iraq. The company now operates as Virginia-based Academi.
FSG told Reuters in 2017 that it planned to set up an office in Xinjiang.
That year, it acquired a 25 percent stake in a security training facility in Beijing, which it said was the largest such school in China and would allow FSG to provide "world-class training courses" to Chinese companies.
Hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained in the security clampdown in Xinjiang.
China has defended the measures as "de-radicalisation" that has prevented violence by providing vocational training to people susceptible to "extremist" thought.
Tumxuk city is run by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, known informally as the "bingtuan", a Han Chinese-led paramilitary group, originally sent to the region in the 1950s to secure it and to build farms and settlements.
The corps remains influential in much of the resource-rich region’s agriculture and energy sectors, and is a form of parallel state that operates alongside the regional government.
In its post, FSG cited Tumxuk Communist Party boss Li Zhenguo as saying he hoped the project with FSG would help bolster the bingtuan’s presence in southern Xinjiang.
[PULSE.NG] Trump is set to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Pudge Jong-un ...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished... in around a month and said Thursday that he would announce the exact date and venue early next week.
"I think most of you know where the location is. I don't think it's a great secret," he told news hounds at the White House.
Vietnam has offered to host the talks.
"We've made tremendous progress with North Korea," said Trump, whose June summit with Kim in Singapore was the first ever between leaders of the two countries that never formally ended the Korean War.
The meeting produced a document in which Kim pledged to work toward the "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."
As skeptics voice worry that Trump is overly eager to make a legacy-building deal and enjoy the spotlight of meeting the reclusive leader again, the US special representative on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, said the administration is "clear-eyed" and prepared for contingencies if talks fail.
On Tuesday Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate Intelligence Committee that "North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and production capabilities," an analysis counter to Trump's position that there is "a decent chance" of the North giving up its nuclear weapons.
Biegun painted an upbeat picture at ending decades of hostility despite repeated failures in the past, saying that Trump "is unconstrained by the assumptions of his predecessors."
"I have this perfect outcome moment where the last nuclear weapon leaves North Korea, the sanctions are lifted, the flag goes up in the embassy and the treaty is signed in the same hour," Biegun said at Stanford University.
"Now that's an ideal, I know, and these things are going to move haltingly along different courses. But they can also be mutually reinforcing," he said.
Preparing the summit, the State Department said Biegun would head Sunday to South Korea and also meet his North Korean counterpart.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
[CNS News] The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said the economy added 304,000 jobs last month, higher than analysts were expecting. "Unexpectedly"
The number of employed Americans, 156,694,000, was slightly below last month's record (156,945,000), and the unemployment rate increased a tenth of a point to 4.0 percent.
But the labor force participation rate increased a tenth of a point to 63.2 percent -- the highest it's been on President Trump's watch.
In January, the nation’s civilian noninstitutionalized population, consisting of all people age 16 or older who were not in the military or an institution, reached 258,239,000 (lower than it was last month). Of those, 163,229,000 participated in the labor force by either holding a job or actively seeking one.
The 163,229,000 who participated in the labor force equaled 63.2 percent of the 258,239,000 civilian non-institutionalized population.
The participation rate was 62.9 percent when Trump took office, and it has showed little change since then, as retiring baby boomers offset additions to the nation's workforce.
In a report released last week, the Congressional Budget Office said it expects the labor force participation rate to stay about where it is now for the foreseeable future. The highest it's ever been is 67.3 percent in 2000, when it began its steady downward drift.
The number of Americans not in the labor force -- meaning they were neither employed nor looking for a job -- dropped by 639,000 to 95,010,000 in January, a move in the right direction
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/01/2019 09:40 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
[CNBC] Stocks had their best January gains in more than 30 years, and that should mean 2019 will be a pretty good year for the market.
That’s what the widely watched January barometer tells you ‐ so goes January, so goes the year. According to Stock Trader’s Almanac, going back to 1950, that metric of January’s performance predicting the year has worked 87 percent of the time.
But the indicator also signaled a positive year last year, and the market suffered an unusual late-year sell off, wiping out all of the gains. The S&P 500 ended 2018 down 6.6 percent, despite rising 5.6 percent in January. But the S&P also defied history with a terrible December decline of 9.6 percent, the biggest loss for the final month of the year since 1931.
This January, the S&P 500 was up 7.9 percent. That would be the best January performance since 1987, when it rose 13.2 percent.
[Washington Insider] China has agreed to resume purchases of U.S. soybeans following talks Thursday between President Trump and Beijing's top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He. It will start purchasing 5 million metric tons a day, according to Trump.
"Five million tons of soybeans per day," Trump told reporters at a Oval Office meeting with Liu. "That's going to make our farmers very happy. That's a lot of soybeans."
The administration had few other specific concessions to report following the meeting but claimed that it had made significant progress toward an eventual deal.
China had cut back its purchases of soybeans back in July, with the number reaching zero in November, but restarted its purchases in December following a cooling-down of the trade war by both sides. Reuters reported that China ultimately purchased 23 million tons in 2018.
The administration also announced that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be traveling to China early next month to follow up on the talks.
"We are more or less in continuous negotiations," Lighthizer said. "The secretary and I will be going over there shortly. At this point, it is impossible for me to predict success."
In a statement, the administration said that "the negotiating sessions featured productive and technical discussions on how to resolve our differences." How to enforce ant eventual deal was a major topic, Trump and other officials said.
Trump announced earlier in the day that he would meet one-on-one with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss trade policy later this year. The meeting would be the first between the leaders since early December, which resulted in a cooling-down of the current trade war.
"No final deal will be made until my friend President Xi, and I, meet in the near future to discuss and agree on some of the long standing and more difficult points," Trump tweeted Thursday.
