10 pm MST
No One Should Ever Wish for North Korea's Collapse. Ever.
*Doug Bandow* *Security, Asia* What happens to their nuclear weapons and large military? *Key point:* The future is uncertain, and nowhere is that truer than regarding North Korea. Mile by mile and person by person, North Korea is the most destabilizing nation on earth. The small, poor and isolated country is building nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles. Americans who once felt invulnerable are worrying about the possibility of nuclear war. While most everyone agrees that something must be done about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, there is no consensus on w... more »
Adolf Hitler Could Have Won World War II. Here Is Why He Failed.
*Warfare History Network* *History, Europe* [image: https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2020%3Anewsml_RC2O5F9SIP22&share=true] Here is just one example. *Key point:* The Allies were disorganized and in disarray. However, Berlin would eventually make major strategic blunders such as invading the USSR. In May and June of 1940 the attacking Germans had a supreme authority, Hitler, and an army that—if skeptical, even in places traitorous—was subdued and followed orders with astonishing competence. The Allied leadership who faced this tested and, in Poland, vic... more »
History's Last Aircraft Carrier Battle Destroyed Ended Japan's Dreams of Empire
*Warfare History Network* *Security, Asia* The Battle of the Philippine Sea had been a resounding American victory against Japan. *Key point:* The Japanese losses were irreplaceable. The Philippine Sea encompasses two million square miles of the western part of the Pacific Ocean. It is bounded by the Philippine Islands on the west, the Mariana Islands on the east, the Caroline Islands to the south, and the Japanese Islands to the north. In the summer of 1944 it was the battleground of two great carrier strike forces. One of these belonged to Japanese Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa.... more »
A Great 3-Gun Competition Rifle? Meet The Daniel Defense DDM4V11
*Richard Douglas* *Security, * Just how good is this weapon? Since 2009, Daniel Defense has been making quality products in their M4 line of firearms. It all started with the desire to improve upon the AR platform. Daniel Defense has designed their own flash suppressors, muzzle brakes, handguards, barrels, furniture and more. They know a thing or two about building better ARs from the ground up. Today, the latest in the line is the Daniel Defense M4 Carbine V11. Chambered in 5.56x45mm, this carbine features a mid-length gas system. The barrel is 16 inches long, cold hammer forge... more »
This Picture Terrified China: The Navy Surfaced Three Submarines At Once
*David Axe* *Security, Asia* “In July 2010, three SSGNs surfaced nearly simultaneously in Western Pacific and Indian Ocean waters, allegedly to signal U.S. displeasure over Chinese missile tests in the East China Sea." *Key point: *America’s intent in the aftermath of the Chinese tests was to signal U.S. strength with just the right amount and kind of potential force. Nuclear powers rarely go to war with each other, but that doesn’t mean they don’t *threaten* to do so. Indeed, military posturing is an integral part of what Forrest Morgan, an analyst for the RAND Corporation, cal... more »
Donald Trump Wants Billions for Missile Defense. Is That a Bad Idea?
*Eric Gomez* *Security, Americas* [image: Israel's U.S.-backed Arrow-3 ballistic missile shield is seen during a series of live interception tests over Alaska, U.S., in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on July 28, 2019. Courtesy Israel Ministry of Defense via REUTERS] Technically inevitable, strategically a mess. The White House’s fiscal year 2021 budget request released earlier this month asks Congress for $20.3 billion for missile defense and defeat programs. Nearly half of the request ($9.2 billion) is for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The rest of the money will g... more »
Defeating Hitler: How What Became the CIA Smashed Nazi Germany Into Pieces
*Warfare History Network* *History, Americas* [image: https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2014%3Anewsml_GM1EA9Q1BHG01&share=true] A difficult mission. *Key point:* These special agents were the forerunners of the CIA. They played a very important role in fighting World War II. In utter silence, the saboteurs carefully wired their target for demolition. All knew even the slightest noise might alert sentries to their presence underneath the Occoquan Creek bridge in northern Virginia. Finally, with explosives and detonators in place, the team of infiltrators ... more »
See This F-35 Stealth Fighter? Russia Helped 'Create' It.
