10:06 pm MST
World News Briefs -- December 16, 2019
China's Vice Premier Liu He gestures to the media between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (L) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin before the two countries' trade negotiations in Washington, U.S., October 10, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo *Reuters:* *U.S. top trade negotiator praises deal, China remains cautious* WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s top trade negotiator praised a “phase one” U.S.-China trade deal which is expected to nearly double U.S. exports to China over the next two years, while China remained cautious ahead of the sig... more »
Free Download: "$29,000,000,000,000: A Detailed Look at the Fed’s Bailout by Funding Facility and Recipient"
*"$29,000,000,000,000: A Detailed Look at the Fed’s * *Bailout by Funding Facility and Recipient"* by James Felkerson "In the leadup to the financial collapse on Wall Street in September 2008, the Fed created in March of that year a lending program very similar to what it is doing today. It called it the Single Tranche Open Market Operation (ST OMO) and attempted to pass it off as part of its routine open market operations. But when the Levy Economics Institute took a hard look at where the ST OMO money went, it found that “77 percent ($657.91 billion) of all transactions were condu... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 16, 2019
*VOA:* *Afghan Officials Confirm US Troop Drawdown Plans* ISLAMABAD - Officials in Afghanistan confirmed Sunday the United States plans to withdraw thousands of troops from the country, insisting the move stemmed from a mutual understanding between the two allied nations. Sources in Kabul went on to tell VOA the drawdown process is expected to start in three months, though no official confirmation was available immediately about the timeline. On Saturday, U.S. media reported that President Donald Trump’s administration intends to announce as early as later this week plans to redu... more »
Why do Democrats post Hitler memes?
I've got liberal Facebook Friends who keep posting Hitler memes instead of the truth, which just shows they - don't know much about biology, - don't know much about history, - don't know much about geography, - don't know about the French they took. They think France and Poland, England and Holland where jumping the border running into German; they seem to think Germany's economy was booming; they don't know that Hitler disarmed and killed his own citizens. The President loves Israel and is saving babies and the elderly. That just doesn’t sound like Hitler. And t... more »
Did You Know the Glock 18 Is the Deadliest Gun In the World?
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, North America* Hear us out. *Key Point:* 1,200 rounds a minute is a lot of bullets. In December 2003, soldiers of the U.S. Special Operations Command captured the Ace of Spades himself, Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi president, on the run since the capture of Baghdad, had appeared in a deck of playing cards with the profiles of other fugitive war criminals and naturally was the top card. Hussein, bedraggled and bereft, was armed with one of the rarest of handguns: the Glock 18, the full auto Glock. In February 1980 the Austrian Army issued a requirem... more »
Explained: The U.S. Military's Love Affair With Shotguns
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, America* [image: https://pictures.reuters.com/archive/USA-MILITARY--RC12C1DD5C80.html] Military shotguns still fill a niche that other firearms can't. *Key Point:* Use of shotguns by the U.S. military has increased since the end of the Cold War and the rise of counter-terrorism operations. One of the most popular civilian firearms, the shotgun, also has a role as a military weapon. Originally designed as hunting weapons, many armies turn to shotguns for a variety of roles, including close combat and obstacle breaching. Although shotguns are too specia... more »
Does a Netflix Special Feature a ‘Gay Jesus’?
More than a million people have signed a petition asking Netflix to remove "The First Temptation of Christ."
Guest Post: THE BBC's OFFICIAL FESTIVE FIFTY BIAS TECHNIQUES 2019
*It's the most wonderful time of the year. There'll be much mistletoeing, and hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near. Yes it's the most wonderful time of the year. * *And it's also the time of year when Monkey Brains passes on Lord Hall's annual Christmas message and this year's Official BBC Festive Fifty Bias Techniques countdown. * *So raise your mulled wine glasses again please, ladies and gentlemen, and here we go...* It's that time of year...the FESTIVE FIFTY. Any suggested amendments, deletions or additions? Firstly a seasonal message from Lord Hall: OUR FESTIVE... more »
Wikileaks: OPCW-DOUMA – Release Part 3
Today WikiLeaks releases more documents showing internal disagreement within the OPCW about how facts were misrepresented in a redacted version of a report on an alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018.
Manifesto Club Christmas newsletter – The ‘Silencing of Public Space’
Here's a Christmas round-up of our work over the past few months. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - may freedom flourish in 2020.... more »
Head of UK Israel Lobby Group Announces Gov’t Plan To Ban Boycotting Israel
After an election dogged by the weaponization of anti-Semitism, the victorious UK conservative party has announced a new legislative push that would prevent the public sector from working with any individual or organization that supports a boycott of Israel’s government. The post Head of UK Israel Lobby Group Announces Gov’t Plan To Ban Boycotting Israel appeared first on MintPress News.
