#1
Wooster also said the company isn’t yet sure how it will construct landing pads on Mars to ensure safer arrivals for future missions and would be happy to take ideas
#2
Or Diemos. Do tests on fuel extcaction. There is some uncertainty about the moons origins. They are either the product of a large impact that ejected a large volume of material into Martian orbit or captured C or D type asteriods. Plus I don't think they can do it in six years. The vehicle maybe. It's the life support that is the major issue.
[Daily Torch] When news broke of employees at the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) putting the lives of veterans at risk with waiting lists to die, the country was outraged. When it became clear that these employees were not being terminated for their failures and mismanagement, Florida Senator Marco Rubio led bipartisan legislation that protected whistleblowers and provided management the authority to remove bad employees. Unfortunately, the VA is not the only department allowing bad employees to stay on the job despite grotesque violations of employee guidelines and even the law. Here we highlight some of the worst stories of civil service abuse in recent years and how they have been allowed to occur.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS
Some stories of abuse are obvious, like the Washington Times of April 2016 which reported on two senior VA officials who were responsible for the death of nearly 300 veterans on waiting lists, yet took over two years to even be proposed to be terminated. But as Senator Rubio argued in a May 2017 press release, this large-scale abuse flourished because of a culture of mismanagement.
Rubio explained, "To list just a few examples, one VA employee was arrested and spent time in jail for armed robbery. Another employee was caught watching pornography on the job. In my home state of Florida, there have been several instances of prescription drugs being diverted, gone missing from VA facilities... In all of these cases, the employees involved were ultimately allowed to keep their jobs, or resign with their benefits intact... It is clear that under existing civil service rules and pressure from unions and others, VA leaders have not been able to hold individuals accountable for their actions. Over and over again, we’ve seen the VA attempt to take disciplinary action against an employee, only to see the appeals process prove so complex, lengthy and lenient that real accountability was virtually impossible to achieve."
To combat this problem, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act reduced the burden of proof required for removal under Title 5 of the Civil Service Reform Act Chapter 75 from a preponderance of evidence standard to substantial evidence for removal and expedited the removal process. As a result, firings for cause from the VA has increased by 26 percent since the bill’s passage, according to data retrieved from the Office of Personnel Management’s FedScope. So far, the law has improved employee accountability within the VA, but other departments need the same accountability standards.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
The EPA has been in need of employee accountability reforms for years. A March 2018 Heritage Foundation panel discussion revealed several ridiculous stories of abuse which have gone nearly completely unaddressed. In one case a GS-12 Public Affairs Specialist from Atlanta stole a video camera from her work and attempted to pawn the item. After being arrested and convicted of a felony, the employee was placed on a 30-day suspension and returned to her office. Similarly, another EPA employee was arrested for growing marijuana plants in her home and received seven months of paid leave for her time absent the office.
Really sad: Hollywood erases American flag from moon landing. This is wrong, and consistent with Leftists’ disrespecting the flag & denying American exceptionalism. JFK saw that it mattered that America go to the moon — why can’t Hollywood see that today? http://t.co/7ZGJKP4tl6
#2
I'm not sure this was done for foreign audiences so much as because lefties have been saying American has never been great and there is no such thing as American excellence and the moon landing proves both wrong.
The left can't even think of JFK as great anymore.
#3
JFK wouldn't even qualify for the Left Wing of the Democratic Party today. Of course NASA is a Target of the "if we could onl spend that money on......". Never understanding that NASA doesn't get as much as they think.
I happen to think that NASA does waste a lot of it's budget. But I put that more on Congress and various administration's changing goals and policies.
#5
NASA is one of the few things Americans can be proud of that the Federal Government does. If you begrudge the 0.5% out of your federal taxes. That whole penny out of two bucks of every tax dollars well I'll pick up your share.
#6
The problems that grew in NASA are rooted in this: Every government project eventually becomes a jobs program.
It's called feeding the congress critters.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
09/03/2018 15:33
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#7
NASA still misses Project Muzz Self-Esteem. The interns liked it, there was no math...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/03/2018 16:05
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#4
Nope. She was a circus strongwoman in the 20s and 30s. There are other pix of her that are much more feminine.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018 20:16
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#5
"Remember that gal of Ma Leers?"
"The one that wore pants and short hair?"
"Don't fall off the porch.
Heard she planted an orchard."
"Do tell!" "Growed the world's biggest pear."
Some news about #ISS leak. RIA NOVOSTI's anonymous source says, the hole was drilled by a worker by mistake, he wanted to hide it by putting some glue - that's why Soyuz passed the tests Dont't know if it's true. @NASASpaceflight what do you think? http://t.co/jt00lIu8wE
#5
Well, I suggested they needed to send up Red Green and some duct tape. Or maybe that stuff on TV that they spray on the screen on the bottom of the row noat
[Al-Rooters] The Iranian rial hit a record low against the U.S. dollar on the unofficial market on Monday amid a deterioration in the economic situation and the reimposition of sanctions by the United States.
The dollar was being offered for as much as 128,000 rials, according to foreign exchange website Bonbast.com, which tracks the unofficial market. and what on the street?
The currency has been volatile for months because of a weak economy, financial difficulties at local banks and heavy demand for dollars among Iranians who fear the pullout of Washington from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and renewed U.S. sanctions could shrink Iran's exports of oil and other goods.
A set of U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil industry is due to take effect in November.
Last week, Iran's parliament sacked the minister of economic affairs and finance, the latest in a continuing shakeup of top economic personnel. In early August Iranian lawmakers voted out the minister of labour and in July President Hassan Rouhani replaced the head of the central bank. rearranging chairs on the Titanic
Protests linked to the tough economic situation in Iran erupted last December, spreading to more than 80 cities and towns and resulting in 25 deaths.
Sporadic protests, led by truck drivers, farmers and merchants in Tehran's bazaar, have continued since then and have occasionally resulted in violent confrontations with security forces.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2018
10:51 ||
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[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
...Tsk, tsk, tsk.
That kinda rate isn't exactly gonna fill the skies with Kowsar fighters.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/03/2018 11:21
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#2
Fighters, hell! That's barely enough to renew their Photoshop(tm) license.
[DOD]
Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman General Joseph F. Dunford.
This is a large article with broad coverage so a few highlights are emphasised
First, on building a more lethal force, we have no room for complacency in any domain. We recognize cyberspace and outer space as warfighting domains on par with air, land and sea. And these two domains, cyberspace and outer space, were made contested domains by the actions of others, so as a result we have elevated Cyber Command to full combatant command status and we have worked with Congress and the White House to define the evolving space problem that we confront.
In other adaptations, we've established a Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to experiment new concepts while drawing synergy from separate programs for this potentially game-changing capability. We have created the Close Combat Lethality Task Force to accelerate the fielding of advanced equipment and to train our warfighters at the speed of relevance for the battlefield they confront.
We have released our Nuclear Posture Review outlining the necessary steps we are taking to strengthen America's nuclear deterrents so these weapons are never used, nuclear war being a war that cannot be won and must never be fought.
And at the same time we are working with the Department of State to determine how to advance arms control where possible.
..
We are working with Colombia, Ecuador and others to schedule our hospital ship, the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort, to help our friends dealing with millions of poor Venezuelans fleeing their country, as we witness the human cost of Maduro's increasingly isolated regime. And we will stand with those people and our friends.
..
Twenty-five nations participated in this year's RIMPAC exercise hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the largest naval exercise in the world. It was emblematic of the refreshed military relationships in that the Chilean navy commanded the maritime element and this is the first time a Latin American country, in the history of this exercise, has done so.
We also continue to work closely with allies as our diplomats lead the effort to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. We keep a clear-eyed view of the challenges, working together in support of the unanimous U.N. Security Council resolutions to economically sanction the DPRK. The sanction enforcement patrols today are international patrols.
..
A recent statement by a Taliban leader made specific mention of negotiations as a way to bring, and I quote here, "an end to the war," unquote. This one of the most forward-leaning statements made yet by a Taliban supreme leader, even as they conduct attacks designed to garner press attention, costing lives, and they are now stripped, however, of any religious guise for an inhumane campaign against the Afghan people.
..
On Yemen, we support our partner Saudi Arabia's sovereign right to self-defense, and we recognize the end of the conflict requires a political solution.
..
GENERAL JOSEPH F. DUNFORD, JR:
We're also conducting air and maritime operations to disrupt ship-to-ship transfers of fuel in violation of U.N. sanctions against the DPRK, and we're doing this in conjunction with allies and partners.
..
In Africa Command, approximately 7,200 U.S. forces are supporting thousands more African military partners in providing for their own security and conducting counterterrorist operations against ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates
..
DUNFORD. Sure, I -- I -- I could start with that.
I think you know that there's one major area in the Middle Euphrates River Valley that still has a significant ISIS presence. So in the near-term, working with our Syrian Democratic Forces, we're working to clear that one remaining area in the Euphrates River Valley.
But what's really important, and I mentioned it briefly in my opening statement, is training the security forces necessary to stabilize those areas that have already been cleared of ISIS, and that is -- that is going to take some time to do that.
With -- with regard to the importance of stabilization funding, that is very important. That's why Secretary Pompeo has been engaging with regional actors, other -- other regional actors, to contribute to the stabilization funds, to get the basic services -- the water, the electricity, the jobs and those kinds of things established in those towns. That's distinct from reconstruction, which is a longer-term endeavor, and -- and we won't be ready to talk about reconstruction until there's a political solution.
..
On Iran, Iran has been put on notice that the continued mischief they've caused around the area, the murder that they have caused, the support from Syria, and what they're doing with Assad, the threats about the Straits of Hormuz, the support to the Houthis with the missiles that are being fired into Saudi Arabia, or the -- the Iranian-supplied UAVs that are being flown against international airports -- that this is not tolerant -- tolerated by us, and they're going to be held to account for it.
On Twitter Jeremy Binnie highlighted this when he said:
Last week SecDef Mattis appeared to contradict the UAE's denials that Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports were attacked with UAVs on 26 July and 27 August
..
Q: We have seen many media reports saying -- contacts between Israel and Russia to create, like, a security zone along the northern border of Israel, 60 to 80 kilometers inside Syrian territories. To -- to have this zone out of any fear of any Iranian --
SEC. MATTIS: Okay, so what -- what's your question?
Q: So my question is do you think this will happen?
SEC. MATTIS: You'll have to ask Israel and Russia on that one.
..
Q: How do you see the situation regarding Turkish arms purchases of the S-400? Are they -- are they continuing with that?
SEC. MATTIS: Well, Turkey has a choice to make, a sovereign decision to make. But clearly Turkey bringing a Russian anti-aircraft, anti-missile system into a NATO country, we cannot integrate that into -- into NATO. Yes, it does concern us, and we -- we do not recommend that.
..
{Korea} SEC. MATTIS: No, we're not turning them back off -- back on. They've never been turned off.
We turned off several to make a good-faith effort. We are going to see how the negotiations go, and then we'll calculate the future, how we go forward. I mean, this is about as straightforward as I can put it. I --
..
As far as Pakistan goes, the secretary of state and the chairman are going to fly in to Islamabad to meet with the -- the new government that's in place there now. And to make very clear what we have to do, all of our nations, in meeting our common foe, the terrorists. And make -- make that a primary part of the discussion.
..
Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. (inaudible) from Turkish Radio Television. I have a questions for both of you, particularly Mr. General.
First of all, you will deliver a report to Congress in 90 days regarding Turkey, the relations with Turkey, and the current situation about Turkey. What is the Turkey's importance about F-35 fighter jet program? And in the means of Incirlik base and some other means, what is the importance of Turkey, and what news will you deliver to Congress?
And for you, Mr. General, when do YPG give totally give control from Manbij?
SEC. MATTIS: Yeah. As -- as far as Turkey goes, we are working on a number of issues. I have open consultations. I was on the phone with the minister of defense of Turkey yesterday, I think it was, day before -- yesterday, I guess it was. And we had very candid discussions, we're working our way forward.
For example, as the chairman mentioned earlier on the Manbij situation, the training equipment has arrived in Ankara, and we're getting close to actually getting this process to a point that it's enabling the combined patrols. We're already waving each other across the line. Soon, we'll be patrolling together -- very confident of that.
So we continue to work on these kind of issues, but I can't give you an update on all of them right now because we're working them as we speak.
GEN. DUNFORD: You -- you asked about -- you asked about the YPG. The vast majority of the YPG are east of the Euphrates River. There's very few YPG left in Manbij, if any. Part of the -- part of the planning that we're doing with the Turks right now is to, one, start those independent patrols we spoke about, move to combine patrols, and then, there'll be a vetting process to make sure the security in Manbij is provided, and the governance in Manbij is provided by people who are from Manbij, regardless of what their ethnicity is.
...and if you can't trust the Boston Globe, who can you trust? Behold, perhaps the biggest whitewashing in the Globe's sordid history. Note the premise of the article - it's not Warren's claim of Native American ancestry, it's how Harvard supposedly didn't consider it a factor in her hiring, which is quickly contradicted a few paragraphs in. With bonus old Liz Warren pictures that'll make you spit out your morning coffee!