*Brad Howard* *Security, * Or inspire it. Here is how. *Key point: I*t’s almost certain that the data gleaned from the old Soviet VTOL project were most likely utilized in the development of the VTOL variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. For all the yelling and shouting over the Department of Defense’s much-maligned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, there’s an unusual, often overlooked footnote in the trillion-dollar project’s history: its origins as an experimental Soviet fighter that only fell into Lockheed Martin’s lap because a desperate Russian aerospace company neede... more »
This Photo Might Be the Real Start of World War II
*Michael Peck* *History, Europe* [image: Condor Legion's Junkers Ju 87A with Spanish Civil War rebel markings. Between 1936 and 1939. Biblioteca Virtual de Defensa.] And it was in a nation that technically was neutral. *Key point: *It belonged in a different era. A Mediterranean nation beset by military coup and civil war. A savage struggle marked by atrocities and fanaticism. Proxy war waged by outside nations pumping in men, weapons and money. Today’s Syria or Turkey? No, it’s sunny Spain, now a peaceful member of the European Union, but eighty years ago the arena for one of ... more »
DC Appeals Court Blocks Congressional Interference with Executive Branch
As of late, the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has been issuing rulings that reflect the constitutionaly-grounded, non-partisan thinking of the new judges being appointed post-Obama. Here is the latest example of this promising return to originalist jurisprudence: Vindication! Historic ruling on Don McGahn testimony BLOWS UP impeachment obstruction claim February 29, 2020 | Frieda Powers https://www.bizpacreview.com/2020/02/29/vindication-historic-ruling-on-don-mcgahn-testimony-blows-up-impeachment-obstruction-claim-892330?utm_campaign=bizpac&utm_content=Newslett... more »
"The Whole Root Of Our Trouble..."
"Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, the only fact we have. It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death - ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life." - James Baldwin, “The Fire Next Time”
TRUMP HAS SPENT A LIFETIME EVADING ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT I HOPE HE DODGES IT AGAIN ON THE CORONAVIRUS
Right-wingers regularly assert that critics of President Trump "want him to fail." I'll admit that I sometimes wish a mild recession would hit now (there'll be one eventually, and it would be better if it drove Trump from office). But when it comes to the coronavirus epidemic, I hope Trump avoids accountability for his mismanagement. He's compelling the federal government to focus primarily on downplaying whatever might embarrass him. He's minimizing the risks. There are reports that patients at risk aren't being tested: One man has locked himself in his Brooklyn apartment, trying ... more »
29 Feb 2020 Covid-19 Lockdown
Our Lockdown has begun. Continuation of the discussion of the Novel Corona Virus 2019-nCoV / SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. 29 Feb 2020 Continue reading →
"Why The Most Broken People Are Usually the Kindest"
*"Why the Most Broken People Are Usually the Kindest"* by Sherrie Hurd "It’s not the sheltered individual that becomes the nicest person in adulthood. It’s the broken people who have the kindest hearts. Trauma, heartache, and pain can hold us back if we let them, but they can make us stronger too. These experiences that create damaged people can also create kind and appreciative people as well. It’s because we don’t all fold under immense pressure and abuse. Sometimes, we grow and we actually heal. Yes, it is hard to heal, especially when pain or trauma repeats itself, but we can s... more »
Albanian Proverb
"When you have given nothing, ask for nothing." - Albanian Proverb
"Fukushima Update 2/29/20: 21,188.25 Hiroshima Bombs Today, More Tomorrow"
*"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”* - Shiva ◆ *Updated 2/29/20: Fukushima Equals 21,188.25 Hiroshima Bombs Today, More Tomorrow; There is No Place On Earth to Escape the Rad: *The 3 melted-through cores of the destroyed reactors, now melted together into a single "corium" totaling over *600 tons*, at Fukushima *daily* release the radioactive equivalent of 6.45 Hiroshima bombs directly into the atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean. As of 2/29/20 - 3,285 days since the disaster began - this equals the detonation of *21,188.25 *Hiroshima atomic bombs and it is still going s... more »
Hey Big Humphrey
One of the joys of blogging is being introduced to things you are completely unaware of by readers. I knew of the once-famous poet Stephen Spender (friend of Auden, whose collected poems I treated myself to a month back. Over 900 pages!) but I knew nothing of one of his brothers, Humphrey Spender (1910-2005) until Arthur T introduced me to him this weekend, telling me that, having studied architecture, Humphrey became a photographer working on the Mass Observation project. I've been reading up on him and looking at his remarkable photos of Bolton, Lancs (aka Worktown) and The P... more »
SpaceX’s Founder Elon Musk Tells The US Air Force That The Era Of Fighter Jets Is Ending
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, speaks with US Air Force Lieutenant General John Thompson, commander Space and Missile Systems Center commander at Space Pitch Day in San Francisco, California. US Air Force *CNBC: **Elon Musk tells a room full of Air Force pilots: ‘The fighter jet era has passed’* * Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk predicted Friday that the future of war would be carried out by autonomous drones and not by legacy aircraft. * “The fighter jet era has passed,” Musk said during a fireside chat with U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson at the Air Warfare Symposium in Orlan... more »
South Carolina Voters Need To Ask Themselves If Mayo Pete Respects African Americans?