2019 Latin America in Review: Year of the Revolt of the Dispossessed
2019 has not been an entirely bullish year for US imperialism, notwithstanding the hard turns to the right in Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Powerful winds against neoliberalism are gusting in Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, and even in the US “Commonwealth” of Puerto Rico. The post 2019 Latin America in Review: Year of the Revolt of the Dispossessed appeared first on MintPress News.
Bureau hires Kathleen Hall as algorithms reporter
Kathleen will work on the Decision Machines project
“Bad actors”: a Halifax landlord says a cryptocurrency firm is skipping out on its rent and might hide its assets where no court can find them
1. McNeil government Writes Stephen Kimber: I had been hoping to say something positive about Stephen McNeil’s government — it is, after all, the season of speaking positively — but as soon as I began to put electronic keyboard to computer-screen praise, his government inevitably did one more something that was so bone-headed, so egregious, […]
Trial Set, Flagstaff Indigenous Peoples’ Day Demonstrators Denounce Political Attack and State Surveillance
. . Trial Set for Flagstaff Indigenous Peoples’ Day Demonstrators Organizers Denounce Political Attack and State Surveillance Contact: Klee Benally indigenousaction@gmail.com Censored News FLAGSTAFF, Arizona — Three social and environmental justice advocates, calling themselves the “Indigenous Peoples’ Day Three” or IPD3, will be going to trial on January 16th, 2020 from 8:
U.S. and Chinese Industrial Policy, A Brief Comparison
*An incomplete list of companies banned in China (source)* *by Thomas Neuburger* This is your periodic reminder that the goal of U.S. industrial policy is to enrich the rich at the expense of the nation, while the goal of Chinese industrial policy is to enrich China at the expense of the world. Consider the image at the top. Why are so many American and Western companies banned in China while only one Chinese company is banned in the U.S.? Is it because China has us by the manufacturing gonads? Of course it is. But why is this the case? The fact that China leads the world in manuf... more »
Blogger problems??...w/Update
*anyone having problems?* I've been notified by the exceptionally brilliant and super cute Hardnox at *Nox and Friends* that he's having huge problems on my blog - not loading, comments not showing, super slow, etc. Anyone else having problems? Thank you in advance. If you are, I can be emailed at adrienne0645@gmail.com And.........if you haven't ever availed yourself of the fine job *Hardnox and his friends* do at his site you should. They do a super job! *Update:* I'm thinking the problem is with Chrome. If I log on with Firefox there are no problems. Log on in Chrome I'm havi... more »
Women in Climate Hot Spots Face Challenges Adapting
Global Issues News Headlines - 12 hours ago
KATHMANDU, Dec 16 (IPS) - Women in Asia and Africa hardest hit by climate change have a tough time adapting to the climate emergency, even with support from family or the state, finds a new study. The results raise questions for global agreements designed to help people adapt to the climate emergency, it adds. Read the full story, “Women in Climate Hot Spots Face Challenges Adapting”, on globalissues.org →
Four Lessons to Reverse Inequity in the Global Health Workforce
Global Issues News Headlines - 12 hours ago
ABUJA, Dec 16 (IPS) - Recently, Madhukar Pai, the Director of McGill University Global Health Program wrote about the inequity in global health research. He observed that researches are skewed in favor of the global north. We agree that this inequity exists. However, we also have found that global fellowships such as the Atlantic Fellowship, of which we are both Senior Fellows, are platforms to reverse this inequity, foster international partnerships and amplify voices of development practitioners from the global south. Read the full story, “Four Lessons to Reverse Inequity in th... more »
2019: A Year in Review
Global Issues News Headlines - 12 hours ago
Dec 16 (IPS) - 2019 will be remembered as the year the climate crisis shook us all. Hopefully, it will also be remembered for the fight back manifested in the spread of mass protests and civic movements against governments and industries failing to respond. Read the full story, “2019: A Year in Review”, on globalissues.org →
Russian Deputy PM arrives in Syria to meet with Assad about Port of Tartous
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:15 P.M.) – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov arrived in Syria for a two-day visit during which he will meet with the Syrian President and discuss the issue of Tartous Port and the supply of agricultural products. “The visit takes place before the meeting of the bilateral governmental committee, and trade and […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Iraqi intelligence forces carry out special mission to dismantle ISIS cell in Mosul area
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:00 P.M.) – The Iraqi intelligence forces, led by the 16th Division, carried out a successful operation to dismantle an Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) cell in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq on Monday. “The military intelligence penetrated and dismantled a terrorist cell and apprehends all its elements in Ayman Mosul,” the Ministry of […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Jihadists of HTS build new trenches and tunnels along west Aleppo front: video
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:45 P.M.) – The jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham recently constructed new tunnels and trenches along the western front in the Aleppo Governorate. The official media wing of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, Eba’a News, released footage of their fighters digging new tunnels in west Aleppo. In the video, two fighters digging these tunnels, […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Massive air attack launched on southern Idlib as Syrian Army reinforcements pour in