[Boston Globe] - CAMBRIDGE ‐ The 60-plus Harvard Law School professors who filed into an auditorium-style room on the first floor of Pound Hall on that February 1993 afternoon had a significant question to answer: Should they offer a job to Elizabeth Warren?
The atmosphere was a little fraught. Outside the hall, students held a silent vigil to demand the law school add more minorities and women to a faculty dominated by white men. Note this second paragraph before the article goes on to declare...
In the most exhaustive review undertaken of Elizabeth Warren’s professional history, the Globe found clear evidence, in documents and interviews, that her claim to Native American ethnicity was never considered by the Harvard Law faculty, which voted resoundingly to hire her, or by those who hired her to four prior positions at other law schools. At every step of her remarkable rise in the legal profession, the people responsible for hiring her saw her as a white woman. Tell me, dear reader, how does that square with the second paragraph? It doesn't.
#4
O HLS, puff out your chest!
You're blessed, and the best never rest.
Go, manifest bravery,
When pressed, against slavery,
And cast off your shield on request.
#5
O Harvard, to harmony harbor
'Tween snowflake and red-blooded larper,
Of the arms that you wield,
What's my favorite? The shield
Barry, argent and gules, of ye barber.
[IsraelTimes] Bombing by unidentified attackers said to kill eight, including an Iranian and three other non-Syrians.
An Arclight airstrike near a US base in southeastern Syria has killed at least eight pro-government fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday.
Four Syrians, one Iranian national and three other non-Syrian fighters were killed in the strike carried out on Saturday, the Britannia-based war monitor said.
At least 11 people were maimed in the attack, according to Observatory figures.
"A convoy of Iranian forces and allied militia was hit by airstrikes as it drove near al-Tanf base," the monitor’s head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
He could not confirm the strike had been conducted by the US-led coalition present in the region.
A coalition front man told AFP the al-Tanf base "received fire from unknown forces, with no damage and the coalition forces did not fire back."
Syrian troops are supported militarily by their Russian and Iranian allies, the Tehran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah terror group, as well as Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan militiamen.
Several strikes against Syrian government or allied forces have in the past been attributed to US forces, which were deployed with the declared goal of fighting the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) group.
Israel, too, has carried out strikes against forces allied with Iran, in a stated effort to prevent the Islamic Theocratic Republic from entrenching itself near its border.
Officials in Jerusalem have said they take action to stop the transfer of advanced weapons to terror groups and to keep Iran from gaining a foothold in the country; Dozens of strikes inside Syria have been attributed to Israel.
The al-Tanf base, set up in 2016 near the borders with Iraq and Jordan, was also used for the training of so-called "vetted opposition" to the regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... Despite a 55-kilometer (34-mile) deconfliction zone around the base, al-Tanf is seen as a potential flashpoint between US and Iranian or Tehran-backed forces.
The presence of a US base in the arid border region has been a source of tension and its dismantling is often cited as a key demand by Damascus and its allies.
Beyond the battle against IS jihadists in their nearby desert hideouts, analysts say Washington sees the base as disrupting Iranian efforts to open a east-west land corridor from Tehran to Leb.
On Sunday the Observatory said a "possible Israeli missile" killed at least two members of pro-government military forces in a string of kabooms at a military airport near the Syrian capital.
It could not specify their nationalities or whether they belonged to militias or government forces.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/03/2018 9:43
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#2
The Al Tamf base and border-crossing located at the Iraq-Syria-Jordan tripoint is one helluva strategic location. It is far enough east that the intrusion of Syria and allies can be easily tracked. It looks like Iran was testing its defense. And found out.
[Huffpoo] President Donald Trump has done more to hurt American workers than help them, the leader of the largest federation of unions in the nation declared on Sunday. Union workers will likely support Democratic candidates in November, predicted AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka.
Trumka also said that Trump’s proposed replacement for the North America Free Trade Agreement won’t work without Canada. That pointedly contradicts claims by Trump that Canadian participation isn’t necessary in his new trade pact.
As for workers, "unfortunately, to date, the things that he has done to hurt workers outpace what he’s done to help workers," said Trumka, who represents more more than 12.5 million people.
Though unemployment is down, wages have also been down "since the first of the year," he said. "Gas prices have been up since the first year. So overall, workers aren’t doing as well," Trumka told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday."
In addition, Trump "hasn’t come up with an infrastructure program that could put a lot of us back to work," Trumka added. "He overturned some health and safety regulations that will hurt us on the job." The president also helped scuttle an Obama administration Labor Department rule that would have extended overtime benefits to close to 5 million workers, Trumka said.
Come November, Trumka said, it "probably will be Democrats" his members support "because Democrats support working people more than Republicans." But decisions will be made candidate by candidate because "it’s about electing people who will support working people," he said.
#1
I'm not sure how this rhetoric matches up with the reality of the economic numbers since Trump's been in office. Oh, that's right - it doesn't! This is meant more for general consumption than anything else, one of those pro forma 'what else am I gonna say - I'm the head of a union!' statements.
#6
As a child, did you ever wonder where Santa Claus got all the toys or the supplies to build the toys?
Ever wonder about his delivery system? If so, you probably didn't put too much thought into it.
People who think the government should be Santa Claus still don't.
#8
Right-to-work and voluntary dues will kill the corrupt unions
And that's where the unions are spending their member's hard-earned dues money now, to combat the RTW and 'optional' dues legislation initiatives.
These would really cook the giverment unions.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/03/2018 13:11
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#9
Government Unions incentivise systemic corruption. They are now a Player in the Political Game instead of acting as a Neutral Party. Judges can recuse themselves, how do you recuse every single staffer and secretary in the legal system if they are all members of one organization?
[Breitbart] A group of activists led by a Chicago minister plan to shut down the primary highway leading to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Labor Day.
Rev. Gregory Livingston, the organizer of the march who serves as a pastor at New Hope Baptist Church, told USA Today he plans to lead activists along the Kennedy Expressway on Labor Day to protest the violence and lack of opportunities for upward mobility in Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods.
"We must end Chicago’s tale of two cities," said Livingston. "We will shut down O’Hare International Airport."
Livingston posted several tweets on Sunday with the hashtag #OHARESHUTDOWN, including one outlining the protesters’ demands:
#1
"We must end Chicago’s tale of two cities," said Livingston.
Rev. Livingston's 'two cities' assessment is entirely correct. One city is run by descendants of Northern Europeans. The other city is run by descendants of Africa.
#2
Pissing people off on one of the busiest travel days of the year is a sure bet to get them on your side...
I never could understand the liberal logic behind blocking traffic, making people late and pissing them off in order to convince them that your right.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2018 9:16
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#4
Is there some connection between airports and black people shooting each other that the rest of us are not aware of? Particulate emissions from burning jet fuel, perhaps.
Given that the 'violence' is concentrated in certain Chicago neighbors and almost entirely absent in others, perhaps the Rev and his co-activists could occupy these specific neighborhoods instead of the airport. At the very least, they would block the lines of fire.
#8
One aspect of O'Hare I hate is that they have never made a public entrance from the west. They have been claiming for years to make it but one never opens. So everything is constrained, past Manheim Rd, to the I-190 tollway. (yes I know Manhiem west it is free but it is a single access road from the East) Most customers are suburbanites arriving from the West.
#11
Is there some connection between airports and black people shooting each other that the rest of us are not aware of? Particulate emissions from burning jet fuel, perhaps.
#13
Mullah Richard - use both but currently SouthWest (the midway airline) is not the best deal and OHare is closer.
I usually take 83 to Irving Park to Manheim Rd to 180. It's nutz to need to zigzag that way. Thorndale was made 6 lanes from 290 to just west of OHare and for some reason the connector into OHare for Thorndale is never built.
Thorndale Road (I-390) dead ends just before York Road which is the west border of Ohare.
#15
Yeah, getting to Ohare from any direction is a cluster. I'd forgotten about the Thorndale 390 'spur'. Chicago/Illinois DOT bullsh*t (there's so much of it, it's hard to keep straight)
Still not a treat with York/Irving Park/Manheim/perpetual construction (new, improved with insane traffic control).
I'm usually there at least once every 4-6 weeks for some delightful work excursion on an overbooked flight. Usually park south end of Mannheim loop (indoor lot) and take their shuttle. Coffee (usually bad) is always included.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/03/2018 18:07
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#16
Bob Hope played in clubs in Cicero as a young comedian. Said they only had intermissions was "so the audience could reload." Tough room.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel signaled on Monday that it could attack suspected Iranian military assets in Iraq, as it has done with scores of air strikes in war-torn Syria.
Citing Iranian, Iraqi and Western sources, Reuters reported last week that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Shi’ite allies in Iraq in recent months. Tehran and Baghdad formally denied that report.
Israel sees in Iran’s regional expansion an attempt to open up new fronts against it. Israel has repeatedly launched attacks in Syria to prevent any entrenchment of Iranian forces helping Damascus in the war.
"We are certainly monitoring everything that is happening in Syria and, regarding Iranian threats, we are not limiting ourselves just to Syrian territory. This also needs to be clear," Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman told a conference hosted and aired live by the Israel Television News Company.
Asked if that included possible action in Iraq, Lieberman said: "I am saying that we will contend with any Iranian threat, and it doesn’t matter from where it comes ... Israel’s freedom is total. We retain this freedom of action."
There was no immediate response from the government of Iraq, which is technically at war with Israel, nor from U.S. Central Command in Washington, which oversees U.S. military operations in Iraq.
[NY Post via Right Scoop] In a statement today from the Pope of an alternate universe where there is no sexual abuse in the church, the head of a church with no scandals at all put out a statement about the RAPE of the EARTH by the use of plastic products.
Pope Francis wants concrete action to combat the "emergency" of plastics littering seas and oceans.
Francis made the appeal in a message Saturday to galvanize Christians and others to work to save what he hails as the "marvelous," God-given gift of the "great waters and all they contain."
He said efforts to fight plastics litter must be waged "as if everything depended on us."
#5
All clever comments aside anybody who thinks we as a society can just dump our trash where ever the hell we want IMO has something seriously wrong with them. Overall we do a pretty decent job in this country. In fact as a whole the developed world does with the exception of say Russia and China. It's the Third World shit holes that are the big problem
[Kansas City Star] BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday promoted Beijing's initiative to build ports and other infrastructure to African leaders as a tool for "common prosperity" in a world facing challenges from trade protectionism.
Speaking to businesspeople ahead of a conference with dozens of African leaders, Xi said the "Belt and Road" initiative will expand markets. He tried to mollify concern Beijing wants to build strategic influence, promising Chinese investment comes with "no political strings attached."
"Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. Economic growth lacks robust drive," said Xi in a speech. "China-Africa cooperation under the BRI is a way to common prosperity that brings benefits to both our peoples."
African and other Asian leaders have welcomed "Belt and Road" but some projects have prompted complaints about debt and other problems. The initiative involves hundreds of projects, most of them built by Chinese contractors and financed by loans from Chinese state-owned banks, across an arc of 65 countries from the South Pacific through Asia to Africa and the Middle East.
#2
Joke's on him: transport by water is 14 times cheaper than by road. Who owns the seas? Why, the US Navy, of course.
The only reason China is in Africa is because all the good spots in the world were taken already. Africa is a basket case, they're unhelpable. Let them waste their yuan there, they'll come to regret it just like everyone else who tried Africa.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
09/03/2018 5:22
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#3
The master plan. They are doing this everywhere including here. The Chinese loyalty to the homeland is required. Keeping the blood pure is required. I see that bond deteriorate over time and quickly. The Asians are very smart. The Asians work very hard. Now the Asians are dying very young. The Chinese women see this happening to their people. They back off but not so with the men that I have seen. The bond is weakened with each succeeding generation. Accelerated if the blood is not kept pure. Life is not a five year plan orchestrated by a government.
[American Thinker] There’s a huge difference between the solemn, sorrowful citizens who lined the streets to say good-bye to Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy, and FDR and the rubberneckers hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrity politicians putting in a public appearance for the late Senator McCain’s multiple memorials. Releasing those men we loved from afar to a higher and happier place bears no resemblance to spectators taking part in one of the "scheduled events" posted strategically on the Fox News website and elsewhere.
Despite of the wall-to-wall media coverage of a seemingly unending series of funeral services (five at last count), this nation does not mourn the passing of a hero. Yes, dignitaries showed up and slid fake praise into orations meant for something other than a heartfelt memorial to the dearly departed. John McCain may have been dear to a few people, but for the rest of us (and most likely 99% of the people invited to be part of his ostentatious Display of the Dead), he remains a clear and present exemplar of a petty plutocracy and blatant self-service. One ecstatic writer called it the "biggest resistance meeting yet" as Her Father’s Daughter saddled the next generation with the bitter Sins of the Father and was celebrated for embracing what many have called a world-class grudge. Somehow, she missed the message that "John called on us to be bigger... and better than that." Others, disgusted by the "political theatrics and cheap shots" recognized her father’s signature spitefulness -- nasty to the end and beyond. Yet it was the observation of a high-school junior that explained a certain hollowness to every news anchor’s claim that a nation mourns. CJ Pearson wrote: "At most funerals I’ve attended, it’s God’s love that fills the room, not hate and animus for a person who is not even in attendance."