I had dinner with civil rights icon Fergie Reid last night and we were discussing how both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders had backed the 90for90 voter registration initiative but how Mayo Pete's team had refused. I noted that Mayo's racism was hardly something new or unknown. Oddly, after having tried to get him to embrace the initiative, he finally did-- just hours after our dinner and hours before South Carolina primary day! A creation of intelligence agency spooks, did the Mayo campaign have our table bugged? I doubt it but it does seem like an act of desperation or, at lea... more »
BREAKING: How stagnant are our stagnant wages?
*SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020It all depends on what the meaning of "stagnant wages" is:* BREAKING: Children who are born today are destined to age very slowly—at exactly our-fourth the rate of everybody else! Also, Times subscribers continue to share and discuss the dating behavior of Lindsay Crouse's ex-boyfriend! You read it here and nowhere else! On today's page A3 (print editions only), the feature called "The Conversation" does indeed start as shown, in classic Groundhog Day fashion: *The Conversation* FOUR OF THE MOST READ, SHARED AND DISCUSSED POSTS FROM ACROSS NYTIMES.COM ... more »
Turkey, Russia agree to reduce tensions in Syria’s Idlib
Representatives of Russia and Turkey confirmed their goal at consultations on Syria in Ankara to reduce the tension in Idlib while continuing to fight terrorists, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The Russian delegation included Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and representatives of the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Turkish military propels militants to retake several areas in southern Idlib
BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:00 P.M.) – The Turkish military has provided close artillery support to the militant forces in the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate on Saturday, as the latter’s fighters have managed to already capture several sites along the western arm of the Al-Zawiya Mountain region. Led by the National Liberation Front (NLF), the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Israel plans to remove Iran from Syria in next 12 months: MoD
BEIURT, LEBANON (4:45 P.M.) – The Israeli Defense Minister, Naftali Bennett, said that the Israeli army aims to remove Iran from Syria within the next 12 months. Bennett made the remarks during an interview with the Jerusalem Post on Friday morning for which he made clear that the Israeli army set a specific and important […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Ansarallah forces score big advance in northern Yemen as they approach strategic city
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:00 P.M.) – The Ansarallah forces scored a new advance in northern Yemen on Saturday when their troops captured an imperative district in the Al-Jawf Governorate. According to the latest reports from the front, the Ansarallah forces have reached the city-center of the Al-Ghail District after capturing the mountains surrounding this area earlier […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Jihadists capture town in southern Idlib after launching new attack
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:00 P.M.) – The jihadist rebels and their Turkish-backed allies launched a heavy attack in southern Idlib on Saturday, following a series of strikes by the Turkish Armed Forces over the weekend. According to a report from the Idlib Governorate, the jihadist rebels and their Turkish-backed allies recaptured the town of Kafr ‘Awaid […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Syrian, Russian airstrikes resume in Idlib as tensions increase with Turkey
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:00 P.M.) – The Syrian and Russian air forces resumed their airstrikes over the Idlib Governorate on Saturday, following a tumultuous week in which the Turkish military carried out several attacks against the government troops. According to the latest reports from the Idlib Governorate, the Syrian and Russian air forces carried out several […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Ansarallah leader boasts of advanced missile arsenal, warns Saudi Arabia and UAE