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:20 P.M.) – A massive air attack was launched over the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate on Monday, as a large number of reinforcements from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) poured into the area. According to a military report from the Hama Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army sent reinforcements from the 7th […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
ISIS takes advantage of poor weather to attack Iraqi forces
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:20 P.M.) – The Iraqi security forces announced that the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) terrorist organization launched on Sunday an attack on their troops in the northern countryside of the Kirkuk Governorate. In a statement released from their official Facebook page, the Iraqi security forces said that their Federal Police forces were attacked in […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Syrian President seeks to expel US forces from oil fields
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has explained in an interview with Chinese broadcaster Phoenix Television that two goals must be achieved in order to make American military forces finally withdraw from the country, where they have been stationed without the government’s authorisation or a UN mandate. Firstly, all terrorist groups on Syrian territory must be eradicated, […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
This Is What Happens To A Soldier Who Decides To Quit The Chinese Military
The recruits train in formation. (File Photo) *CNN:* *Here's what happens when you quit the Chinese military* Hong Kong (CNN)With around 2 million people in China's armed forces, you might think the story of one person who couldn't take the rigors of military life wouldn't warrant national attention. But that wasn't the case last week for Zhang Moukang, a university student from the country's southern Hainan province. A story posted on the People Liberation Army's English language website details the punishment meted out to Zhang after he told the PLA he no longer wanted to serve.... more »
US Representatives Demand DOJ Start Prosecuting People for Hardcore Pornography
[image: pornography]Multiple US Representatives have called on the DOJ to start prosecuting pornography under obscenity laws using bogus and unproven claims to do so.
Cop Indicted After Video Showed Him Lose His Mind and Beat, Kidnap Innocent Man
[image: baltimore]A Baltimore cop who makes $250,000 a year was arrested on 32 charges after video showed him attack an innocent man for saying the "ground is wet."
US Sanctions Iraqi Businessman Khanjar For Bribery And Supporting Iran
US sanctioned businessman Khamis al-Khanjar for bribing politicians and supporting Iran (Reuters) On December 6 the U.S. Treasury Department issued a new round of sanctions against Iraqis. That included millionaire businessman Khamis al-Khanjar. The Americans charged him with bribing Iraqi politicians to join his Axis List and supporting Iran. Khanjar has been a political chameleon in Iraq emerging as a major backer of Sunni politicians especially the Nujafis from Mosul before switching to supporting pro-Iran lists such as Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law in 2019. Khanjar used to be... more »
UN Climate Summit Ends as Major States Snub Calls for Action; Russia’s not one of Them
A handful of major states resisted pressure on Dec. 15 to ramp up efforts to combat global warming as a U.N. climate summit came to a delayed close. The summit talks in Madrid, dubbed COP25, were viewed as a test of governments’ collective will for more aggressive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. But the conference, … Continue reading "UN Climate Summit Ends as Major States Snub Calls for Action; Russia’s not one of Them"
This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 16
1922 UK Lord of the Admiralty told Iraq commission Iraq oil would be important in case of war in Far East 1925 League of Nations set Turkey-Iraq border with Mosul province going to Iraq (Musings On Iraq article on how Mosul province became part of Iraq) (Musings On Iraq book review *The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921*) (Musings On Iraq book review *Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930*) 1962 43 day long student strike started in secondary schools that spread to colleges demanding political rights 1979 Iraq and France signed deal to buy 8 new ... more »
The Warship-Busting B-25G Bomber Had a Killer Cannon from a Sherman Tank In Its Nose
*Sebastien Roblin* *Security, * The canon-armed bomber? It’s an axiom in military aviation that for all their potential aesthetic appeal, combat aircraft are little more than weapons platforms meant to efficiently deliver deadly payloads on an enemy. However, size and weight constraints have always imposed greater limits on what can be carried by combat aircraft than by ships at sea or vehicles on land. But for every rule, there is an exception. During World War II, Germany and the United States both experimented with installing 75-millimeter guns usually mounted on tanks on gr... more »
Katie Couric Spills the Beans on Impossible Burger
Written by Joseph Mercola, D.O., Ph.D. Story at-a-glance Impossible Foods company produces the Impossible Burger, with promises impossible to keep, including that their product is a vegetable-based, healthy alternative to beef and that it’s safer for the environment Impossible fake meat is different from a vegetarian-based food product as it is highly processed with soy […] The post Katie Couric Spills the Beans on Impossible Burger appeared first on Health Nut News.
Do You Think About the Assyrians of Iraq?
Assyrian International News Agency - 12 hours ago
Impeachment is on the brain and, it would seem, not much else. Our limited attention spans don't seem to allow it. But we had better make room for the Iraqi people.