This nation does not mourn John McCain who in a final act of self-aggrandizing mythmaking, personally planned a weeklong spectacle to weaponize a sacred cultural tradition meant to remember and honor the dead. This may become his most enduring legacy. An insatiably vindictive man, his equally malicious family, and all those eager to participate in a six-minute trash-talk tribute have radically transformed one of the last public opportunities to share our humanity. We do not mourn, we cannot mourn, and we should not mourn one who in death chose to even a score only he was keeping.
#1
'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This swamp creature is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!!
[IsraelTimes] Meeting comes despite Ramallah boycotting the Trump administration for recognizing Jerusalem as capital of Israel, moving embassy.
The report comes two days after the Trump administration announced it was cutting all funding for the UN refugee agency that aids Paleostinians.
Significantly, the US did not cut aid that goes to the Paleostinian security forces and Abbas told the participants of the meeting that it is important to him to maintain security coordination and intelligence sharing with the US.
Despite longstanding tensions with Israel, security coordination between the Paleostinian security forces and the IDF in the West Bank is very close and a key component of the relationship between the two sides.
The delegation to the US was being lead by Majed Faraj, head of the PA’s General Intelligence Service, Axios said, noting that he was also in the US to receive unspecified medical treatment.
This is not the first time Faraj has met with top US officials since the boycott began. Faraj reportedly met then-CIA director Mike Pompeo in April, shortly before Pompeo became Secretary of State.
Faraj, one of the Abbas’s closest associates, is considered a friend of Pompeo, and the two reportedly met last year, after Trump was sworn in as president.
#3
A week cannot pass without one of these former Klingon masters saying something derogatory or unflattering about President Trump. This week it was the onerous Leon Panetta's turn:
[IsraelTimes] IDF soldiers tossed in the slammer You have the right to remain silent... a Paleostinian man who tried to beat an Israeli man with a metal bar outside the Tekoa settlement in the central West Bank on Sunday, the army said.
No injuries were reported.
The military said no shots were fired during the arrest.
Israeli troops then searched the area for additional evidence or signs of additional attackers, the army said.
Residents of the settlement said the Paleostinian, who was not armed with a firearm or a knife, initially threw rocks at passing cars and then tried to drag a man out of his vehicle and attack him.
Eventually, a number of residents wrestled the Paleostinian man to the ground before security forces arrived.
[IsraelTimes] Security forces on Sunday detained a Paleostinian woman who was apparently planning to carry out a stabbing attack at a Jerusalem checkpoint, police said.
Guards at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of the capital stopped a woman who was acting suspiciously. She had raised suspicion by approaching Israeli guards manning an area meant for vehicular traffic instead of the pedestrian passageway.
When the women ignored instructions from security guards they used pepper spray on the suspect, police said. A knife was found in her bag.
The suspect, in her 30s, was from the nearby Paleostinian refugee camp of Qalandiya, the statement said.
She was taken away for further questioning.
There have been numerous stabbings and attempted stabbings at the checkpoint which links the Qalandiya camp with Jerusalem. Many of the attackers were stopped as they walked along the vehicular approach. In some incidents, security guards opened fire on attackers, wounding or killing them after they pulled out knives.
[AlAhrm] At least six people were killed when a suicide boom-mobile struck a local government office in central Mogadishu on Sunday, destroying the building and a Koranic school opposite.
Islamist bully boy group Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... said it was behind the attack on Hawlwadag district office, which also blew off the roof of a mosque and damaged houses nearby.
At least six people had been killed, including soldiers, civilians and the jacket wallah, and a dozen injured, according to police officer Mohammed Hussein.
The school was open but at the time of the blast most children were away from the building on a break.
Earlier the director of the Amin ambulance service told Rooters that at least 14 people had been injured, including 6 children.
A Rooters journalist on the scene saw a human hand and blood stains in the rubble as people searched for survivors.
Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al-Shabaab’s military operations front man, said the group had carried out the attack.
"We are behind the suicide kaboom. We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting. We killed 10 people so far, we shall give details later."
Somalia has been wracked by lawlessness and violence since 1991. Islamist group al-Shabaab is fighting to dislodge a Western-backed government protected by African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... -mandated peacekeepers.
[PRESSTV] Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have launched a domestically-designed and ‐manufactured ballistic missile No involvement of any Medes or Persians. No, no! Certainly not!
at a military base in 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... ’s southwestern border region of Jizan in retaliation for the Riyadh regime’s devastating military aggression against their country.
A Yemeni military source, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , told Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that the short-range Zelzal-1 (Earthquake-1) missiles hit Mashal base with great precision on Sunday.
There were no immediate reports about possible casualties or the extent of damage caused.
Later in the day, Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, fired a barrage of mortar shells at Saudi-backed Yemeni holy warriors loyal to former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had gathered in a military camp on Jabal al-Qais mountainous area in Jizan region. No reports of fatalities were quickly available.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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[DAWN] Protesters seeking to oust London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Saturday launched a giant balloon over Parliament Square depicting him dressed in a yellow bikini.
Protesters believe Khan has failed to curtail street crime in London, and some wore T-shirts reading “Make London safe again.”
Organisers had created the blimp in a protest against Khan’s policies. It was meant as a rebuke to Khan, who backed protesters’ right to launch a giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an angry baby during his July visit to Britain.
The stunt was staged by Yanny Bruere, who describes himself as a free speech advocate, and funded through nearly 60,000 pounds ($78,000) in donations on a crowdfunding website.
Prelaunch photo of the thing can be seen at the link provided here.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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#1
Better dueling ballons than blood in the streets...
[ALMASDARNEWS] Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated that Turkey should understand that Idlib province is part of the Syrian state, during an interview to RT aired on Saturday in Moscow.
“At first, the international community should admit the Idlib province is part of Syria and the Syrian state has to have its territories back. No one has a right to prevent it.
"At second, as the President Bashar Al-Assad stated, the priority at this moment is to liberate Idlib whether by reconciliation, which is more preferable, or with the help of army.
"At third, it’s clear that Jabhat al-Nusra, which is the most important organization in Idlib, is put on the list of terror agents by the United Nations Security Council.
"So, Syria along with its allies believes Idlib should be liberated either by reconciliation or by force of arms. In order to protect civilians from dangerous acts of military nature we opened a humanitarian corridor through Abu al-Ẓuhur aerodrome. This corridor has been open for a week. We welcomed hundreds of Syrian families who came from Idlib to the provinces controlled by the Syrian army.
"So, I state that if it would be necessary to apply force, it would be necessary to resist Jabhat al-Nusra. Speaking of these units which want to settle this conflict, they should declare their position and carry out further obligations.”
The Syrian Foreign Minister also mentioned the talks between Russian and Saudi Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Adel Al-Jubeir which took place in August in Moscow.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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[PRESSTV] Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey... has lashed out at the United States for behaving like "wild wolves," saying Ankara would pursue non-dollar transactions in trade with Russia and other countries.
"America behaves like wild wolves. Don't believe them," Erdogan said in an address to a business forum in Bishkek on Sunday during a visit to Kyrgyzstan.
He added that negotiations were underway between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund.... and Russia over using national currencies instead of the US dollar in bilateral trade ties.
The US has imposed punitive economic measures on both Ankara and Moscow.
"Using the dollar only damages us. We will not give up. We will be victorious," Erdogan told the meeting, attended by Kyrgyz and Ottoman Turkish businessmen as well as government officials.
Washington and Ankara are entangled in a dispute over an American pastor standing trial in Turkey over terror charges.
Pastor Andrew Brunson has been accused of having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Gulen movement, which Turkey blames for the 2016 failed military coup.
Brunson, who has already spent nearly two years behind bars in Turkey, has denied the charges, calling them "shameful and disgusting."
If found guilty, he will face up to 35 years in jail. His imprisonment and then house arrest have caused one of the deepest rows between Turkey and the US.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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"Sea march" is a new one on me. Maybe they mean something like Sherman's March to the Sea?
[PRESSTV] Paleostinian protesters aboard dozens of fishing boats have sailed along the coasts of the besieged Gazoo Strip to express their strong dissent against the Israeli-imposed fishing limit laws.
That sounds more like a offshore parade. Were there drum majorettes twirling batons, too?
According to Paleostinian Ma'an News Agency on Sunday, dozens of students and maimed people from the coastal sliver aboard some 50 fishing boats commenced a sea march from the port of Gazoo City towards the northern border of the strip earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, ...back at the mall, Clarissa suddenly spied Mr. Bartlett at the checkout counter. He was buying Grecian Formula!... the International Committee for Breaking the Siege, which organized the march, said that it would launch further such rallies until Israel overturned the imposed limits.
The report added that Israeli military attacked the boats with tear gas canisters and that a number of protesters were maimed as a result of inhaling the tear gas. Then came the sharks with friggin' lasers on their heads! It wuz terr'ble!
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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#1
I know. Let them over fish so the fish stocks collapse. And then they will blame the, guess who. The Jews most likely.
Maybe they should be investing in commercial fish farms.
#2
It's not about fishing, it's about smuggling. And it's not about smuggling consumer items, or even drugs, it's about smuggling war materials. Of course, in Palestinian hands, everything is war material.
#3
If they had any sense, they'd turn it into an annual Blessing of the Fleet, like. Maybe even go ecumenical: scare up a wobbly Orthodox or two to sling some incense around, a weird rabbi... might get real coverage, even some tourists. Or not.
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) ‐ An Iraqi court has sentenced four persons to life in jail over affiliation with Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group, a local official said.
"Iraqi judiciary sentenced four men to life imprisonment for joining the Islamic State group in Diyala province," Baghdad Today website quoted Sadeq al-Husseini, the head of the security committee in Iraqi Diyala provincial council, as saying.
According to al-Husseini, Iraqi courts sentenced scores of Islamic State bully boyz and leaders to various sentences over the past few months in Diyala for launching attacks against innocent Iraqis.
Iraqi courts have sentenced tens of Islamic State members, including a big number of female members, to death over joining the murderous Moslem group.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/03/2018
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Arab Coalition fighting to restore legitimacy in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... released a statement on Saturday saying they have accepted the findings of assessment report regarding a recent strike in Saada and pledged to "hold the ones who committed mistakes accountable".
The findings of the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) regarding allegations surrounding one of the operations carried out by Coalition on Aug. 9 2018 in Saada concluded mistakes in compliance to the Rules of Engagement regarding the strike.
"Thereupon, the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition expresses regret over the mistakes, extends its sympathies, condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and announces its acceptance of the results and findings of (JIAT). The Joint Forces Command will, as soon as the official findings are received, undertake legal proceedings to hold the ones who committed mistakes accountable according to the rules and regulations related to such cases, and continue to revise and enhance its Rules of Engagement, according to operational lessons learned, in a manner that guarantees non-recurrence of such incidents," the statement released on Saudi Press Agency read.
"The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will task the Joint Committee to assess granting voluntary assistance to the ones affected in Yemen, and communicate with the Legitimate Government in Yemen to acquire identities and names of the ones affected, so that compensations can be provided under regulatory measures," the statement added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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[Washington Examiner] Obama appointee Sally Yates was acting attorney general under President Trump for just 10 days -- from January 20, 2017 until January 30, 2017 -- but by any measure they were consequential days. Even now, two issues from Yates' brief tenure are still of interest to congressional investigators. One was the series of events that led Yates, in charge of the Justice Department, to reject the president's executive order temporarily suspending the admittance into the United States of people from some Muslim nations. The second is Yate's role in the FBI's questioning, apparently on dubious premises, the president's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, four days into the new administration -- questioning that ultimately led to Flynn's guilty plea in the Trump-Russia investigation.
Both are matters of great public significance and interest -- and on both, the Justice Department is refusing to allow the Senate Judiciary Committee access to documents from Yates' time in office.
On Feb. 23, 2017, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking for "all emails to, from, copying, or blind-copying Ms. Yates from Jan. 20, 2017, through Jan. 31, 2017." Grassley also asked for all of Yates' other correspondence from that period, plus records of her calls and meetings.
The reason Grassley cited -- his committee has direct oversight authority over the Justice Department -- was that Yates' order to the Justice Department not to defend the president's executive order cost the administration precious time as it prepared to fight the inevitable legal challenges. The Department did not have its facts together when a federal judge in Washington State demanded them, setting the stage for the judge to issue a temporary restraining order.
"It looks like Ms. Yates' action may have substantially harmed the Justice Department's initial ability to defend the executive order," Grassley wrote. "It is important to determine the extent to which Ms. Yates' actions may have sabotaged the government's defense in that litigation."
