10 pm MST
Midnight Meme Of The Day!
*by Noah Sunday Thoughts:* Donald Trump is a blasphemy in every sense of the word. He is an insult to all that lives and breathes. It's possible, perhaps at the moment of his birth, that he was once a human being, but he has run so far from being human that he'd never get back, even if he wanted to. He is a cancer of the spirit.
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More interesting news from Bill Rogers's *trading as WDR* blog: - The BBC's Group General Counsel, Sarah Jones, who lost to Samira Ahmed and Sir Cliff Richard, earns £278k p.a. - Friday's evening newsreader on the BBC News Channel as it reported the Samira Ahmed story was Rachel Schofield - wife of Jeremy Vine. - The BBC's Director of Sport Barbara Slater set up a “monthly Under-35 advisory group to help focus, evolve and … brainstorm new ideas and improve our working culture”, hence (perhaps) "the cull of 50 year-old+ presenters from Radio 5 Live".
Extinction Rebellion should sit down and take a Bex
Letter to the Editor The cauldron of discontent that is the climate change debate alternates between simmer and boil over, depending on what new ingredients are tossed in. The combination of drought, water shortages and bushfires all meant that the cauldron was boiling most of the time and the media was starting to run out […]
Could The Navy's Mighty Iowa-Class Battleships Find A Home In Modern Warfare?
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, * They have been brought back from the dead before. *Key point:* While theoretically possible to modernize and automate them, no serious study has been performed in how to adopt them to modern warfare. The Second World War marked the end of the Age of Battleships. Aircraft carriers, with their flexible, long range striking power made battlewagons obsolete in a matter of months. American battleships, once expected to fight a decisive battle in the Pacific that would halt the Japanese Empire, were instead relegated to providing artillery support for islan... more »
Why a War With China Would Be a Terrible Idea
*Robert Farley* *Security, Asia* [image: https://pictures.reuters.com/archive/CHINA-D1AESEBQJEAA.html] Millions dead. *Key Point:* Simulations show that a war would be disastrous. The United States and China are inextricably locked in the Pacific Rim’s system of international trade. Some argue that this makes war impossible, but then while some believed World War I inevitable, but others similarly thought it impossible. In this article, I concentrate less on the operational and tactical details of a US-China war, and more on the strategic objectives of the major combatants befo... more »
"The Dick Dastardly de nos jours"
As MB mentioned on the open thread, Jon Sopel's second book written while he's been the BBC's North America Editor is titled 'A Year at the Circus'. Here's a flavour of it: "From Kim Jong-un and Kavanaugh to Merkel and the Mueller Inquiry – this is your insider guide to the Washington Circus. Roll up, roll up…" "Yes, there are things that happen where you do sort of think that maybe Donald Trump is a Bond villain, stroking a white pussycat, while carefully figuring out every move that will ultimately deliver him world domination. But there are other times when this presidency is... more »
Bette Midler pledges $500k to bushfire relief, nationwide Sound Relief concerts loom
Just In - 22 hours ago
The list of celebrities contributing to relief efforts for the bushfire crisis continues to grow, with Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge auctioning off her Golden Globes suit for Australian charities.
Ponting and Warne launch charity cricket match for bushfire victims
Just In - 22 hours ago
Australian cricket greats Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne will take to the field on February 8 in a charity game to raise funds for the bushfire appeal.
Scott Morrison's 'historic change' is not the one his critics wanted
The Prime Minister's careful language around the issue of climate change shows how delicate the issue still is in the Coalition party room, even despite the summertime inferno hitting the nation, writes David Speers.
'They died immediately': Missile hit plane's cockpit from below, Ukraine says, as footage emerges
Just In - 22 hours ago
Ukraine's top security official says investigators believe the cockpit of a downed Boeing 737-800 airliner was hit by an Iranian missile from below, killing the pilots instantly.
Injured Kangaroo Island wildlife found alive in charred national park, as livestock loss revealed
Just In - 22 hours ago
Kangaroo Island koalas, kangaroos and pademelons are still being found alive in the charred Flinders Chase National Park and timber plantations more than a week after bushfires devastated the area.
Survivors create first mobile Stolen Generations education centre
Former residents of an infamous boys' institution on the mid-north coast of New South Wales share their experiences by taking their mobile exhibition around the state.