Best Cartoons Madebyjimbob
Humor is important as a means of poking holes in narratives that assert beliefs contrary to reality. Jimbob has become a force skewering notions of climate change, as well as other distorted ideas comprising the “woke” PC canon. Those inside the believer bubble will not be affected, but the important audience are those ignorant or […]
"The U.S. Is a Threat To Humanity: Full Stop."
That was the tweet by meteorologist and journalist Eric Holthaus as he exited the United Nations' COP25 climate summit in Madrid on Sunday. The US-based multinational corporations which effectively run the place refused to set limits on pollution, thus dooming the island nations of the globe to an even more untimely demise than what had been forecast under previous anti-pollution agreements among the world's most powerful governments. Since the United States had already successfully immunized itself from prosecution in The Hague under war crimes statutes, it is no surprise that the ... more »
Forget Left vs. Right; Obey the Constitution
[image: forget-left-vs-right-obey-the-constitution] The terms “left versus right” and “liberal versus conservative” are commonly employed in our nation and elsewhere. But, while using such terms is a widespread practice, there exists plenty of confusion.
Wis. Judge’s Order to Purge 234K Voters Is Big Win Against Voter Fraud
[image: wisc-judge-s-order-to-purge-234k-voters-is-big-win-against-voter-fraud] A county judge in Wisconsin ruled that the state election commission must comply with the law by scrapping voters flagged as having moved.
Aramco IPO Is a Hollow Victory for Saudi Arabia’s Prince
[image: aramco-ipo-is-a-hollow-victory-for-saudi-arabia-s-prince] By nearly every metric, the IPO of Saudi Aramco was a failure. This is not an investment. It is extortion on a grand scale.
CBS Still Considers Southern Poverty Law Center Credible
[image: cbs-still-considers-southern-poverty-law-center-credible] There's another kind of "fake" news — "slander through innuendo" — practiced by CBS.
How Long Is the Sermon? Study Ranks Christian Churches
How long should a sermon be?
Who Does The World See Is The Biggest Global Superpower
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Zero Hedge:* *Is China Or The US The Biggest Global Superpower? Here's What The World Thinks* Is the US still the world's largest superpower? Some might argue that China may have already taken its place. To be sure, the US still has the world's largest economy by GDP, but doubts are growing about whether the US's reputation, with a rising China increasingly seen as equal, or even more powerful, than the US. A new study commissioned by the Pew Research Center found that more countries still believe the US is the world's foremost economic superpower. ... more »
Pelosi’s Lies Expose Criminal Intent behind Coup Plot against Trump
[image: Former President Barack Obama shakes hands with Former Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the conclusion of Obama's State of the Union address, Jan. 27, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)] The impeachment coup—and Trump has called it a coup, and it is a coup—may actually backfire in a big way. The oligarchy—in the U.S., the U.K., and internationally—is panicked since the Horowitz report has exposed the criminal conspiracy by the U.S. and British intelligence agents to carry out a coup against President Donald Trump. Even Der Spieg... more »
China's Navy Is Building An Incredible Number Of Warships
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*) Image Analysis of photo of Chinese shipyard showing multiple warships at various stages of construction, including an aircraft carrier. December 13, 2019. H I Sutton, with permission from @Loongnaval *Forbes:* *The Chinese Navy Is Building An Incredible Number Of Warships * While the U.S. Navy launches a handful of AEGIS destroyers each year, the single image below of a Shanghai shipyard shows nine newly constructed Chinese warships. China’s Navy, known as the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy), is modernizing at an impressive rate. And on a vast sca... more »
Canadian cannabis producer Hexo’s sales decline as net loss grows
Federally licensed cannabis producer Hexo recorded net revenue of 14.5 million Canadian dollars ($11 million) in its most recent quarter, down slightly from the previous quarter’s CA$15.4 million. The Gatineau, Quebec-based company’s net loss widened to CA$62.4 million in the period ending Oct. 31 from CA$56.7 million in the last quarter. About three-quarters of the […] Canadian cannabis producer Hexo’s sales decline as net loss grows is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Britain to be gripped by a ferocious snow blizzard
Polar storms will cause temperatures to plummet to a bitterly cold -5C. Vehicles stranded by snow. 15 Dec 2019 – The Met Office recorded heavy snowfall across western parts of Scotland and northern England overnight, with sleet developing in the South West. In some areas of northern England a fresh covering of snow left vehicles ... Read moreBritain to be gripped by a ferocious snow blizzard The post Britain to be gripped by a ferocious snow blizzard appeared first on Ice Age Now.