"Even commentators who took issue with the executive order believed her directive to stop the entire Justice Department from defending the order in the middle of frenetic ongoing litigation was improper," Grassley added.
[DAWN] At least 12 people were killed, including two Ukrainians, when a helicopter crashed in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, Afghan and foreign officials said.
The aircraft, owned by a Moldovan company, was carrying 14 people including 11 members of Afghan cops when it crashed in the northern province of Balkh, the Moldovan aviation authority said in a statement.
The two Ukrainians killed were crew members, the statement said. A third Ukrainian crew member survived the crash.
An Afghan security source confirmed the corpse count. Another Afghan security source put the corpse count at 13, with only the foreign pilot surviving the accident.
The helicopter was carrying munitions and went kaboom! on impact, burning bodies "beyond recognition", the Afghan sources said.
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[DAWN] A British national of Pak origin was held by the Airport Security Force (ASF) allegedly for carrying weapon at Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) on Saturday.
According to sources, the ASF staffers were checking the luggage of passengers in routine when they spotted a 30 bore pistol and 12 bullets in the baggage of the passenger.
They enjugged Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! the passenger and shifted him to a counter for further investigation.
The passenger was to travel to Birmingham on PK-791, they said.
Later, the ASF handed over the accused to the local police who have started the paperwork but haven't done much else against him, they said.
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[Diplomad 2.0] Can't stay away. This won't be long. Just a few thoughts as I watch developments this past week or so.
On trade. Trump is doing some amazing things on trade. You can agree or disagree with what he's doing but he's upending the existing world trade order. Back in 1999, we saw riots in the streets of Seattle over a meeting in that city by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Tens-of-thousands of people marched, looted and fought in protest over the WTO and its "globalization" of trade. It seems to me, those very same people ought now to be all for Trump. He's is dismantling the world trade institution that has done so much harm to US and other Western economies, especially the workers. It has helped the stock market as companies feel ever more free to move their operations in pursuit of lower wages and lax labor codes. It has played havoc with traditional industrial cities in the US, UK, and Europe. It has created a massive bureaucratic monster which now "regulates free trade." Trump is slashing away at it.
The deal with Mexico APPEARS to be a first step in that assault on the globalist economy. We haven't seen all the details so we don't know for sure. What has come out, however, would seem to be a big plus for US and Mexican industrial workers. We'll see, but it sounds promising.
Canada, of course, fell victim to the false prog vision of President Trump. Canada's silly PM missed the boat and lost Canada a chance to exert some influence in the Trump battle to scrap and replace NAFTA. The Canadian government wasted their time,
Canada’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, spent most of her time on visits to the U.S. lobbying governors and congressmen rather than talking seriously to our trade negotiators. Her boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even thought it was a good idea to antagonize Trump at his failed G7 summit in June.
Canada must now return, hat in hand, for a deal. If not, Trump will advance the deal with Mexico and leave Canada behind. Today he again vowed to raise car tariffs on Canada if it refuses to revise unfair levies of nearly 300 percent on some American goods, among other unfair practices.
Never underestimate Trump--just ask Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Hillary Clinton for starters. Trudeau is going to have to do some serious catch up. He might want to read one of Trump's books for starters.
The Europeans and the Chinese, I predict, will soon have to make some serious concessions to Trump on trade. Trump understands something a lot of other politicians seemed incapable of doing. The US is by far the world's biggest economy and market, and, still, the most innovative--fracking, anybody? You can't just ignore it, or get into a trade war with it. You will lose.
While Trump is winning, we see a lot of silliness from others. The McCain funerals were absurd, demeaning, and damaged the reputation of McCain. The gathering of the establishment elites, the phony speeches, and the attempt to rewrite history by the "fake news" media were just too much to take, and underscored the revolutionary nature of the Trump administration. Read the hagiographies now being written by the MSM about McCain and then read what the WaPo said back in 2008 when their voice might have counted,
the stress of a campaign can reveal some essential truths, and the picture of Mr. McCain that emerged this year is far from reassuring. To pass his party's tax-cut litmus test, he jettisoned his commitment to balanced budgets. He hasn't come up with a coherent agenda, and at times he has seemed rash and impulsive. And we find no way to square his professed passion for America's national security with his choice of a running mate who, no matter what her other strengths, is not prepared to be commander in chief.
Or, of course, the NY Times back in 2008,
Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.
#1
I suspect the Chinese will hold back any real trade concessions until after 2020. If Trump is reelected, they'll have no choice but to come to the table.
#2
Yah, the neverTrumpers are ranting about Putin while at the same time they've got both Russia's and China's nads in their mouth. No wonder it sounds so incoherent.
[NationalReview] The Southern Poverty Law Center has less to do with justice than with fundraising.
...[SPLC co-founder–cum–chief trial counsel Morris] Dees, who earned a spot in (I’m not making this up) the Direct Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame for his service to the cause of pitching birthday cakes, cookbooks, tractor-seat cushions, and other junk-mail items, is "more than a little Trumpian himself," according to Politico. "I learned everything I know about hustling from the Baptist Church," Dees once said, according to a 2000 piece that Silverstein wrote for Harper’s. "Spending Sundays on those hard benches listening to the preacher pitch salvation ‐ why, it was like getting a Ph.D. in selling." Dees’s onetime business partner Millard Fuller told Silverstein, "Morris and I . . . shared the overriding purpose of making a pile of money. We were not particular about how we did it; we just wanted to be independently rich."
Dees once told his donors that he would stop fundraising when the SPLC endowment reached $55 million. When the SPLC blew by that milestone, he upped it to $100 million. Today it continues to build its huge endowment while its six-story, multi-million-dollar headquarters is "the most architecturally striking structure in downtown Montgomery," according to Politico.
...
That would be the UN Security Council, where the United States of America has veto power? Clever.
[ASHARQ] Palestinians, the United Nations and the Arab League have widely condemned the US administration's decision to suspend United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) funding and vowed to confront it in all ways, while Israel welcomed the decision.
President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership are considering going to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
“This US decision does not serve peace, but rather promotes terrorism in the region and is also an attack on the rights of the Palestinian people,” Abu Rudeineh said, pointing out that this decision is only one in a series of decisions and policies that are hostile to the Palestinian people.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Ah, great to see the leader of the free world, Germany, step up to waste their own money. It's fine, they're flush with cash while Uncle Sam is flat broke. It's nice stepping back from these endless international commitments.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
09/03/2018 5:26
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#3
"Give us your money or we're complain to the teacher"?
#6
Frank, the UN cannot tell us to do that. A) We have veto power. B) Nikki Haley is the US Ambassador. She will tell the UN where they can stick their ruling.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
09/03/2018 10:17
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#7
/rhetorical, Rambler
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2018 10:21
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#8
It's fine, they're flush with cash
Given all that Germany is spending to support the replacement population, and then to guard against the criminals and jihadis within that population, not to mention the Palestinians, etc, I find it hard to believe they are anything like as flush as they used to be.
#11
Fine. The day the General Assembly or the Security Council announces hearings, I want Nikki Haley to stand up and announce that the people calling themselves "Palestinians" have made themselves enemies of the United States, and shall be "obliterated from the face of the earth". Follow it up with about two weeks of 12-aircraft ARCLIGHT strikes on the Gaza Strip, one every hour, and the first one a total surprise. Anything with the name "UNRWA" or plain "UN" will receive special attention. And we'll have satellites dedicated to recording secondaries.
After that, maybe we can look for and root out other crap wearing the UN label.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/03/2018 22:41
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Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Five non-combatants were killed and maimed Sunday in a kaboom in the Iraqi province of Salahuddin, a security official said.
"A bomb went kaboom! while a cluster of farmers were collecting firewood in al-Fatha area, east of Beiji district in Salahuddin province," Mawazin News quoted Spokesman for Salahuddin Police Mohammed al-Jabouri as saying.
"The kaboom left three farmers dead and two others maimed," al-Jabouri said, adding that security forces sealed off the blast site and prevented passers-by from approaching.
Al-Jabouri pointed out that the security forces carried the dead bodies into the forensic medicine department, while the maimed were moved to a nearby hospital for treatment.
No group has so far grabbed credit for the attack, but the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) bad boy group, in most cases, is responsible for attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.
[KhaamaPress] At least four Talibs were killed while attempting to attack the Bagram airbase in northern Parwan province of Afghanistan.
According to the local officials, the murderous Moslems were attempting tocarry out rocket attack on the U.S.-run Bagram airbase when they came under Arclight airstrike.
Provincial governor’s spokesperson Wahda Shahkar confirmed the incident and said the murderous Moslems were targeted in an airstrike carried out by the U.S. forces.
She said the incident took place late on Friday in the vicinity of Nasru Qala area of Bagram district.
The anti-government armed hard boy groups including Talibs have not commented regarding the report so far.
Parwan is among the relatively volatile provinces in northern Afghanistan where the Taliban ...Arabic for students... Death Eaters are actively operating in some of its remote districts and often carry out insurgency activities.
Roadside bombings, suicide kabooms, murders, and other forms of terrorist attacks are often reported from the restive districts of Parwan.
[engagdet] When researchers postulated that the "sonic attacks" on embassies in Cuba (and more recently China) were the fault of malfunctioning surveillance gear, that wasn't the end to concerns about the true cause... if anything, there's more worry than ever. The University of Pennsylvania's Douglas Smith (who led a paper discussing the trauma of embassy victims) said in an interview that microwave blasts are now considered primary candidates. The concussion-like symptoms more closely line up with microwaves and other radio frequency-related illnesses than previous explanations, including straightforward acoustic attack, anxiety or viruses.
Embassy staff may have been subjected to the Frey effect, where microwaves fool the brain into perceiving phantom noises when they hit the temporal lobes processing signals from your ears. Sufficiently powerful microwave blasts can cause pain, and might even deal lasting damage to the nervous system.
The State Department told the New York Times that it hadn't yet pinpointed the nature of the attacks, and the FBI has decline to comment. It's possible there's a more pedestrian explanation like some kind of other frequency-related illness. An upcoming paper from UC San Diego's Beatrice Golomb supports the microwave theory, however. Emphasis added.
[KhaamaPress] At least seven Talibs including a local commander of the group were killed during separate festivities in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in a statement said the festivities took place in Nish and Khakrez districts of the province.
"Yesterday, a senior local commander of armed Taliban ...Arabic for students... was killed in a clash with Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army," the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement.
The statement further added that the clash took place in Shin Kian region, Nish district, southern Kandahar province.
"In a separate report, six armed Taliban were killed and three other armed Taliban were maimed in a clash with Afghan National Police," the statement by MoI added.
"The incident took place in Mandigak region, Khakriz district, southern Kandahar province," MoI said, adding that "No ANP and civilian was harmed during the incident."
The anti-government armed murderous Moslem groups including Talibs have not commented regarding the report so far.
This comes as the security situation in southern Kandahar province had improved comparatively during the recent years where fewer security related incidents have been reported as compared to the other southern provinces.
[ToloNews] Two kabooms were reported in Kandahar city in Sunday night, wounding at least six coppers, officials said.
One Afghan National Police (ANP) officer was maimed in the first IED kaboom in Kandahar’s PD14. Local officials said the bomb had been placed in an electrical box.
A second IED exploded when first responders rushed to the scene. The exact casualty toll from the second kaboom is not yet known, the provincial governor’s front man said.
But, unconfirmed reports say that at least 6 police were maimed in the second blast.
[ALMASDARNEWS] Speaking on France-Inter radio on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won the country’s civil war but will not “win the peace” without a political solution aided by international mediators.
“Assad won the war, we have to state this. But he hasn’t won the peace,” Le Drian announced.
According to the minister, the West would retaliate if chemical weapons are used against civilians in the looming battle in the province of Idlib.
He further claimed that even if the government’s forces managed to retake Idlib – the last terrorist stronghold – it would not solve the problems that triggered the war seven years ago.
Le Drian also added that France will use this month’s UN General Assembly to push for a peaceful solution in Syria, and is currently involved in negotiations with the guarantors of peace in the region – Russia, Turkey and Iran – to push them to use their clout with Assad to make political talks happen after the war is over.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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#1
Well, he's still there on his ground.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
09/03/2018 8:40
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[ALMASDARNEWS] More rebel fighters are assassinated in Idlib as the Syrian Army amasses forces to storm the jihadi-held province.
The bodies of two senior Ahrar al-Sham ...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014... commanders were found somewhere in Nahlaya town, south of Idlib city.
Abu Wassef al-Askari and Abu Maria al-Idari; two field commanders from Ahrar al-Sham movement were shot in the head two days after they were kidnapped by unidentified button men.
The slain murderous Moslems were among thousands who had been deported from the eastern Ghouta region a few months ago as per an evacuation deal with the Syrian government.
In a related context, a car went kaboom! in Kafr Sijnah village, killing and wounding several people.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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[NYPOST] A purported member of the MS-13 gang broke into the bedroom of a sleeping 11-year-old Brooklyn girl and raped her in her bed, cops said Saturday as the suspect was taken into custody.