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:40 P.M.) – The leader of the Ansarallah movement, Sayyed ‘Abdel-Malek Badreddine Al-Houthi, boasted on Friday about his group’s missile arsenal and aird defense capabilities, highlighting the fact that their capabilities greatly exceed the previous government. Al-Houthi said that “despite the blockade and the lack of financial resources, his group came to build […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Zombie Climate Science
Daily temperature data from NOAA’s United States Historical Climatology Network shows that US maximum temperatures last year were tied for second coolest on record with 1912. The only cooler year was 1993, which was affected by the eruption of Mt. … Continue reading →
NSIDC Cheating Again
DMI shows Arctic sea ice extent increasing over the past three days. Ocean and Ice Services | Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut But NSIDC graphs show it declining. Charctic Interactive Sea Ice Graph | Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis However, their … Continue reading →
Covid-19 Summary: "Oregon Officials Confirm Third Coronavirus Case 'Of Unknown Origin'; Risk Of 'Community Outbreak' Is High"
*"Oregon Officials Confirm Third Coronavirus Case* * 'Of Unknown Origin'; Risk Of 'Community Outbreak' Is High"* by Tyler Durden *S"ummary, Sat, 02/29/2020 - 06:12:* • Health authorities in Texas and Oregon report 12 new coronavirus cases in US • US coronavirus case total hits 63, 2nd case 'of unknown origin' confirmed • US issues travel advisory for Italy Italy says first case discovered in Lazio • China, SK release nightly figures • Google says employee who visited Zurich office has coronavirus • France confirms 57 cases • Italy reports 3 deaths in Lombardy; nat'l toll now 21; total ca... more »
Sides
It's turning into quite the day for culture warriors. (What's new?) My Twitter feed (which I keep as wide-ranging as possible) has divided very sharply. If you believe one camp, Sir Philip Rutnam represented the rotten heart of the Civil Service, presiding over disaster after disaster at the departments he ran. If you believe the opposing camp, he was the epitome of a decent public servant, a kind man of scrupulous integrity. One camp says that Sir Philip was bullied, the other that Priti Patel is the one really being bullied. One camp says his exit's an excellent thing, a win fo... more »
Research Paper On Alzheimers Disease Service
I just hadn’t known how to do that or what to create about. If your area has an open closet on either skilled crafting service facet an additional way to both enhance and disguise the factors in the closet is actually a shower curtain. They you should not cost a great deal even when you acquire the pole for it, and they occur in so a lot of versions that your dorm area can expand a identity just from that a person item! If you have a topic, like tropical fish or frogs, or even flowers or the sky, you’ll be capable to discover a curtain to match!You will need to ensure that your resum... more »
The threat of a nuclear war between the US and Russia is now at its greatest since 1983
[image: undefined] When the Commander of NATO says he is a fan of flexible first strike at the same time that NATO is flexing its military muscle on Russia’s border, the risk of inadvertent nuclear war is real. US Air Force Gen. Tod D Wolters told the Senate this week he “is a fan of flexible first strike” regarding NATO’s nuclear weapons, thereby exposing the fatal fallacy of the alliance’s embrace of American nuclear deterrence policy. It was one of the most remarkable yet underreported exchanges in recent Senate history. Earlier this week, during the testimony before the Senate... more »
Study Shows Accidental Overdoses on Massive Amounts of LSD Have Cured Mental Illness, Chronic Pain
[image: LSD]The results of several people accidentally taking massive amounts of LSD, as in 550 hits of acid, are nothing short of remarkable.