Tweets For Today
Iran's admission of shooting down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 aboard, has provoked international outrage. Canadian PM Trudeau demanded 'accountability, justice, and closure that the families deserve,' while Ukraine also demanded compensation https://t.co/yBrAtaSlLz pic.twitter.com/C82Sg8gWvf — Reuters (@Reuters) January 12, 2020 President Trump tweets support for Iranian protesters after Tehran admits to unintentionally shooting down Ukrainian plane https://t.co/IjxS8CgprV pic.twitter.com/WWKYzaAsxp — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 12, 2020 At least 18 civilians... more »
Kerching!
*The Sunday Times *reports that the BBC has "quietly" paid out more than £3m (from the licence fee) to its staff - including over £1m to a single individual - in an attempt to avoid Samira Ahmed-style employment tribunals. Many of the payouts have been "modest payments" of over £5-10k, but others have been in six figures. Apparently, around 50 further cases remain unresolved, including grievance cases involving Naga Munchetty, Rachel Burden and Louise Minchin. Money, money, money, must be funny, in a £3.83 billion licence fee-funded world.
Letter From The Editor: Line Speeds
Opinion Everything I know about “line speeds,” I learned last year in the Netherlands by spending an afternoon inside the VanDrie Group’s vast veal slaughter and processing facilities. With a group of international journalists, I visited every nook and cranny in the plant while it was under full operation. As we moved one after another,... Continue Reading
Inspection refusals, filth and pathogens spur alert updates
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed. Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below. Click on the links to view the full alerts. Import Alert Desc Text... Continue Reading
Australian Daily Wind Power Generation Data – Saturday 11th January 2020
By Anton Lang ~ This Post details the daily wind power generation data for the AEMO coverage area in Australia. For the background information, refer to the Introductory Post at this link. Each image is shown here at a smaller size to fit on the page alongside the data for that day. If you click […]
Hollywood Gets An Education
By Brent Bozell and Tim Graham ~ Ricky Gervais, the perpetually snarky British comedian, set social media on fire after he mocked arrogant Hollywood in his opening monologue as host of the Golden Globe Awards. “So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech,” he […]
The Puddles In Your Yard Are Yours Again
By Dr. Jay Lehr ~ In 1972, I was serving as an advisor to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which incidentally I helped to create and convince President Nixon to sign into law in 1971. I played a role in writing a number of important laws to protect our environment. One of them […]
FBI Protecting and Hiding Sketchy FBI Agent Joseph Pientka?…
With increased scrutiny toward the actions, and lack thereof, from current FBI Director Christopher Wray, another sketchy aspect deserves some scrutiny. Hat Tip Techno-Fog for noting some remarkable FBI activity. Supervisory Special Agent Joseph Pientka III was first identified by … Continue reading →
January 12th – 2020 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #1088
In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and … Continue reading →
They May Be Friends Now, But China And Russia Killed Each Other In 1969
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, Asia* Nuclear weapons could have flown. Key point: In 1969 the two pillars of the communist bloc, the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, nearly went to full-scale war. Years of deteriorating ties between the two countries, once the staunchest of allies, finally led to skirmishing on the long mutual border between the two countries. While tensions were eventually de-escalated, what if the two countries had gone to war? On March 2, 1969 Soviet troops patrolling Damansky Island (Zhenbao) on the Ussuri River came under fire from Chinese tro... more »
Some Recollections about G. Warren Nutter
At the midcentury mark, economist G. Warren Nutter (1923–79) provided one of the lone dissenting voices to challenge what had become a matter of conventional wisdom among Sovietologists. Whereas others perceived vibrancy and vitality in the socialist society’s industrial growth, Nutter recognized its long-term economic decline concealed behind a politically crafted veneer of propaganda about […] The post Some Recollections about G. Warren Nutter appeared first on Econlib .
Chunter
To quote MB on the open thread, "H/T to Guest Who on the "other channel"... Hugh's got his handbag out and has just walloped Andrew Marr": A drawback of this @BBCRadio4 disco about political interviews, presented by @AndrewMarr9 (including his glorious grumble that Boris Johnson was 'chuntering'), is no one's so far dared say Marr's questions were also chunter & nowhere near as forensic as @afneil's would have been. — Hugh Sykes (@HughSykes) January 11, 2020 In fairness, though, that 'disco' - *Archive on 4: Questioning the Political Interview* - did include a moment that made be ... more »
Picture Of The Day
Readiness Rollout Soldiers conduct a partial armored vehicle rollout exercise in support of readiness training in the Middle East, Jan. 5, 2020. The vehicles provide ground combat power for U.S. Army Central Command. *WNU Editor:* The above picture came from this photo-gallery .... *US Department of Defense.*
‘revenge’ for WHAT?