The horrific crime happened at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, officials said.
The suspect ‐ identified by police sources as El Salvadoran immigrant Julio Cesar Ayala, 18, who lives nearby ‐ had allegedly climbed onto the roof of the girl’s apartment building.
He then somehow shoved aside the girl’s window air conditioner on the second floor and crawled inside through the opening, police sources said.
The fiend raped the girl in her bed, officials said.
But he dashed back out the window as she screamed to alert her mother, who rushed to her aid, sources said.
The mother called 911 but did not catch sight of the attacker, the sources said.
By luck, though, police were able to grab video-surveillance images of the suspect.
On Saturday at 2:35 p.m., some 30 officers from the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit and the 70th Precinct converged on Ayala at his hideaway in an under-construction three-story building at 930 Flatbush Ave.
They pulled out the scrawny, hunched man, who was seen handcuffed and dressed in filthy black jeans and a red T-shirt.
Ayala ‐ who police sources said carried a federal Permanent Resident Card, also known as a "Green Card," as his only identification ‐ was led struggling into a police SUV.
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[KhaamaPress] At least thirty one forces of Evil were killed or maimed during the Arclight airstrikes conducted by the Afghan Air Force in southeastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan.
The 203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan Military in the Southeast said the airstrikes were carried out in Khogyani and Nawa districts of the province.
According to a statement released by 203rd Thunder Corps, the forces of Evil were targeted in Arzo area of Khogyani and Langa area of Nawa districts.
The statement further added that 21 forces of Evil were killed and at least 10 others were maimed during the same airstrikes.
The 203rd Thunder Corps also added that the Afghan forces discovered and defused 9 improvised bombs dring the opertions in Andar and Maidan Wardak provinces.
The anti-government armed myrmidon groups including Talibs have not commented regarding the report so far.
Ghazni is among the relatively volatile provinces in southeastern parts of the country where the Talibs and terrorist belonging to the other groups are actively operating in some of its districts.
The Talibs launched a coordinated attack on Ghazni city earlier last month, sparking heavy festivities that lasted for several days before the forces of Evil were driven out of the city.
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Federal Police said four Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... members were killed, while several tunnels, used by the myrmidon group, were seized, southwest of Kirkuk.
In a statement by Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, Federal Police chief, said troops "carried out an operation, depending on information from the intelligence department that indicated presence of several snuffies in al-Riyad region in Hawija town. Four snuffies were killed, while tunnels, that link two rest houses, were seized."
Last week, Jawdat said two snuffies were tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! in Kirkuk. One of them was the security leader of the group in al-Zab region, while the other one is Maher al-Obeidi, leader of the Islamic State cells in al-Riyad region.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/03/2018
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[DAWN] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... raised natural gas prices on Saturday by as much as 14 per cent, two sources said, while the energy regulator announced a similar increase in electricity costs as a deepening currency crisis stokes inflation.
The lira has fallen 42pc against the dollar this year, hit by concerns about President Tayyip Erdogan’s grip on monetary policy and a worsening rift with the United States over a detained American Christian pastor.
The sell-off has increased the cost of food and petrol and raised fears about the impact on the country’s wider economy and banks. Economists are particularly worried about the central bank’s inability to rein in inflation, which hit a 14-year high of nearly 16pc in July.
State pipeline operator Botas raised natural gas prices by 14pc for industrial use and 9pc for residential use effective from Saturday, two sources told Rooters. Officials for Botas were not immediately available to comment.
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[Sputnik ru] JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong, head of China’s second-largest e-commerce company was detained in the US on charges of sexual abuse.
Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu, founder of JD.com, Alibaba's biggest rival, was arrested in Minneapolis on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct, according to jail records.
According to documents, Liu was arrested Friday and released Saturday pending criminal charges. The records include no further details.
Minneapolis police declined to elaborate on the detention citing an active investigation. Police spokesman John Elder declined to provide details on where in Minneapolis Liu was arrested or what he was doing at the time of his arrest.
Jail documents do not include the degree of Liu's alleged misconduct — Minneapolis legislation recognizes five degrees of sexual misconduct, from unwanted touches to violent assault with injuries.
Liu's company, JD.com, posted a statement on Chinese social media claiming that Liu was falsely accused during a business trip to US. The corporate statement claimed police found no evidence of misconduct and Liu would continue on his business trip as planned.
This is the not the first time that Liu has been involved in a sexual misconduct scandal. In July, a guest at a party thrown by Liu in Australia in 2015 was found guilty of sexual assault, as well as on six other charges. While Liu was not involved in any wrongdoing at the soiree, he sought to prevent the incident from going public, but to no avail.
JD.com is China's second e-commerce company, the number one competitor to the Alibaba group, the owner of the Aliexpress.com internet store. In June, Google said it would invest $550 million into the company.
“Remember Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide.”[i]
In his letter written in 1814, John Adams provides an ominous warning that suggests that the Republic is inherently doomed to fail. Research suggests that his 200-year-old prophecy may have been accurate as reflected in the current state of the Republic. A recent study by Pew Research Center finds the partisan divide in the United States is at its highest level since the Civil War.[ii] If this partisan divide was confined to the voting booths and family debates, there would be little cause for concern. Today however, this partisan divide represents a more serious problem than hurt feelings due to bickering over political candidates or a few social issues. The Pew Research Center suggests that political polarization in the United States has reached a dangerous extreme. Divisions on fundamental political and social issues reached record levels during President Obama’s term in office. And the gaps have increased even further during President Trump’s first year.[iii] This polarization is caused by political and social entrenchment combined with a general reluctance to compromise creating extreme fractionalization. Fissures have opened up along every major demographic line including race, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, gender, and along every major political and social issue including immigration, national security, gay marriage, religious freedom, structural inequalities and many others.
#1
The divisions correlate with non-political things as well. NASCAR has nothing to do with politics, but you can usually tell something about a man's politics if you know whether he likes or disdains it. Food, entertainment, religion--we're dividing into different tribes. https://www.businessinsider.com/politics-sports-you-like-2013-3
Posted by: james ||
09/03/2018 13:27
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#2
Then there are those of us who aren’t keen on watching professional athletes — apparently we are altogether apolitical, according to james’s link. But I am used to not fitting standard categories; we Myers-Briggs INFJs are like that. ;-)
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A total of 90 Iraqi non-combatants were killed, while 117 others were maimed due to acts of violence and terrorism during the month of August, according to the monthly count by the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
"Of the overall figures recorded by UNAMI for the month of August, the number of civilians killed (not including police) was 82, while the number of injured (not including police) was 113," the statement read.
The worst affected province, according to the statement, was Baghdad with 77 civilian casualties (24 killed and 53 injured.) Then comes Nineveh with 39 casualties (29 killed and 10 injured). Anbar came in the third place with 32 casualties (6 killed and 26 injured).
Last month, UNAMI said a total of 79 Iraqi non-combatants were killed and another 99 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in July 2018.
[DAWN] Eighteen people were maimed as the anti-migrant far-right and counter-protesters held opposing rallies in the German city of Chemnitz, which was hit by xenophobic demonstrations last week.
Chemnitz has been in the spotlight after violent protests erupted over the fatal stabbing of a German man, allegedly by a Syrian and an Iraqi last Sunday.
On Saturday, thousands of people answered a joint call by far-right party AfD and Islamophobic PEGIDA street movement to descend once again on the streets of the former communist city which was in the erstwhile East Germany.
But an equally large contingent of counter protesters, including Green party and Social Democratic Party MPs, also converged to take a stand against racism.
According to police estimates, more than 11,000 demonstrators turned up for the separate protests.
Local police, backed up by officers from across Germany, were out in force to keep both sides from clashing. But as the rallies cleared, scuffles took place among small groups.
SPD MP Soeren Bartol said on Twitter that his group from Marburg were "attacked by Nazis" while they were heading for the bus.
"All SPD flags destroyed and some were also physically attacked," he wrote, adding that police had arrived swiftly to halt the assault.
In all, 18 people were maimed, including three coppers, said in a statement Sunday, doubling their earlier injury estimate.
Police are also examining at least 37 possible offences, including bodily harm, property damage and resistance against law enforcement officers.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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[DAWN] A security forces personnel was martyred and another injured on Sunday when miscreants in Afghanistan opened cross-border fire at a checkpost located in Kurram near the Pak-Afghan border, sources in the local administration told DawnNewsTV.
The incident of cross-border firing originating from Afghanistan's Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... , which took place early on Saturday at around 6:45am, was targeting a picketing party of the Khataka Post some 3 kilometres south east of Bezo Sar, the sources said.
Lance Naik Rehmanullah of the Frontier Corps ...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and a..the Antwerp-based Salafist organization that had campaigned to introduce Sharia law to Belgium before single-handedly making Belgium the highest per capita supplier of jihadis to Syria in Europe. There was a big trial in Antwerp in 2015, but most of those convicted were in absentia...nti-smuggling operations.... was martyred during the attack, the sources said, adding that the maimed security forces personnel had been shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
After the attack, security forces personnel in the area issued retaliatory fire.
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[IraqiNews] The Iraqi Foreign Ministry has denied news that ’Iraqi gangs’ receive ballistic missiles from Iran.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Ahmed Mahjoub, the ministry’s spokesperson, said "the Iraqi Foreign Ministry is amazed at claims raised by a news report that Iraqi gangs receive ballistic missiles from Iran."
The ministry, according to Mahjoub, "emphasizes that Iraq is not obliged to respond to news reports that have no evidence on its claims. It also confirms that all Iraqi institutions should enforce and are committed to the seventh article of constitution, which states that Iraqi lands should not be used as headquarters for any operations to target another country."
A news report by Rooters earlier quoted Iranian, Iraqi and western sources as saying that Tehran provided Ballistic missiles to pro-Iran groups in Iraq.
On Saturday, deputy commander of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces for international affairs Brigadier General Qadir Nezami denied that Tehran provided any ’group’ with missiles in Iraq.
[DAWN] General Scott Miller took command of US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... forces in Afghanistan on Sunday, as worsening violence erodes hopes for peace in the war-torn country.
Miller, who has commanded special operations units in Afghanistan since 2013, succeeds General John Nicholson, who is rotating out of the post after more than two years.
The handover comes at a sensitive time in the 17-year war that has seen little progress by Afghan or US forces against the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... , Afghanistan's largest hard boy group.
Afghan and international players have been ratcheting up efforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban, which was toppled from power by US-led forces in 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Rolling out of a 17 year war after two years suggests a lack of commitment to winning.
[PRESSTV] The US government has no plans to pull US troops from Afghanistan because the years-long war in the country provides the Pentagon with an "endless" source of money, an American analyst says.
Brian Becker, the national coordinator of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition made the remarks in an interview on Sunday, after US Army General Scott Miller replaced General John William Nicholson as the new commander of more than 16,000 US-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure.... forces in Afghanistan.
Upon taking the post, Miller said at the headquarters of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission that Washington and its allies needed to "adapt to the enemy" in order to defeat it.
Becker said the remarks by Miller shows "the thinking of the dominant faction in the Pentagon that is committed to continue the war in Afghanistan endlessly."
"Since 2001 the US has occupied Afghanistan, bombed Afghan villages, killed Afghan soldiers and civilians, continued to abuse and violate the basic rights of self-determination of the people of Afghanistan," the analyst said.
The US invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent occupation of the country has dragged on for 16 years, costing the US economy more than $714 billion dollars, according to the Pentagon's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
The second longest war in the US history has also killed over 2,000 American soldiers and injured 20,000 more.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#2
Firstly, it is NOT the 'Pentagon' who is in charge of the War in Afghanistan or post-conflict events in Iraq. The people in charge can be found in the US Embassy.
Mr. Becker has his "endless" source of money correct. He just needs to follow it back a bit further. When you see the media headline caption "senior Taliban leader Shimwad Shym el Syadwazzi killed today" (one of the tens of thousands of senior Taliban leaders). Rest assured it wasn't a motorcycle accident, he was targeted for removal.
Ask yourself, 'who does the targeting?' You'll quickly discover who is actually in charge of the greater Afghan effort.
#3
Uh...I feel dirty. Yes, the war in Afghanistan will never be won because it has no win condition. Yes, the military-industrial complex is making a mint off this war and never wants it to end. Yes, globalists want a US troop presence in Central Asia because they want to conquer all the territories.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
09/03/2018 5:28
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#4
Alexander couldn't do it. British couldn't do it. Russians couldn't do it.
[Breitbart] Taiwan will make English an official language beginning next year in an attempt to help citizens pursue opportunities abroad, Premier William Lai announced this week.
In an interview with United Daily News, Lai said that the move would encourage Taiwanese people to learn the language which would, in turn, allow them to pursue greater opportunities abroad. The plan involves opening bilingual schools across the country and providing intensive English tuition from a very young age.