Trump signs a peace deal with the Taliban; Democrats will complain
Trump signed a deal to get out of Afghanistan which requires the Taliban to end terrorism. Odds are the same Democrats who critiqued Bush and Trump for their actions in Afghanistan will condemn this too. While there are reasons to be doubtful about the long term probability of the Taliban not trying to take over the country are small the US has shown that we can prevent terrorism even when we don't control the countries the terrorists are based in. Witness our taking out bin Laden in Pakistan. Hence it makes sense to end our 19 year war in Afghanistan and let the Afghani's return ... more »
Week in Review: UN drug chief ponders validity of cannabis control treaties, coronavirus effects on marijuana sector, US authorities loosen hemp testing rules & more
The United Nations narcotics enforcement agency president considers whether drug control treaties are outdated, experts share insights on how the coronavirus might affect the marijuana industry, MJ labs could see new opportunities in testing hemp – and more of the week’s top cannabis business news. UN drug chief questions drug control conventions The head of the […] Week in Review: UN drug chief ponders validity of cannabis control treaties, coronavirus effects on marijuana sector, US authorities loosen hemp testing rules & more is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial... more »
Original Heathrow High Court Judgement
By Paul Homewood h/t MrGrimNasty Just an interesting update on the Heathrow case. This is the original High Court judgement, which has been overturned by the Appeal Court: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/neil-richard-spurrier-othrs-v-the-secretary-of-state-for-transport-heathrow-judgments/ It is quite clear that the Paris Agreement does not form part of UK law. We must await the Appeal Court’s full […]
Bernie Sanders isn't a Denmark like socialist
In the past Denmark and other northern European countries like Sweden tried a socialist model like the one that Bernie is espousing. It was an unmitigated disaster. From 1970 to 1995 the Swedish economy didn't generate a single private sector job. As a result countries abandoned what Bernie wants and became more like what Trump wants. For example Sweden has twice as many billionaires per capita as the US does. Did you know that in Denmark the top 10% pay 26% of all taxes, in Sweden it's 27%? That's very Trumpian and very much not what Bernie wants since today in the US, where Ber... more »
This Day In Iraqi History - Feb 29
1984 Iran reached outskirts of Qurna Basra Sent in all its reserves to hold captured area in Basra Iraq counterattacked using chemical weapons (Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs) (Musings On Iraq book review of *Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986*) 1987 Iranian night attack captured areas east of Basra city Destroyed 4 Iraqi brigades and 45 tanks 1988 Iraq fired new Hussein missiles at Tehran Started 52 days straight of 3-4 Hussein missiles hitting Tehran each day Iraq started night bombing missions on Tehran Qom Shiraz ... more »
President Trump Nominates Congressman John Ratcliffe To Be Director Of National Intelligence For A Second Time
*NBC:* *Trump nominates Rep. John Ratcliffe to be intel chief — again* *Trump wanted the Texas congressman as director of national intelligence in 2019 but backed off when Ratcliffe was shown to have inflated his resume.* WASHINGTON — In what amounts to a direct challenge to Senate Republicans, President Donald Trump announced Friday that his pick to head the intelligence community is the same Republican congressman whose previous bid for the job collapsed amid revelations he misrepresented his background. Trump tweeted that he was nominating Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas to be th... more »
BWorld 414, GDP and electricity demand
* My article in BusinessWorld last Tuesday, February 24, 2020. Last week I attended three lectures. First the talk of Fritz Ocampo, Chief Investment Officer of Banco de Oro (BDO), titled “The Philippines: back on track” on the evening of Feb. 20 sponsored by the Rotary Club of Rizal West (RCRW) and held at the Elks Club, Makati. I was invited by a former clubmate, Past President Patty Michener. Then, on Feb. 20 and 21, media briefings by the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) and Department of Energy (DoE), respectively. Fritz is a dynamic guy who se... more »
Will the Democrats Be Issuing Spray Cans Full of The Laboratory-Made CoronaVirus To ANTIFA For Use On Trump Supporters?”
Yes, Of Course They Will. That’s Coming Next… Opinion By “Deplorable” Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen Trump supporters had best stock up on “Not Made in China” Vitamin C and start taking it immediately. Just like when airplane passengers pop a little bag full of Emergen-C into a glass of water and drink it down before … Continue reading Will the Democrats Be Issuing Spray Cans Full of The Laboratory-Made CoronaVirus To ANTIFA For Use On Trump Supporters?”