Here Are The U.S. And NATO Bases In Turkey
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *WNU Editor:* A good analysis from Zero Hedge .... *Turkey Gives NATO The Middle Finger, Threatens To Shutter Critical Military Bases Over Sanction Threats* (Zero Hedge)
Reflecting on Torture After ‘The Report’
Sign reading, "Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, U.S. Prisons: Stop Torture!" (Flickr/Shooting Chris, CC BY-NC 2.0) In December 2014, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence published the executive summary of the committee’s report on the covert program of coercive interrogation run by the CIA after 9/11. The committee voted along party lines to release the summary—a sign of how partisan rancor had divided an inquiry begun with the support of both Democrats and Republicans. Nevertheless, thanks to the work of the committee chair, Dianne Feinstein, and her colleagues, the world learned t... more »
Turkish President Erdogan Is Saying That Israel Is Executing Palestinian Girls And The Elderly On The Streets
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks before departing to attend a NATO leader's summit in London, in Ankara, Turkey, December 3, 2019. (Presidential Press Service *Times of Israel:* *Turkey’s Erdogan says Israel executing Palestinian girls, elderly* Turkish president tells Organisation of Islamic Cooperation conference that Western countries — and some Arab states — are ‘practically encouraging this brutality’. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of “openly executing” Palestinians in the streets, in the latest in a series of diatribes against the Jewi... more »
Turkish President Erdogan Threatens To Close İncirlik And Kürecik Bases In Response To Proposed Sanctions And Geneocide Delacration Over The Mass Killing Of Armenians A Century Ago
#BREAKING#Turkish President #Erdogan: ▪️"The #US senate's decision on the so-called Armenian Genocide is null and void for #Turkey. In case of sanctions, we can take steps to close Incirlik and Kürecik. If the US continues to act like this, we have steps to take as well." pic.twitter.com/8NUc0VnA0y — EHA News (@eha_news) December 15, 2019 *Daily Mail: Turkey threatens to close air base that hosts US nuclear warheads in response to proposed sanctions and genocide declaration over mass killings of Armenians* * President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey has the authority to... more »
Philippines raises possibility of free trade deal with UAE
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 The government said it is exploring the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
EU FTA talks: India looking at ways to end stalemate, re-start negotiations
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 But the EU wants issues such as market access for automobiles, wines, and govt procurement issues resolved first.
PNG-USA to forge trade, investment pact
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 PNG and the United States of America are to sign the Trade and investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) which is close to being finalised, says US Ambassador.
Maldives to not proceed with free trade agreement with China
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 Indicating a toughening of its stance against Beijing, Maldivian Parliament's Speaker categorically rejected that the archipelago will sign a trade agreement with China.
UK heads towards Brexit and Thailand ponders an FTA with Britain
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 Thailand is pondering the possibilities of creating a free trade agreement with the UK after British PM Boris Johnson's victory in the UK election.
Romania agrees to pay large compensations to Romanian-Swedish investors
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 The Government took this decision to unlock the accounts of Romania's air control company Romatsa, frozen by the Miculas.
Mexico objects to labor enforcement provision in North American trade deal
bilaterals.org - 13 hours ago
16-Dec-2019 An annex for the implementation of the treaty, the result of political decisions by Congress and the Administration in the United States, was not consulted with Mexico, said Mexico's deputy foreign minister.
The New York Times hates you: You're snakes and vermin
Tom Edsall wrote the following in the NYT on December 11 2019: *[Donald] Trump’s genius in 2016 lay in his willingness — indeed, his eagerness — to openly and aggressively unleash the forces of racial and ethnic hostility that Republican elites had quietly capitalized upon for decades. Trump will be a formidable candidate next year because he is prepared to look under the rocks of the American belief system and see the snakes and vermin that have camped there in the dark.* To Edsall the fact that Blacks are being seriously impacted by millions of illegal immigrants who can work for ... more »
James Quinn, "See You On The Dark Side Of The Moon"
*A Comment:* Folks, I simply can't recommend this remarkable, absolutely superb article highly enough. If you read nothing else today, read this, both parts... Bravo, Mr. Quinn, with my highest compliments! - CP *"See You On The Dark Side Of The Moon" Part 1* by James Quinn "In Part 1 of this article I tried to link the greed and depravity of those pulling the strings behind the curtain of the Deep State with perpetual warfare being waged by the military industrial complex and the purposeful dumbing down of the populace so propaganda spewed by the Deep State’s media mouthpieces find... more »
The religious bigotry of the left: Netflix edition
Netflix is showing a movie about Jesus Christ being gay. It's a vicious and unprincipled attack on the beliefs of billions of Christians. It's a cowardly act as well since Netflix knows that Christians won't use violence against Netflix. But we all know Netflix would never run a movie about how Mohammad was gay because the folks at Netflix are cowards. In some sense this isn't surprising in that in the past Netflix had a movie with a child porn scene which it refused to remove. It's time to drop Netflix until they demonstrate something remotely resembling a hate free environment.