"I will set a policy goal next year to make Taiwan a bilingual country, with English and Chinese being its official languages," Lai told the United Daily News. "Culture is our root, and the English language is our tool ‐ or see it as our foot, if you will. Given that language is the primary tool of communication, a lack of English proficiency hampers one from gaining an advantageous position in international competitiveness."
Lai also pointed out that while serving as Mayor of Tainan City, his efforts to install English as the region’s second language were very well received by locals. Taiwanese and Mandarin remain Taiwan’s most widely spoken languages, although the country also has a number of local and indigenous dialects such as Hakka and Matsu.
#1
Maybe the American school districts should do the same. The international language of business, commerce, technology, medicine, aviation, etc etc etc. You want a good job when you graduate or just ruminate in victimhood and identity intersectionality?
[PRESSTV] Yemen’s former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi is to be transferred to the United States shortly to receive "medical treatment."
Preparations are under way to transfer Hadi to the US tonight, a Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... source told Rooters on Sunday.
Two Yemeni officials told Rooters that Hadi would stay in the United States until the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... General Assembly meeting at the end of September.
Hadi has been in exile in 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... since 2015. Before fleeing to the kingdom, he and his government had resigned as the impoverished country was in the grip of political turmoil.
Yemen’s Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... Ansarullah movement took state matters into their own hands after the mass resignation and Hadi’s escape threw the country into a state of uncertainty.
He has invariably proven a staunch Saudi ally, prompting criticism that his closeness to Riyadh made the country vulnerable to interference in its internal affairs.
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[PRESSTV] Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lands in Israel as part of a regional tour including Jordan, as he pursues a pivot away from his nation's long-time reliance on American military hardware and support.
The four-day visit to Israel, which began on Sunday, will be the first by a Philippine leader in more than 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations, even though their links go back to Manila's sheltering of Jews during the Holocaust.
Duterte, accompanied by an entourage including soldiers and police, was welcomed at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv by Israeli Communications Minister Ayoob Kara.
He then headed to Jerusalem al-Quds, where he will hold an event with some of the thousands of Filipino migrant workers in Israel.
On Monday, Duterte will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sign agreements before heading to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
He will meet with President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday and on Wednesday inaugurate a memorial near Tel Aviv commemorating the Philippines' acceptance of 1,300 Jews fleeing the Holocaust.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#2
Israel may give them a bargain just for a chance to show the effectiveness of their weapons against the Chinese . They are already selling to the Indians. They would like to cut down the Russians on arms sales in this area.
[THEFEDERALIST] A few years ago, we also learned that a host of high-level figures in the Curia were being blackmailed by their male lovers. I am told that Pope Benedict, who had by that time contracted Parkinson’s Disease, resigned his office in this connection because he knew there needed to be a purge and he feared that he did not have the physical stamina to carry it out. In his memoirs, Pope Benedict touches on the “gay lobby” and confesses to a lack of resoluteness. As everyone understood at the time, the task of cleaning house was to be left to his successor.
In the interim between Pope Benedict’s papacy and that of his successor, we received another indication of the depth of the problem. In the newspapers of Scotland, we learned that Keith Michael Patrick O’Brien, a cardinal and archbishop who was the primate of Scotland, had been buggering seminarians and young priests for years and nothing had been done in response to the complaints they had submitted to the Papal Nuncio. It was only when they went public in 2013 that the Vatican acted.
Unfortunately, however, Benedict’s successor was Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, the man who calls himself Pope Francis. As a Belgian cardinal named Gottfried Daneels — who had been removed as an archbishop because he had covered up the pederasty of another Belgian cardinal and had come out in support of contraception, divorce, gay marriage, euthanasia, and abortion — revealed in his memoirs, Bergoglio’s candidacy was promoted by the St. Gallen Group, a part of what Catholics call “the Lavender Mafia.”
This disgraced figure stood on the balcony with Bergoglio after he was elected pope. He was chosen to say the prayer at the new pope’s inauguration. And there was joy in the ranks of those inclined to break the vow of celibacy.
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#1
Gee, in this allegory the dirty dickers represent the Deep State?
#2
“the Lavender Mafia” is not just in the Catholic Church. There's a difference between tolerance and submission. The Colorado baker's case is the so much of the latter than the former.
But it makes sense if Pope Francis is the ostentatiously straight political ally of a Lavender Mafia who payed for his career advancement with political and legal protection.
[AlAhrqm] Islamist faceless myrmidons have killed up to 30 soldiers in an attack on a military base in northeast Nigeria ... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border... , security sources said on Saturday, in one of the biggest attacks of its kind this year.
Thursday's attack by suspected members of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in West Africa (ISWA) was on a base in Zari village in the north of Borno State.
In 2016 ISWA split from Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... , the jihadist group which has killed more than 30,000 people in the region since 2009, when it launched an insurgency to create an Islamic caliphate.
The Zari attack highlights the challenge to secure the northeast, months ahead of a February election in which security looks set to be a campaign issue.
"The battle lasted for about two hours and our colleagues fought them but things became bad before the fighter jets arrived. We lost about 30 of our soldiers and about 10 were maimed," said a military source who did not want to be named.
Another, who also did not want to be named, said 20 to 30 troops had been killed in a surprise attack. Details only emerged days later because it occurred in a remote area near the border with Niger.
The attack, in the Mobbar local government area of Borno, is the latest blow to Nigeria's efforts to defeat insurgencies by Boko Haram and ISWA.
Earlier this week Rooters reported that Nigerian government officials had ordered thousands of displaced people to return to Guzamala, an area considered by aid agencies to be unsafe, as pressure mounts to show progress in the war against the murderous Moslems ahead of the presidential election.
President Muhammadu Buhari, a former general, won the 2015 election after vowing to crush Islamist hard boys. He plans to seek a second term in February.
In July the fourth commander in 14 months was named to lead the fight against the faceless myrmidons after a number of embarrassing defeats, despite the government having said since late 2015 that the Islamists in the region had been defeated.
And 20 Nigerian soldiers went missing in mid-July following a clash with faceless myrmidons in the Bama area of Borno. Military sources say the troops are feared dead.
The death toll from a Boko Haram attack on a Nigerian army post on the border with Niger has risen to 48, military sources said on Monday.
Scores of Boko Haram fighters in trucks stormed the base on Thursday in Zari village in northern Borno state and briefly seized it after a fierce battle.
"The casualty toll now stands at 48 with the recovery of 17 more bodies of soldiers in surrounding bushes in Zari by search and rescue teams," a military source who did not want to be named told AFP.
"Search operations are still ongoing and more bodies are likely to be recovered."
Another military source confirmed the new death toll.
"So far (the) bodies of 48 troops have been recovered. Yesterday rescue teams found 17 bodies of fallen soldiers," he said, adding that they included two officers and 46 soldiers. "When the troops were overwhelmed by the terrorists they withdrew in different directions."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
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[Ricochet] I am continually dismayed by the level of fear, contempt, and anger that many educated/urban/upper-middle-class people demonstrate toward Christians and rural people (especially southerners). This complex of negative emotions often greatly exceeds anything that these same people feel toward radical Islamists or dangerous rogue-state governments. I’m not a Christian myself, but I’d think that one would be a lot more worried about people who want to cut your head off, blow you up, or at a bare minimum shut down your freedom of speech than about people who want to talk to you about Jesus (or Nascar!)
It seems that there are quite a few people who vote Democratic, even when their domestic and foreign-policy views are not closely aligned with those of the Democratic Party, because they view the Republican Party and its candidates as being dominated by Christians and “rednecks.” This phenomenon has become even more noticeable of late, with the vitriolic attitude of certain prominent “conservatives” toward Trump supporters as a class.
What is the origin of this anti-Christian anti-“redneck” feeling? Some have suggested that it’s a matter of oikophobia … the aversion to the familiar, or “the repudiation of inheritance and home,” as philosopher Roger Scruton uses the term. I think this is doubtless true in some cases: the kid who grew up in a rural Christian home and wants to make a clean break with his family heritage, or the individual who grew up in an oppressively conformist Bible Belt community. But I think such cases represent a relatively small part of the category of people I’m talking about here. A fervently anti-Christian, anti-Southern individual who grew up in New York or Boston or San Francisco is unlikely to be motivated by oikophobia. Indeed, far from being excessively familiar, Christians and Southern people are likely as exotic to him as the most remote tribes of New Guinea.
#3
Safer socially than bigotry against Black people or gays, Muslims or those New Guinea tribesmen--no violent pushback
Peter Strzok wrote to his lover Lisa Page (page 400 of DOJ IG report August 26, 2016, Strzok: “Just went to a southern Virginia Walmart. I could SMELL the Trump support....”
The left believes all the Hollywood stereotypes? So it's O.K. for the left to use Southern Christians as pinatas because it's safer and there's no risk of violent pushback? That is sick.
Pushback has been coming, at least politically (election of Trump, control of both houses, firings, reassignments, resignations, referrals, neuterings) and the left has gone more bat shit crazy. The left had best not carry this too far. There are many, many Christians; they strongly support the 2nd Amendment.
#6
Well it's easy and fun to drop into a Redneck/Hillbilly/PoorWhiteTrash accent and make a comment. Plus all the stupid videos on YouTube don't help. I have met the stereotical R/H/PWT from the South (and some from Northern Wisconsin too) plus the well read, polite, urbane Southerners. The South is too large an area to apply one stereotype to. Just as most places in the country are. After all everybody from NYC doesn't talk in a Brooklyn accent.
As to the anti Cristian sentiment or prejudice. They see it as safe IMO. What it basically boils down to is "what we have here, is a failure to communicate"
[JOURNALDUCAMEROUN] The anti-immigration far-right is expected to soar in Sweden’s September 9 general election, capitalising on voter discontent as Swedes punish traditional parties over immigration, integration and health care.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s Social Democrats, who have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s, will remain the biggest party in the country but likely with a record low score, polls suggest.
The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) are heading to make the most gains and come in a close second, followed by the conservative Moderates.
A Skop institute poll published on Sunday, a week before the election, credited the Social Democrats with 23.8 percent of support, compared with 31 percent in the 2014 election; SD with 20 percent, up from 13 percent in 2014; and the Moderates with 17 percent, down from 23 percent.
Speaking to AFP after a campaign rally outside Stockholm on Sunday, Lofven criticised the former centre-right government in power from 2006-2014 for having "decreased taxes the most for the richest and decreased resources to our welfare" system.
"We have shifted that, we have invested a lot in our welfare system, in our schools, in our hospitals... Investing in our welfare is the right direction."
Sweden is known as a pioneer in fields ranging from equality to environmentalism and women’s and children’s rights. It has been hailed for its transparency, consensus-building, strong business climate, low crime and tolerant society.
So what happened that made it possible for a party like SD, with roots in the neo-Nazi movement, to "impose its agenda", as Gothenburg University political science professor Ulf Bjereld put it.
Visitors to Sweden in 2018 will still see young dads on paternity leave pushing prams, and helmeted cyclists biking through clean, tranquil and picturesque cities.
But this year’s election campaign posters signal a change of tone in the public debate: "No to Prayer Calls", "Speak Swedish to become Swedish", and "Hate or Debate?".
Neither Lofven’s left-wing bloc nor the centre-right four-party Alliance are seen winning a majority. And both blocs have ruled out a collaboration with the far-right.
With a parliamentary deadlock in sight, no one can predict what the next government will look like.
Thorny, drawn-out negotiations are expected after the election, with most political analysts agreeing Sweden will end up with a weak minority government.
‐ PROTEST VOTE ‐ While SD has no chance of entering government as long as the other parties refuse to reconsider its pariah status, it will nonetheless wield strong influence, holding key positions on parliamentary committees that draft legislation.
"We’re going to lay out our conditions and push our position on ... immigration policy, crime-fighting, and health care," SD leader Jimmie Akesson told AFP in the final stretch of campaigning.
Akesson’s party has been siphoning voters primarily from the Moderates, but also from the Social Democrats with its voter base traditionally heavily anchored in the Trade Union Confederation (LO).
In rural areas ‐ far from Sweden’s growth and innovation hubs ‐ rising numbers have been seduced by SD’s nationalist rhetoric.
Up to a third of LO members could vote for SD, polls suggest.
"They often work in the transport and construction sectors which employ a lot of European workers on (their home countries’) minimum wage," Lund University sociologist Anders Kjellberg said.
"Those salaries are much lower than the salaries set by (Sweden’s) collective wage bargaining agreements," he said.
Average wage-earners, pensioners and first-time voters: many of those who would in the past have voted for the Social Democrats now accuse Lofven of compromising their cherished welfare state by welcoming so many asylum seekers, whom they see "as an economic and cultural threat," says Stockholm University sociology professor Jens Rydgren.
A country of 10 million people, Sweden has welcomed 400,000 asylum seekers since 2012, first under the centre-right government of Fredrik Reinfeldt and then under Lofven’s centre-left administration.
LO head Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson has warned that since SD has no chance of entering government, a vote for the far-right is a vote lost by the Social Democrats ‐ and therefore "a vote for the right".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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#1
So henceforth, the lefty antifa types will not only refer to opponents as Hitler, fascists, Nazis, and Russian stooges, but will add Gustaphus Adolphus to the list.