NSW Supreme Court call police to investigate threatening hoax phone call to journalist Shane Dowling
The NSW Supreme Court CEO Chris D’Aeth has made a formal complaint to the police in relation to a threatening phone call, as per below, I received from a person who said […]
The COVID-19 Hoax: It's not about getting sick
The dishonest #FakeNews media ran headlines claiming that Trump said that the COVID-19 virus was a hoax. That's a lie. What Trump said was the Democrats attack on him which blames him for a disease that started in China is a hoax. Here's what Trump said about this story: *“Let’s get this right: A virus starts in China, makes its way into various countries all around the world, doesn’t spread widely at all in the United States because of the early actions that myself and my administration took against a lot of other wishes. And the Democrats’ single talking point and you see it is ... more »
Covid-19, Some reflections
Some random notes here about the ongoing Corona Virus Disease 2019 (CoVid-19), previously called novel CoVi (nCov). 1. Many governments around the world seem to be busy with various mundane concerns when deep health and econ troubles are staring at them frontally. See the DOH and even WHO, pushing drug price control of innovator drugs, penalizing creators of newly invented medicines when it's precisely those innovator drugs we need to address new diseases. They are busy regulating products blamed for non-infectious, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) when real dangers are infectious ... more »
Dean Koontz, Tom Clancy, Hugo Gernsback: Novelists Who Predicted Future Events
By now many of you’ve read about Dean Koontz’s 1981 thriller, “The Eyes of Darkness”, and its eerie prediction of today’s coronavirus outbreak: Koontz is not the first 20th century novelist to predict future events with remarkable accuracy. Perhaps the best-known such author is Tom Clancy (who created the character Jack Ryan). Clancy’s ability to foresee geopolitical actions and military strikes led to his being background-checked by the FBI, and his consideration for an advisory position in the GHW Bush White House. Here are a few of Clancy’s best-known insights: 1. September 11th: ... more »
Top Civil Servant next to go?
Did Sir Mark Sedwill #DeepState Top Civil Servant authorise the 5G Killer Radiation Grid on UK residential Streets? A Crime Against Humanity. More The post Top Civil Servant next to go? appeared first on The Duran.
Let’s Scrub Away Climate Change
Ross McKitrick says Jeff Bezos has put enough money on the table to vanish climate change concerns, except for those who won’t let go. He writes at Financial Post: It’s never enough with climate activists — even a staggering $10 billion from Jeff Bezos. Excerpts in italics with my bolds. Observers might conclude activists don’t […]
Donald Trump Won the 2016 Election Thanks to Hulk Hogan?
*R. Tyson Smith* *Politics, * Trump's connections to professional wrestling run deep, and, even if he isn’t consciously drawing from the professional wrestling playbook, at the very least he intuitively understands its performative power – its ability to enrapture audiences, tell a story and dominate headlines. During a panel at Harvard several years ago on press and the presidency, political journalist Jessica Yellin described Donald Trump’s conflict with the press as “WWF, media edition: In one corner, Donald Trump, defending the anti-institutionalist position, fighting the eli... more »
5 Ways China Has Turned Pakistan Into a Military Monster
*Charlie Gao* *Security, * India should be worried. As Pakistan’s relationship has soured with the United States in the past two decades, Pakistan’s armed forces have largely looked towards Chinese suppliers for equipment. While China has long supplied Pakistan’s armed forces, the relationship has deepened in recent years, with Pakistan making major purchases of top-of-the-line Chinese export equipment. Here are some of the most powerful weapons China has sold or licensed to Pakistan. *1. Nuclear Weapons Program* The acquisition of nuclear weapons in the 1990s is considered to ... more »
Coronavirus is Scary. But The World's First Pandemic Might Have Killed 50 Million People.
*Sebastien Roblin* *Health, * "The dead were so numerous, graveyards overflowed." Justinian I was a man with a mission. The son of Thracian peasants (modern-day Albania), he rose through the ranks due to a combination of merit and family connections to become Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527AD. He ordered the construction of the iconic Hagia Sophia cathedral in Constantinople and wrote a Code of Law that’s considered a foundational document in Western legal tradition. But his greatest ambition was nothing less than reuniting the shattered remnants of the Roman Empire. Back... more »
Why Does DARPA Want To Turn Earth’s Atmosphere Into a Surveillance Sensor?