Before my misguided stint in the Air Force ‘National Lampoon’ had a ‘revenge’ issue and on the cover showed a stereotyped Saudi being punched in the face. And the revenge was all about the Gulf kingdoms (and Mexico, and Cuba and Venezuela and a bunch of other petroleum sources) having control of their prices for... more »
Here's Why America Must Never Forget Lee's Civil War Surrender To Grant
*Warfare History Network* *Security, Americas* We need to learn its lessons. *Key point: *This was a meeting for the ages. When Confederate General Robert E. Lee learned on the morning of April 9, 1865, that Union infantry was both in front and behind of his meager army of 12,500 effectives as it approached Appomattox Court House in central Virginia, he resigned himself to the sad task before him. He must ride to Union lines and request an interview with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. “There is nothing left me to do but go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand dea... more »
Yes, Russia Tried To Build Its Very Own Space Shuttle
*Kyle Mizokami* *Security, Europe* The temptation for the Soviet Union to create a shuttle system of its own was too great. *Key point:* The Soviet Union's economic collapse occurred at an inopportune time. The intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union pushed the two countries to compete, not only on Earth but throughout the solar system. Good ideas, or perhaps more accurately good ideas at the time, were frequently imitated as long as they garnered prestige for Washington or Moscow. Of all the ideas that were copied during the Space Race, none were as curi... more »
More Missile Tests? North Korea Says It Has Ended Its Ban
*Stratfor Worldview* *Security, Asia* [image: https://pictures.reuters.com/archive/NORTHKOREA-NUCLEAR-GF20000093924.html] Can they do that? What Happened The U.S.-North Korea dynamic is returning to a potentially confrontational phase. Following an end-of-year party plenary meeting, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un announced his country will no longer abide by its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing. Kim cited the continued U.S. imposition of unilateral sanctions on the North and sale of advanced weapons to South Korea as the ... more »
Japan's Battleship Yamato Exploded 'Like a Tactical Nuclear Weapon Going Off'
*Kyle Mizokami* *History, Asia* [image: Japanese battleship Yamato moments after exploding, after receiving massive bomb and torpedo damage from US Navy carrier planes, north of Okinawa on 7 April 1945 during Japanese Operation Ten-Go. Three Japanese destroyers are nearby.] It was bad. *Key Point:* It was a humiliating end for a battleship capable of twenty-seven knots, but the lack of fuel and other military resources made for truly desperate times. In early 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy made a difficult decision: it would sacrifice the largest, most powerful battleships eve... more »
The world is 'running out of sand', and it's fuelling murders, mafias and ecological devastation
Originally posted on COMMUNITY ACTION ALLIANCE FOR NSW (CAAN): HOUSING INEQUALITY WITH AUSSIES LOCKED OUT!: THIS REPORT also raises even more issues for Australia … our security! NOT only do we have Real Estate OVERDEVELOPMENT for the ‘foreign money laundering market’ of CHINA and INDIA BUT with this OVERDEVELOPMENT … NSW INC has ridden roughshod…
Is The Iraqi Prime Minister Working To Keep US Troops In The Country?
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi attends the funeral of the Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, and the Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed in an airstrike at Baghdad airport, in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani *Al-Monitor:* *Iraqi PM quietly working to keep US troops in country* Iraq’s caretaker prime minister privately does not want US troops to withdraw, several sources familiar with the situation told Al-Monitor, though Adel Abdul Mahdi publicly backed a recent parliame... more »
Sunday January 12th – Open Thread
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those … Continue reading →
Foreign Correspondent: Trump Blinks, But The Iran Conflict Continues
*A protest against a hike in fuel prices in Iran led to a popular uprising against the government in November 2019* *-by Reese Erlich* Trump blinked. After threatening to bomb military and cultural sites in Iran, President Donald Trump has apparently backed down on further escalation in his war with Iran. He tried to spin his decision as a U.S. victory, claiming his administration had made America safer by assassinating Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. Iran, in response to this killing, fired twenty-two ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Iraq, destroying a helicopter and... more »
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