(inside humor)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
09/03/2018 8:39
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#2
So about all that healthcare the possibly outgoing Social Democrats invested in:
Sweden has the fifth-highest life expectancy in Europe and cancer survival rates are among the continent's highest, according to 2017 OECD figures.
But Swedes are frustrated over their universal healthcare, one of the main pillars of their cherished welfare state, with long waiting queues due to a shortage of nurses and available doctors in some areas.
Swedes, who on average pay more than half of their income in tax, see access to healthcare as the most important issue in the September 9 general election, polls suggest.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats, the largest party, are on course for a record low score, after losing voters disgruntled over rising immigration putting a strain on the welfare system to the far-right Sweden Democrats.
The rest of the article lays out in detail how bad the healthcare situation has become, despite the overall good health of the population.
[Bangkok Post] A village defense volunteer and a woman were gunned down, and another woman injured, by gunmen at a market in Pattani province on Thursday night. The shooting occurred in full view of those at the marketplace in Muang district.
A man identified as Aryi Mudor, village defense volunteer, was gunned down at a stall where he was helping his wife sell women’s accessories. Two women were also hit by bullets and rushed to the hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead. She was identified as Armeenor Sama.
Police investigators said some men pretending to be customers arrived at the stall, joining other people who were selecting items to purchase. Without warning, they opened fire at Aryi. The village defense volunteer was hit in the head twice, and stray bullets hit the two women. One of the killers took the victim’s pistol before fleeing.
[News.com.au] SIR Paul McCartney has told of his belief in a "higher" entity ‐ and revealed how he once came face-to-face with God.
The Beatles star said the experience ‐ which came after he had taken drugs ‐ had given him the "sense" that there was "something higher".
“I once took a drug, DMT... And I saw God, this amazing towering thing, and I was humbled."
Describing the encounter as a "clue", rather than a life-changing moment, he added: "It was huge. A massive wall that I couldn’t see the top of, and I was at the bottom. And anybody else would say it’s just the drug, the hallucination, but... we felt we had seen a higher thing."
Dimethyltryptamine ‐ or DMT ‐ is a naturally occurring psychedelic that is often inhaled through a pipe, with many users reporting out-of-body experiences and "spiritual" insights.
The 76-year-old singer, who is due to tour his new music, also told the paper of the moment he believed his late wife Linda had "come back to give me a sign" after her death.
Describing seeing a white squirrel in the country, he said it was a "great moment", and added that he had allowed himself to believe that lost loved ones were "looking down" on him.
McCartney’s Freshen Up tour, which starts in Canada this month, will be his first outing to support his album Egypt Station.
[PRESSTV] The Palestinian Authority (PA) reportedly “completely rejects” an offer by the United States for formation of a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation as an apparent substitute for an independent Palestinian state.
PA chief Mahmoud Abbas, who was speaking to Israeli movement Peace Now and Israeli lawmakers in Ramallah on Sunday, said he had been offered a “political plan” by the United States negotiating team that was based on formation of the federation, Ha’aretz reported.
He told the team, which includes US President Donald Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, that “he would agree to such an offer only if Israel is a part of the confederation,” the paper added.
"I was asked if I believe in a federation with Jordan," Abbas said, adding, "I answered: Yes, I want a confederation with Jordan and Israel. I have asked the Israelis if they would agree to such an offer."
The US is to unveil a proposal targeting the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which Trump has hailed as the “deal of the century.”
Back in May, Israeli intelligence website DEBKAfile reported that the plan gave the Palestinians limited sovereignty over about half of Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank and set Abu Dis, east of the occupied holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds, as their capital. Palestinians have historically sought east al-Quds as the capital of their future state.
Last year, Trump recognized al-Quds as Israel's "capital," and moved the US embassy to the city in May.
The PA stopped recognizing the US negotiation role afterwards, saying it could no longer trust Washington.
Abbas likewise said the US was "hostile towards the Palestinians.”
The US plan would also reportedly give Palestinians’ sovereignty over the Gaza Strip on the condition that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas gave up its arms.
According to the US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Washington did not have an exact deadline for unveiling of its plan, and would not present it at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session.
Adding to the air of secrecy surrounding the plan, Greenblatt, meanwhile, said, "We will not discuss any specific ideas or private conversations that may or may not have been had with leaders in the region.” He was referring to the US team’s talks about the plan with regional states.
[IsraelTime] Abbas appears to warm to idea on condition Israel is involved, but Amman unwilling to even discuss plan; PA official says scheme has been under consideration for decades.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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[DAWN] Imagine a house that you could just pack up and move between cities or countries. Kinda like a trailer house, only more complicated...
Sounds too good to be true? No.
Not if you believe ModulusTech, a Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... -based startup, which is claiming to offer exactly that. Whoopdy doo fer dem.
To be clear, the house in question is not your usual double-storey bungalow with a backyard and verandah. Yup. Nobody's gotten around to building transportable backyards.
It’s as simple as it gets ‐ a one-room, flat-packed housing unit that can be assembled in a mere three hours. Just three hours? Hold your horses! Assembled in three hours, yes, but manufacturing a single unit takes a week. As Socrates once said, "Huh?"
The way it works is you place an order with the company, specifying your size requirements and all. Once the unit is ready, their team will install and assemble it on site, along with roofing as well as the fittings and plumbing. The standard 256 square feet model costs around Rs300,000. Lemme see, here... ummm... square root of 256... add 13... carry the nine... Yep. That works out to a 16x16 foot shack, with possibly indoor plumbing unless they just drill a hole in the floor. Rs300,000 works out to 2,424.11 Yankee dollars or 602,438,574.60 Bolivars. That's not bad for a first home. Loews will sell you a 12x24 steel shed for $2,353.29 (15,562.78 Turkish lira), which is about the same number of square feet, but you have to do your own plumbing.
In case you want something customisable ‐ let’s say a bigger size or a fancy interior, the company claims to do that as well, though obviously the cost and time go up. Loews has contractors to handle that for you too!
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#3
I thought there'd be Bolan campers all over YT. Not hardly. But there's this guy... He's way over budget, the thing is as wacky and unsafe as everything else in Pakistan seems to be, and maybe his kids or retainers "helped out"... I don't care. I'm still awestruck by that deck. Ali and my dad... they'd be mites.
[Breitbart] South African farmers subjected to land expropriation without compensation will still have to pay off their debts for property which has been seized by the state, according to a major bank.
In an email from Nedbank widely circulated on social media, now confirmed as genuine by Head of Group Media Relations Kedibonea Molopyane, according to The South African, farmers are warned that their debts will have to be paid in full even after their property is confiscated by the government.
It reads as follows:
"It is important to note the Home Loan agreement is subject to a contractual agreement, and bond payments remain due and payable until such time that the bond is paid in full irrespective of any form of land expropriation ‐ with or without compensation. We would encourage you to continue with the bond payments until such time a determination is made."
The African National Congress (ANC) under President Cyril Ramaphosa passed a motion for the expropriation of land without compensation in February 2018, originally moved by its former youth leader Julius Malema ‐ who now heads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a radical black nationalist and Marxist-Leninist party.
#3
Following a similar path as banks did here during the farming crisis of the 1970's. Sheriff's auctions were held to sell off 'no longer needed' tractors and implements, the proceeds going to the lending institutions.
#5
When government grabs your farm I assume you don't get to drive the tractor away. This seems like the bank trying to get their cut of the land grab so they don't lose everything as well.
#6
Kind of like civil forfeiture laws in the US. Gov takes your money. Never charges you with any crime. You can have it back if you can afford to hire a lawyer...
[PRESSTV] Iraqi political factions, which did best in the country’s May parliamentary elections, announce separate alliances within the legislature, which they claim enables them to form the country’s new government.
On Sunday, politicians following senior holy man Moqtada Sadr and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s lead said they had created an alliance that would give them a majority bloc at the Parliament.
A rival grouping led by commander Hadi al-Amiri and former premier Nouri al-Maliki responded by saying it had formed its own alliance, asserting it featured the lion’s share of the seats at the legislature.
The 329-seat legislature is to come together on Monday to elect a speaker and launch the government formation process.
Sadr's Sairoon bloc came first in the polls, while the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance led by Amiri, and Abadi's Nasr finished second and third. A bloc led by Maliki ended in the fifth place.
A recount was called after the polls due to allegations of electoral fraud. The procedure delayed the process of government formation by three months, but confirmed the primary results with little change.
[Sputnik] After three years of war with Daesh and three months of a vote recount, Iraq can now form a new government and begin the process of rebuilding.
Sixteen political groups in Iraq, including those of Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr and outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, reached an agreement Sunday to form the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament.
This agreement, reached just before the first session of the Iraqi Parliament on Monday, gives Al-Sadr the exclusive right to form a government.
Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, reportedly backed by the West, is also a part of the coalition. Al-Abadi is purportedly interested in extending his position into a second term, but as he is no longer the only candidate from the alliance, it is uncertain whether he will succeed.
[IraqiNews] Iraqi Vice President Nouri al Maliki stressed on Sunday that he would not run again for the post of prime minister.
“I was serious when I announced four years ago that I will not run again for the post of prime minister. I am still committed to my attitude and I will not change it,” Al Ekhbariya TV channel quoted al Maliki as saying in a statement.
Maliki stressed, in his statement, that he will “stand by any person who assumes this top post to help him improve the situation in Iraq and achieve national goals.”
Maliki served as prime minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014. He is is assuming the posts of secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party and vice president of Iraq.
Al-Maliki began his political career as a Shia dissident under Saddam Hussein’s regime in the late 1970s and rose to prominence after he fled a death sentence into exile for 24 years.
During his time abroad, he became a senior leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, coordinated the activities of anti-Saddam guerrillas and built relationships with Iranian and Syrian officials whose help he sought in overthrowing Saddam.
Maliki worked closely with United States and coalition forces in Iraq following their departure by the end of 2011.
[IraqiNews] Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Sunday that he will attend the first parliamentary session scheduled on Monday morning as a premier and election winner after his alliance came third in the general elections, held in May.
Dijlah TV channel quoted Abadi as telling reporters that “the Victory alliance will be present at the parliament tomorrow, Monday. And I will be also there as a prime minister and a winner in the elections.”
Abadi said, however, that he will not take oath at the parliament tomorrow because that will prevent him from assuming his executive tasks as a prime minister.
Abadi has been serving as a prime minister of Iraq since September 2014.
In the May 12 parliamentary polls, Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Sairoon coalition won 54 parliamentary seats, followed by an al-Hashd al-Shaabi-linked coalition (47 seats) and Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s Victory bloc (42 seats).
Last week, Iraqi President Fuad Masum issued a decree, ordering the newly-elected parliament to convene Monday under the oldest lawmaker, a move which precedes the election of the new president and formation of the new cabinet.
Under the Iraqi constitution, 15 days after final election results are endorsed by the Federal Supreme Court, the new parliament must hold its first session during which the speaker will be chosen.
A new president will be elected within three days of the legislature convening and the president will then ask the largest parliamentary bloc to form a cabinet.
Iraq’s president is elected by the parliament by a two-thirds majority and is limited to two four-year terms
The speaker of the Iraqi parliament should be a Sunni Arab, the prime minister a Shiite, and the president a Kurd.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[DAWN] Joint opposition's presidential candidate Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... on Sunday declared that he is "ready for presidential battle" even if his attempts to convince PPP to withdraw their candidate Aitzaz Ahsan in his favour made little headway.
Rehman, following a meeting with PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... in Lahore, delivered a media talk and made a last-ditch effort to convince PPP supremo Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... , who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... to back him in the presidential election, set to be held in less than 48 hours on Tuesday.
"For my withdrawal, I will have to take into confidence five parties," said the JUI chief, whose party is one-fifth of the Muttahida Majlis‐e‐Amal (MMA) ‐ a religiopolitical alliance.
"For PPP it is easier to withdraw its candidate," he added in response to PPP leader Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira's call for Rehman to withdraw his candidacy earlier in the day.
While there have been little signs that the impasse between the joint opposition and PPP could be thawed prior to Tuesday's poll, Rehman is not giving up on the challenge. "We are trying to have the PPP accept the joint opposition's decision and back a single candidate; Asif Ali Zardari and Aitzaz Ahsan are good friends of mine."
Posted by: Fred ||
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by: Abdulrahman Al-Rashed Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is the former general manager of Al-Arabiya television. He is also the former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly magazine Al-Majalla. He is also a senior columnist in the daily newspapers Al-Madina and Al-Bilad
Militants in the Idlib province and its vicinity are sharpening their knives and cleaning their rifles in preparation for the great, and maybe final, battle of Syria’s war.
Posted by: 3dc ||
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#1
Staffan "Count" de Mistura, the Albanian misfit has been a UN disaster since his days in the Sudan in the nineteen eighties. At the UN nothing succeeds like failure.