*Michael Peck* *Security, * What does that mean? Why does the U.S. military want to turn the Earth’s atmosphere into a sensor? DARPA, the Pentagon’s pet research agency, says the Atmosphere as a Sensor (AtmoSense) program is meant to detect natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and asteroid strikes. But DARPA is a military research organization, which raises the question of what else this research can be used for. The theory behind AtmoSense is that natural events occur that aren’t detected because there is no continuous global surveillance system to spot them. No... more »
Here's Eight Of the Best Books on World War II
*Warfare History Network* *History, * [image: Loss of the U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23), 24 October 1944: Smoke rises from an explosion in Princeton's hangar deck at 1005 hrs. on 24 October 1944, shortly after she was hit by a Japanese bomb while operating off the Philippine] Fitting tributes to the greatest generation. The Japanese superbattleship *Musashi* was steaming east along with a fleet of other battleships, cruisers, and destroyers on their way toward what was expected to be a climactic battle at Leyte Gulf. At 8:10 am on October 24, 1944, Musa... more »
Bring the Lightning: How to Solve the U.S. Navy's Aircraft Carrier Problem
*Samuel Arlington Page* *Security, * The implementation of a Lightning Carrier Strike Group is the stopgap solution for the US Navy’s carrier problem. A cursory search of news media reveals a startling secret: America is having a hard time getting its aircraft carriers to sea. A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is a large, complex piece of machinery that requires time-consuming maintenance. While the U.S. Navy attempted to keep a balanced schedule of rotating deployments and overhauls, that schedule quickly unraveled last year as the *USS Truman* (CVN-75) suffered major electric... more »
Here's the Reason why Russian Aircraft Keep Dying In Syria
*Sebastien Roblin* *Security, * Does Putin have a problem on his hands? Just two months after the Russian Aerospace Force (VKS) was formed by merging the tactical air force and air defense forces, Putin announced the deployments of dozens of combat aircraft to Syria in a bid to prop up the faltering regime of strongman Bashar al-Assad. Five years of relentless bombardment tilted the course of the war in Assad’s favor—and continues to do so today as heavy bombing paves the way for Assad’s forces to crush the last major rebel stronghold in Idlib province—if it doesn’t trigger Turk... more »
Does the U.S. Intelligence Community Fear Donald Trump?
*Paul R. Pillar* *Security, Americas* [image: Reuters] This set of problems in intelligence-policy relations has taken a distinct turn for the worse in the presidency of Donald Trump for several reasons. One reason is that Trump’s presidency, far more than any previous U.S. presidency within memory, is built on lies. The relationship between U.S. intelligence agencies and policymakers has long had built-in tension. The agencies’ very reason for existence entails a commitment to objectivity and to describing reality accurately whether or not that description suits the wishes of wh... more »
Did One Missile Win the Yom Kippur War for Israel?
*Charlie Gao* *Security, * One missile could do all of that? Israel’s 1973 war, otherwise known as the Yom Kippur War, cemented the country’s reputation as a military juggernaut in the region. Despite efforts by Arab armies to modernize and reform their military forces, the Israel Defense Forces scored a decisive military victory, repelling all attacks and gaining territory on some fronts. In the air, the Israeli Air Force proved dominant, scoring double the kill ratio they had during the 1967 war. They achieved this despite the delivery of modern surface-to-air missile (SAM) sy... more »
No Panic Here: I Am in South Korea Watching the Coronavirus Spread.
*Robert E. Kelly* *Health, * The good news is that there is no panic. The western media coverage of this has flirted with sensationalism, talking about corona as ‘spiraling’ or being ‘out of control.’ This is unfair. South Korea now has the unhappy distinction of being the country with the worst novel corona outbreak in the world after China. The national response has been fascinating to watch. It took awhile for the government to take COVID-19 as seriously as it should have, and the opposition press has been relentless in its criticism. But there is now a widespread social earne... more »
Donald Trump: The World's Most Famous Twitter Addict?