#1
Does anyone even realize how much is 5 million metric tons/day? Over a year, that comes out to nearly 3,000 pounds per every Chinese man, woman and baby. Fact check please.
U.S., China reach soybean deal; no plan to extend tariff deadline Trump announced that China agreed to purchase 5 million tons of U.S. soybeans after holding two days of discussions with a Chinese delegation including Vice Premier Liu He. They planned to set up another meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the future.
Sounds like a one time deal for 5MT or $1.8 billion at $380.53/tonne. Not even a dent in the balance of payments.
[Breitbart] Pakistan expects to profit from its donkey population, the third highest in the world, by selling the animals to its ally China, a move that would generate millions of dollars annually in foreign exchange, the livestock department of the South Asian country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province reportedly announced on Thursday.
In a bid to increase the country’s exports, unnamed officials from the KP livestock department announced plans to establish donkey farms in the province’s DI Khan and Maneshra region in coordination with China, described as the first of their kind in the country, GEO TV reports.
"Agreements will be signed with the Chinese government as well as registered companies," GEO quotes KP officials as saying.
China highly prizes donkeys, mainly for their hide used for traditional medicines.
"Gelatin made from donkey skin has been long considered to have medicinal properties in China, traditionally being thought to nourish the blood, enhance the immune system and even prolong one’s life," Gulf News notes.
KP officials said foreign countries like China had expressed a desire to invest hundreds of millions on donkey farms in Pakistan.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
China may not like Pakistan trying to burro their way into the economy.
[DAWN] An inquiry committee in its preliminary findings has found an employee of the Mayo Hospital guilty of raping the mother of a minor patient some days back in a VIP room of the infirmary.
Headed by additional medical superintendent of the Mayo Hospital Dr Inamul Haq, the inquiry committee consisted of deputy nursing superintendent Bushra Hussain and Albert Victor Hospital (AVH) Registrar Dr Rao Adnan Shahid.
The committee in its findings stated that the allegations levelled against Shahid Butt, the ward attendant of the Mayo Hospital, proved true.
The suspect [already tossed in the calaboose I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! by the police] had allegedly raped a woman who was attending her sick baby admitted to the hospital.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[PULSE.NG] China's lunar lander has woken from a freezing fortnight-long hibernation to find night-time temperatures on the moon's dark side are colder than previously thought, the national space agency said Thursday.
The Chang'e-4 probe -- named after a Chinese moon goddess -- made the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3, a major step in China's ambitions to become a space superpower.
Temperatures on the moon's surface plummeted to minus 190 degrees celsius (-310 degrees Fahrenheit) during the probe's first lunar night, which "was colder than scientists expected," the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said. Major polar vortex there!
The night-time temperatures were recorded by the Chinese probe after it became active on Wednesday, following a slumber that lasted for about two earth weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/01/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
"Global cooling spreads to the moon - details at 11:00."
[NYT] WASHINGTON ‐ The United States is suspending one of the last major nuclear arms control treaties with Russia after heated conversations between the two powers recently failed to resolve a long-running accusation that Moscow is violating the Reagan-era treaty.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision on Friday as the Trump administration maintained that the Russian government has been unwilling to admit that a missile it has deployed near European borders violates the terms of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Mr. Pompeo and his deputies have insisted that Moscow destroy the missile. Instead, the government of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia counteraccused the United States of violating the treaty’s terms because of the way in which it has deployed launchers for antiballistic missile systems in Europe.
[HotAir] The result of the Fight for 15 movement in New York City has finally gone into effect. The minimum wage jumped by 15% in many cases, to $15 per hour this month. This mostly affects employers of lower skill level workers, particularly in the food service and beverage industries. And now that labor costs have risen, restaurants from fast food joints to upper-end fine dining establishments have raised their prices. As a result, some people have had to make adjustments in their budgets and lifestyles, going out to eat less often and bringing their own lunches to work.
#2
Walmart and many others are going self-checkout or online orders that are picked for you to receive at entrance. Contrary to public updates many employees are indeed laid off. The checkout displays can be reversed if customer complaints become a problem. Then you check out as normal. Two full carts for checkout with food stamps, right!!. The bad work ethic of the youth is extremely poor. Food handling for many of them is horrible (all aspects). The future is here. OH, major reductions in selections. You will have to order online for many things.
#3
Wait! Are you saying that if you make stuff more expensive, it ends up costing more? How can that be? We never talked about it in Intersectionality and Oppression class.
#6
A lot of fast food places are selling $7 sandwiches. For $8 I can get a basic meal at a regular restaurant with table service. If fast food meals go up even a little bit, I suspect many will simply go out of business.
#7
New book title: Cause and Effect for Morons Dummies
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/01/2019 20:17 Comments ||
Top||
#8
The left thought that compares would just lower their ungodly profits and nothing else would change. Didn't occur to them that profits might not be ungodly and that there are other ways to keep the numbers balanced.
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.
Bouteflika
[TheTimes] Attacks on South African farms rose by 25 per cent last year according to an organisation that has recorded cases of increasing brutality, including torture.
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians....
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as of 2016....
[ELUNIVERSAL] Néstor Reverol, Minister of Interior Relations, Justice and Peace, said on Thursday that a group of "hired assassins" had been hired, according to what he said, by the Venezuelan opposition to commit "selective killings" and generate anxiety among the citizens.
[ELUNIVERSAL] The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) expects to sell 15 tons of gold from its reserves to the United Arab Emirates in the next few days, in exchange for euros in cash to finance its imports, said a Venezuelan government source familiar with the movements. .
North Korea
[CNS News] The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said the economy added 304,000 jobs last month, higher than analysts were expecting.
[CNBC] Stocks had their best January gains in more than 30 years, and that should mean 2019 will be a pretty good year for the market.