Rudeness is in the eye of the listener
Interesting morning at the fitness palace today. Someone described his very large dog--about 200 lbs--who ate four pounds, yes pounds, not sticks, of butter that had been put out for Christmas baking. So far, only one really bad mess (I think there will be more). Then my friend, Joanne, and I were catching up on the treadmill after she'd been gone a few weeks. The guy on the treadmill next to her said very loudly into his phone that he couldn't hear the person he was talking to (loudly) because the people next to him were talking! Since I was saying something extremely important to ... more »
Supreme Court torpedo's Democrats second article of impeachment
The Democrats second article of impeachment says that it's a high crime or misdemeanor for the President to exercise his personal and Presidential right to due process. Essentially the Democrats are saying that since the whole impeachment is a sham designed to mollify their radical fascist base they couldn't wait for the Courts to decide if Trump was in fact allowed by executive privilege to keep certain people from testifying to Congress and to not reveal private information without a court order to do so. But the Supreme Court has ruled that they will hear Trump's case. That mea... more »
Deluge of New Leaks Further Shreds the Establishment Syria Narrative
WikiLeaks has published multiple documents providing further details on the coverup within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of its own investigators’ findings which contradicted the official story we were all given about an alleged chlorine gas attack in Douma, Syria last year. The alleged chemical weapons incident was blamed on the Syrian government by the US and its allies, who launched airstrikes against Syria several days later. Subsequent evidence indicating that there was insufficient reason to conclude the chlorine gas attack ever happened was r... more »
THE "MISREPORTED PISA SCORES" FILE: Digest of last week's reports!
*MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019Starting tomorrow, A Mississippi muddle:* American teens outperformed from their counterparts from the vast majority of the world's nations on last year's Pisa reading test. Indeed, if they were viewed as separate nations unto themselves, our nation's white and Asian-American kids would have rated as the highest-scoring nations in the world! Those are remarkable facts. That said, you would have had no awareness of any such facts in reading the recent news reports on the new Pisa scores in the Washington Post and the New York Times. In accord with standa... more »
Daddy date
[image: Image may contain: 3 people, including Caleb Poynter, people smiling, people sitting] Caleb, our great nephew and his daughters Halli and Kali making a gingerbread house.
April Doss was wrong and can't be trusted
April Doss worked for the Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee and said she was an expert on all things FISA because she was a lawyer who'd worked for the NSA for a decade. Last year she wrote articles in the Atlantic and the Weekly Standard assuring us that the FISA warrants used to spy on the Trump campaign were all fine and that Devine Nunes's memo laying out the huge problems was wrong. Well we now know that she was either lying or saying things she had no proof for since the IG report has conclusively shown that in fact the FBI acted against it's own rules and went s... more »
Erdogan enters Libya war, risking conflict with Greece, France, Egypt & Israel (Video)
The Duran Quick Take: Episode 406. More The post Erdogan enters Libya war, risking conflict with Greece, France, Egypt & Israel (Video) appeared first on The Duran.
NWO megabanks in death throes, US dollar nears evisceration through hyperinflation
*The meltdown of the private central bankers system of issuing credit as debt with interest has reached the core.* *Zerohedge is reporting that the Fed's new, emergency, gigantic $500 billion in help in the form of repo ops designed to help the Globalist mega banks in the USA and Europe stay afloat and set to last the next 4 weeks may not enough to keep the Fed from losing control over overnight rates, and that QE4 may be needed sooner.* https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/feds-emergency-repo-operation-oversubscribed-repo-rates-spike-december-high *"The fact that the operation was o... more »
Was America's M16 Rifle a Bad Weapon to Fight North Vietnam?
*Kyle Mizokami* *History, Asia* [image: Reuters] A history lesson. *Key point: *During the Vietnam War, the effectiveness of the M16 was a big source of debate. In Part One of this series, we discussed how the U.S. Army came to dump the M14 battle rifle for the M16 assault rifle. The M16 promised light weight and greater lethality, but was it all it was cracked up to be? In this segment we follow the rifle to Vietnam, where the weapon developed a reputation for being unreliable--a reputation it didn’t entirely deserve. As the U.S. Military began a major commitment to the conflic... more »
2,000 Yards Away: The M82 Sniper Rifle Has an Amazing Range
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, Europe* [image: Reuters] Very powerful. *Key point: *This long-range rifle has served well. One weapon system not only revolutionized the field of military sniping but also created an entire new category of weapon systems. Using an existing large caliber bullet and adapting it to the precision rifle platform, the innovative Barrett M82 sniper rifle practically created the category of large caliber rifles that equip military snipers worldwide to this day. In 1982, Ronnie Barrett was a professional photographer taking photos of a military patrol boat on ... more »
Why Didn't the Army Want Beretta's M9A3 Pistol?
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, Americas* [image: https://pictures.reuters.com/archive/USA-GUNS-SHOT-RC1F0DED5AF0.html] Not good enough? *Key point: *America's military passed on the weapon but civilians can still purchase them. In 1985, the U.S. Army made an abrupt shift, aging fleet of World War II-era handguns for a foreign model. The Italian-made Beretta M92 was classified the M9 handgun and served with the U.S. Armed Forces for more than thirty years. The U.S. Army recently chose a new handgun, the M17 Modular Handgun System, and excluded a new, updated M9A3 from the competiti... more »
"If Life's So Hard Already..."