#2
It's a Civil War that they are Losing... Maybe, just maybe they could .... and this is a difficult thought for a UN "diplomat" .... Surrender. Stack Arms and go home under whatever conditions the Victor demands.
[WSJ] Sen. John McCain died Aug. 25 of a brain tumor, a glioblastoma. Sen. Ted Kennedy died of the same disease, also on Aug. 25, nine years earlier.
That’s quite a coincidence. But in a world as wide as this one, extremely unlikely things happen every day. Last spring a friend of mine had a straight flush in a hand of five-card draw poker. There are 2,598,960 possible hands in five-card draw, only 36 of which beat the lowest straight flush. So the odds of losing while holding a straight flush are about 1 in 72,000. He lost anyway.
History provides endless examples of odds even longer than that:
Continued on Page 49
#2
The other meteorite strike landed in Mrs. Hodge's hip after bouncing off her radio, and left a nasty bruise.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/03/2018 9:58
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• Of the dozen or so most significant men of the 19th century, two, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, were born on the same day, Feb. 12, 1809. Lincoln was born in a dirt-floored one-room log cabin 3 miles south of Hodgenville, Ky., Darwin in upper-middle-class comfort in Shrewsbury, England.
Of course, if you factor in the time difference, it may have been the 11th in the US when Darwin was born or the 13th in the UK when Lincoln was born. Say, isn't the University of Kentucky's abbreviation "UK"?
In another odd historical coincidence, there was an event in the run up to the American Revolution called the "Gaspee Affair" in which American colonialists attacked the British customs schooner "Gaspee" in 1772 after it ran aground while chasing contrabrand.
The ship was boarded and burned by the attackers. One attacker was named ABRAHAM Whipple.
Another key figure in this attack was named...John Brown.
#4
And then there is the ultimate in coincidence and good or bad luck. The gentleman who was in Hiroshima on business when the bomb was dropped. Surviving he was evacuated to his home in Nagasaki. Just in time for Bock's Car and Fat Man
And then there's Robert Todd Lincoln who fell off a train platform and was rescued by Edwin Booth.
One sees these things in their own life. My brother pulled into a parking space at Yellowstone and as he was getting out of the car the guy in the car next to him getting out was the guy he worked next to
My dad was in the liquor store next to Circus Circus looking for a bottle of Brandy. Not finding what he wanted he goes up to the register and asks if they have any J Bavet (it's a Wisconin thing). The clerk answers "no we dont, and we don't have any goddamn Sunnyside Club either" Turns out the clerk knew the old man from the neighborhood watering hole.
Basra (IraqiNews.com) Tens of citizens in Basra, the third biggest Iraqi cities, staged mass protests on Sunday against assault by security forces against demonstrators as well as the poor services.
Protesters blocked Baghdad-Basra road and the one leading to al-Shalamja border exit with Iran. They threatened to block all the exit borders in the province, in case the government did not respond to their demands. They also urged penalizing personnel , who assaulted protesters, as well as corrupts. They also called for providing drinking water and better services.
Many citizens gathered at al-Shalamja border and changed slogans against the local and central government. Security troops cordoned off the protests, as the protesters gathered at Karmet Ali region and set tyres on fire on Baghdad road.
Local sources said tens of protesters set up tents to stage sit-ins.
Security forces fired live ammunition against protesters in Basra as demonstrators staged the protesters on Friday night, leaving many injured.
According to Ra’ed al-Fereiji, head of Basra tribes council, said in a statement that eight civilians were maimed by Iraqi troops.
Observers believe protests and sit-ins will expand due to ongoing assaults by security forces against peaceful protesters and to voice demands of better services, especially in light of negligence by the government toward protesters demands and the security crackdown.
[KhaamaPress] Two snuffies affiliated with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria Khurasan (ISIS-K) surrendered to the Afghan forces in eastern Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province of Afghanistan.
The provincial government media office in a statement said the snuffies were operating in the leadership ranks of the ISIS terrorist group in Nangarhar.
One of the Death Eaters, Naqibullah, said they joined the ISIS ranks four years ago together with a group of Pak Talibs led by Hafiz Saeed ...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat... , admitting that they have been involved in anti-government armed activities and killing of the civilians.
Naqib further added that he contacted the Afghan intelligence after realizing that all their activities have resulted in the loss of the ordinary civilians.
He said the ISIS group was paying their salaries and other required materials and the weapons and munitions were also coming from the other side of the Durand Line.
According to Naqib, snuffies hailing from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Pakistain, 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... , Turkmenistan, and some other countries are also fighting in ISIS ranks in Afghanistan
Another member of the group, Sajad, who surrendered to the Afghan intelligence, said their family members, including the wife and two children Naqibullah and his wife along with his son, are also accompanying them.
Provincial governor’s front man Ataullah Khogyani said the surrendered snuffies hail from Orakzai Agency ... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers... of Pakistain and previously had links with the leadership of the terror group.
Khogyani further added that the two snuffies have resided in Nangarhar for four years before surrendering to the intelligence forces.
According to Khogyani, the surrendered snuffies have also brought their family with them and handed over two weapons to the security forces.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
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[Asharq Al-Awsat] Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh praised on Saturday efforts by the Muslim World League (MWL) on unifying Muslims worldwide, advocating on their behalf, and ensuring their protection, further confirming the league’s undying efforts and great achievements.
“The Muslim World League is performing its role to carry out the Islamic halal slaughter, by making sure animals are slaughtered according to halal standards and trusted mechanisms,” he said.
For its part, the MWL reaffirmed its commitment to implementing premium standards of halal slaughter and continuing to fully adhere to regulations and standards set by the GCC Standardization Organization when issuing halal certificates.
MWL recently suspended the certification of a number of slaughterhouses and relevant companies around the world for violating guides to producing halal meat.
A royal decree gave the MWL sole responsibility for issuing halal certificates, in recognition of its expertise in coordinating and cooperating with local and international bodies and having met Islamic requirements for producing, manufacturing and marketing halal products.
The Supreme Council of Scholars issued a fatwa stating that the only authority responsible for slaughtered halal imports is the MWL, given that with over three decades of experience and partners and offices worldwide, the MWL is the oldest and most efficient Islamic organization working the field of halal foods manufacture.
The MWL works on finalizing the globally largest center for halal production within its headquarters in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
MWL’s functions include supervising the slaughter and production of halal goods, and issuing Halal approved certificates, whether directly or indirectly via recognized offices and representatives abroad.
The center also issues certificates for selling halal goods, provides technical and Islamic consultancy services, introducing businesses to halal food.
This article starring:
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh
Posted by: 3dc ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
[HUB.JHU.EDU] For the study, Haut and colleagues examined data from the American College of Surgeons National Trauma Data Bank, the largest available collection of United States trauma registry data. The team examined information already gathered on 103,029 patients at least 16 years old who entered a U.S. trauma center between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2012, for a gunshot or stab wound and were transported to the trauma center by ground ambulance or private vehicle. The data were gathered from 298 level I and level II trauma centers within the 100 most populous U.S. metro areas. I'm not sure how they adjusted for severity of injury. Those around the victims with non-life threatening wounds would seem more likely to load them into the car and drive them to the ER than those with serious injuries.
Approximately 16.4 percent of all patients were transported by private vehicle. The analysis found an overall 2.2 percent mortality rate for patients transported via private vehicle, compared to 11.6 percent for ground transport. Gunshot victims transported by private vehicle saw a lower mortality rate—4.5 percent versus 19.3 percent—as did stab victims—0.2 percent versus 2.9 percent). When adjusting for differences in injury severity, patients with penetrating injuries were 62 percent less likely to die when transported by private vehicle compared to EMS. Looking at shock trauma data, you could come to the conclusion that airlifted victims are more likely to peg out. Is it because they were airlifted? Or is it because their injuries are more serious than the people from the same incident that got an ambo ride?
"Unlike CPR and defibrillation for heart attacks, the type of damage done in penetrating trauma often can't be reversed in a prehospital setting. This study supports other studies that prehospital interventions can actually result in less favorable outcomes for certain types of injuries," says Michael W. Wandling, an American College of Surgeons Clinical Scholar in Residence, general surgery resident at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the study's first author.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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#1
Clearly early, but ill informed transport is more survivable than late arriving, interim support transport.
#2
I'm thinking air ambulance lower survival rate is due to air pressure difference from higher ground level air pressure vs. lower air pressure at flight altitudes increasing chances of bleed out.
#4
Air transport seems to be used for more severe injuries and/or inaccessibility by vehicles (which are cheaper to deploy). I'd guess that accounts for much of the higher mortality
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2018 11:20
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#5
What are the odds of survival if the victim drives himself to the ER?
Posted by: james ||
09/03/2018 12:21
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#6
Air ambulance service is an competitive business which may explain why one may use an air ambulance even if one is not needed. Most are owned by private businesses with bulls and debit to pay off. A few are owned by local governments (I.e. funded by local tax revenue) and they tend to make sure the air service is justified before sending them out.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) troops in southeastern Idlib have reportedly moved in position to strike the jihadist rebels near the town of Abu Dali in the Ma’arat al-Nu’man District.
According to a field report from this area, a variety of armored vehicles and heavy weaponry, including tanks, could be seen being moving into positions in the southeastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate.
The majority of these troops were comprised of soldiers from the Tiger Forces, who are commanded by Major General Suheil al-Hassan.
The Tiger Forces were tasked by the Syrian Army’s High Command to lead the main operation near the Abu Dhuhour Crossing in southeast Idlib.
Furthermore, reinforcements from the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Corps were seen heading towards the southern countryside of Idlib, where they are expected to take part in this upcoming operation.
The operation in southeast Idlib will only be one part of the Syrian Arab Army’s large-scale offensive in northwest Syria; they will also attack northern Latakia, northern Hama, and the al-Ghaab Plain (southwest Idlib/northwest Hama).
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2018
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Top|| File under: al-Nusra
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.
[Al-Rooters] The Iranian rial hit a record low against the U.S. dollar on the unofficial market on Monday amid a deterioration in the economic situation and the reimposition of sanctions by the United States.
[NY Post via Right Scoop] In a statement today from the Pope of an alternate universe where there is no sexual abuse in the church, the head of a church with no scandals at all put out a statement about the RAPE of the EARTH by the use of plastic products.
IsraelTimes] IDF soldiers 
Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
"Malfunctioning surveillance gear" is it ?
[KhaamaPress] At least seven Talibs including a local commander of the group were killed during separate 
[ALMASDARNEWS] More rebel fighters are assassinated in Idlib as the Syrian Army amasses forces to storm the jihadi-held province.
[NYPOST] A purported member of the MS-13 gang broke into the bedroom of a sleeping 11-year-old Brooklyn girl and raped her in her bed, cops said Saturday as the suspect was taken into custody.
JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong, head of China’s second-largest e-commerce company was detained in the US on charges of sexual abuse.
[Breitbart] Taiwan will make English an official language beginning next year in an attempt to help citizens pursue opportunities abroad, Premier William Lai announced this week.
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
[Ricochet] I am continually dismayed by the level of fear, contempt, and anger that many educated/urban/upper-middle-class people demonstrate toward Christians and rural people (especially southerners). This complex of negative emotions often greatly exceeds anything that these same people feel toward radical Islamists or dangerous rogue-state governments. I’m not a Christian myself, but I’d think that one would be a lot more worried about people who want to cut your head off, blow you up, or at a bare minimum shut down your freedom of speech than about people who want to talk to you about Jesus (or Nascar!)
[JOURNALDUCAMEROUN] The anti-immigration far-right is expected to soar in Sweden’s September 9 general election, capitalising on voter discontent as Swedes punish traditional parties over immigration, integration and health care.
Sweden is known as a pioneer in fields ranging from equality to environmentalism and women’s and children’s rights. It has been hailed for its transparency, consensus-building, strong business climate, low crime and tolerant society.
While SD has no chance of entering government as long as the other parties refuse to reconsider its pariah status, it will nonetheless wield strong influence, holding key positions on parliamentary committees that draft legislation.
[News.com.au] SIR Paul McCartney has told of his belief in a "higher" entity ‐ and revealed how he once came face-to-face with God.
[Breitbart] South African farmers subjected to land expropriation without compensation will still have to pay off their debts for property which has been seized by the state, according to a major bank.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
"For my withdrawal, I will have to take into confidence five parties," said the JUI chief, whose party is one-fifth of the Muttahida Majlis‐e‐Amal (MMA) ‐ a religiopolitical alliance.
... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers...
Saudi Grand Mufti 
[HUB.JHU.EDU] For the study, Haut and colleagues examined data from the American College of Surgeons National Trauma Data Bank, the largest available collection of United States trauma registry data. The team examined information already gathered on 103,029 patients at least 16 years old who entered a U.S. trauma center between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2012, for a gunshot or stab wound and were transported to the trauma center by ground ambulance or private vehicle. The data were gathered from 298 level I and level II trauma centers within the 100 most populous U.S. metro areas.