"I mean, if life's so hard already, why do we bring more trouble down on ourselves? What's up with the need to hit the self-destruct button?" - "Grey's Anatomy"
The Good Ol' Days of Solicitor General Humility (and Reconsideration): Some Things You Probably Didn't Know About Myers v. United States [UPDATED]
I was just rereading the briefs and arguments in the landmark *Myers v. United States *(1926) case, and ran across a small thing I thought some readers might appreciate, reflecting how very different Supreme Court practice is today than it was a century ago. The case, of course, involved an important constitutional question: whether Congress can give the Senate a role in the removal of an inferior officer. President Wilson (allegedly--see below) had removed a Postmaster (First Class) of Portland, Oregon, Frank Myers, without the Senate's consent--in violation of a statutory conditi... more »
More Waves
Jody Wilson-Raybould is making waves again. She's refusing to leave her minister's office, even though she is now an independent MP. Susan Delacourt writes: Rank matters when it comes to Parliament Hill real estate — offices are allocated on the basis of which party holds the most seats and which MPs hold the most significant positions within their parties. Wilson-Raybould, as an Independent, is now at the bottom of the pecking order for office space and is not pleased that this means a downgrade in her working conditions. “It seems a little bit petty to me,” Wilson-Raybould told... more »
Officer Now Locked in Same Jail He Guarded After Arrest for Child Sex Crimes
[image: children]Pinal County officer Rick Vasquez was arrested by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force early Wednesday morning, according to Phoenix police.
"Economic Market Snapshot AM 12/16/19"
*Updated frequently as available.* ◆ AM 12/16/19: Gregory Mannerino, "Mass Propaganda Hitting The Airwaves, Stocks To Hit New Record Highs" - https://www.traderschoice.net/ ◆ *MarketWatch Market Summary, Live Updates* - https://www.marketwatch.com/tools/marketsummary *Alert: Watch the % change!* A study, long lost, determined that a 3% drop in the daily % change would be the trigger for an irrecoverable free fall for not only the American economy but the entire global economy as well. The resulting mega-hurricane of margin calls, derivative claims, defaults and bankruptcies would fina... more »
In Reversal, Hallmark Will Reinstate Same-Sex Marriage Ads
The Hallmark Channel says it will reinstate same-sex marriage commercials that it had pulled from the network.
Evangelical gangs in Rio de Janeiro wage 'holy war' on Afro-Brazilian faiths
Robert Muggah, Associate Lecturer, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 14 hours ago
As evangelicalism spreads across Brazil, some of Rio de Janeiro's most notorious gangs see minority religions as an affront to God. And they're using guns to spread their gospel.
Transgender homeless Americans find few protections in the law
Jonah DeChants, Postdoctoral Fellow in Social Work, Colorado State University at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 14 hours ago
Transgender people experience high rates of discrimination in housing and shelter services.
Untitled
From Jenna Orkin Today WikiLeaks releases more documents showing internal disagreement within the OPCW about how facts were misrepresented in a redacted version of a report on an alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. The World’s Cash Is Disappearing. Bankers Aren’t Sure Where It Went. Amnesty International’s Troubling Collaboration with UK & US Intelligence The Inspector General’s Report on 2016 FBI Spying Reveals a Scandal of Historic Magnitude: Not Only for the FBI but Also the U.S. Media Russians bought 86 Trump properties — all in cash — totaling $109 million We ... more »
Fed’s Emergency Repo Operation Oversubscribed As Repo Rates Spike To December High
Fed’s Emergency Repo Operation Oversubscribed As Repo Rates Spike To December High by Tyler Durden, https://www.zerohedge.com/ Ahead of today’s massive liquidity drain, which according to some calculations will be as much as $100 billion between $54BN in coupon settlements from last week’s Treasury auctions and an additional $50 billion or so in corporate income tax payments …
STOP DREAMING THAT DEMOCRATS CAN HACK THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
A couple of days ago in *The Washington Post,* Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman published a piece called "On Impeachment, Democrats Can Put Republicans on Defense. Here’s How." They wrote this about the upcoming Senate trial: Democrats could demand that the mountains of documents the administration refused to turn over to the House impeachment inquiry be admitted as evidence at the Senate trial. The administration stonewalled those documents on the absurd grounds that the inquiry was illegitimate. But McConnell presumably can’t argue that his own impeachment trial is illegitimate, ren... more »
A case of gangrene raises health concerns at the East Coast Forensic Hospital
People in the mental health community who are close to family members of a 45-year-old man are speaking out after the man was admitted to hospital with gangrene in his stomach. The patient, who lives with schizophrenia, has been in and out of the East Coast Forensic Hospital for the past 20 years. Family members […]
What Is A Day Of Learning, Anyway?
The measure crops up frequently in discussions of education policies and, sometimes, products. But what the heck does it even mean? Charter advocates like to point to a CREDO study that shows urban charters giving students an additional 40 days of learning growth in math and 38 in reading (while critics bring up the 2013 CREDO study finding that charter schools provided seven additional days of learning per year in reading and no significant difference in math). Indianapolis, New York City, and other big systems find charter advocates touting additional days of learning. Meanwhile, o... more »
Russia and the United States - Our Common Interests and How They Could Impact Trade
At the recent plenary session of the 11th VTB Russia Calling! Investment Forum, Vladimir Putin weighed in on the relationship between Washington and Russia and how Russia plans to repair the relationship between the two nations and how the sanctions environment has impacted Russia's economy. Let's look at some background trade data. Here is a graphic showing Russia's top ten trade partnerships: Here is a table showing Russia's top ten exported and imported goods: Now, let's focus on Russia's trade with the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau database, her... more »
Ugliness and The Power of Money
Karl Marx defines ugliness as a characteristic that may have a negative impact on a person’s lifestyle only when he is lacking in money. Here’s an excerpt from his essay, “The Power of Money,” (*Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts* of 1844): “I am ugly, but I can buy for myself the most beautiful of women. Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness–its deterrent power–is nullified by money. I, according to my individual characteristics, am lame, but money furnishes me with twenty-four feet. Therefore I am not lame. I am bad, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid; but money is ho... more »
Taking 'Leave of Absence' to work on Lisa Savage campaign for U.S. Senate
You might have already heard that I've asked the Global Network governing boards for permission to take a three-month 'unpaid leave of absence' from the organization. They agreed. I began on December 15 and return to work for the GN on March 16. (During this period Will Griffin, our GN social media coordinator, will ensure the organization stays visible with help from other board members.) I am doing this because we have a huge U.S. Senate race in Maine in November 2020. Our current right-wing Republican Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election. The great thing is that Mai... more »
Czech-Russian Relations And The ROA: Conflicting Historical Narratives
Tony Wesolowsky’s December 8, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) article “The Vlasov Army: Nazi Sympathizers Or WWII Freedom Fighters?“, leads to some additional thoughts. The largely US government funded RFE/RL is headquartered in Prague. With this in mind, it’s a bit surprising to see that RFE/RL lagged behind the San […]
Illegal marijuana crackdown
California officials continued their crusade against the illicit cannabis market in December with 24 search warrants served on illegal cannabis shops in the Los Angeles area. Illegal marijuana crackdown is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Cannabis labor peace requirements expand, sometimes sparking conflict in legal marijuana markets
Unionization is spreading through the cannabis industry, spurring some companies to sign labor agreements or “peace pacts” but causing other businesses to resist labor organizers. Industry officials who have signed labor agreements say it’s good for business. But other companies, including a number of multistate operators, have clashed with labor organizers, as evidenced by several […] Cannabis labor peace requirements expand, sometimes sparking conflict in legal marijuana markets is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepre... more »
They were Australia's top law enforcement officials. A dark web vendor was offering to sell their Medicare card details
The Medicare card details of three former Australian Federal Police commissioners were advertised for sale on a dark web marketplace, a revelation likely to raise further concerns about the integrity of Medicare card information.
India's new citizenship law has sparked protests across the country. This is why people are angry
Protests over a controversial new federal citizenship law on minorities in India are creating chaos across several Indian cities, but what will it mean for the future of the country?
Italian city evacuated as soldiers defuse WWII-era bomb
Just In - 15 hours ago
Italian armed forces plan to destroy the bomb, containing 40 kilograms of dynamite, in a controlled explosion in a quarry outside of the city.
BREXIT THE TRAGICOMEDY starring Johnson, the Emperor with no Mandate
In times of great disappointment and crisis, it is important to keep a level head, to analyse the situation coolly and calmly, and most importantly to extend one’s intellectual vision beyond the immediate. Johnson, the Tories and the media are all rejoicing in what they consider to be a resounding victory. Clearly, the capitalist class and their media united, that is as far as the façade of democracy would allow, around the narrative, that it would be better to have a hard Brexit than a Corbyn led government. Faced with the choice between a Brexit that would damage the aeconomy, an... more »
The US-NATO-Israel Sponsored Al Qaeda Insurgency in Syria. Who Was Behind the 2011 “Protest Movement”?
Almost nine years since the beginning of the war on Syria in March 2011, so-called progressives have supported the so-called opposition, which is largely made up of Al Qaeda affiliated mercenaries. A US-NATO led war of aggression is portrayed as a “civil war”. President Bashar Al Assad is casually described as a dictator who is killing his own people. The millions of deaths resulting from US-NATO led wars are not an object of concern.
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