*James A. Roberts* *Politics, Americas* Could it be true? We looked at the evidence. Is President Trump a Twitter addict? He may not know – but he could find out, as could members of the general public concerned about their own use of social media. Addiction, whether it’s to drugs, alcohol, exercise, sex or social media, is best understood as continuing a behavior despite its negative consequences for you and others around you. And, yes, people can be addicted to behaviors like tweeting. Anything that produces pleasure in a person’s brain can lead to addiction. For a new editi... more »
AH-64 Apache Killer? Russia Is Arming Its Helicopters With Air-to-Air Missiles
*Michael Peck* *Security, * Nothing to worry about? Russia is arming its newest attack helicopter with air-to-air guided missiles. The Mi-28NM “Night Hunter” will be armed with the same R-74M heat-seeking missiles designed for advanced jet fighters, according to Russian media. But some experts warn that the United States armed its helicopters with anti-aircraft missiles during the Cold War, and that using choppers for air combat isn’t as easy as it looks. “The latest Russian Mi-28NM attack helicopter will turn into a fighter capable of handling enemy aircraft, drones and cruise... more »
"The U.S. Is Waging War on China" - and How Other Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Are Causing Problems
*Daniel Jolley, Pia Lamberty* *Health, World* Here's why there can be severe consequences. The novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, with new cases being reported all the time. Spreading just as fast, it seems, are conspiracy theories that claim powerful actors are plotting something sinister to do with the virus. Our research into medical conspiracy theories shows that this has the potential to be just as dangerous for societies as the outbreak itself. One conspiracy theory proposes that the coronavirus is actually a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA as a way t... more »
Idlib Updates: Strawmen, Ridicule and Blood Lust Not Included.
* Does it make sense to believe this bombing was some type of warning to Turkey to "end it's ways" As some are suggesting? Perhaps? Or, not. If not, why? * - *1- This is a really bad way to send a message to a nation with a much larger army.* - *2 -This kind of action puts you and your ally ( Russia) in a very unflattering spotlight & perception does matter* - * US, UK, France, others attack Russia, Syria* *Is that what "friends" do to "friends"? **Especially if these types of actions can be used to create a justification for intervention. As mentioned here:*Idli... more »
Full Plate Today Empty Plate Tomorrow
February 27, 2020 Today's Full Plate Is Tomorrow's Empty Plate *(Italy Grocery Stores Empty Shelves From coronavirus Panic Shopping)* By Susan Duclos - All News PipeLine For those that still think that food could never become an issue in the U.S., those I refer to as "zombified," we will start this article with proof that food is already an issue. Not only food in grocery stores in countries already panicked by Coronavirus, but the largest of Emergency Survival Food companies are running out of some of their most sought after products. Make no mistake, many of these product... more »
Thousands Of Migrants Swarm The Greek And Bulgarian Border
*Daily Mail:* *First 18,000 Syrian refugees cross Greek border amid fresh tear gas clashes with guards after Turkish president Erdogan vowed to open doors to Europe and KEEP them open* * Turkish President Erdogan said he would not close the gates for migrants seeking refuge in Europe * The drastic shift comes after Turkey lost 33 military personnel during an offensive in Idlib on Thursday * Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols throughout the night and into Saturday * The move is seen as a way of influencing European powers to help to resolve the ongoin... more »
Untitled
From Jenna Orkin Whistleblower: Personnel handled coronavirus evacuees without proper training or gear *What this story doesn't tell you: Travis Air Force Base, where untrained medical personnel were sent to handle the first American evacuees from China, is in Solano County CA, north of San Francisco, only a few miles down the toad from Vacaville, home of the first unsourced US coronavirus victim. - Peter Dale Scott* Sanders Can Beat Trump - Here's the Math - NYTimes 'The OAS Has a Lot to Answer For': New MIT Study Disputes Key Claim That Paved Way for Right-Wing Coup in BoliviaQuest... more »
Can a French Touch Pierce a Neo-Orwellian Farce?
It’s quite fitting that the – imperially pre-determined – judicial fate of Julian Assange is being played out in Britain, the home of George Orwell. As chronicled by the painful, searing reports of Ambassador Craig Murray, what’s taking place in Woolwich Crown Court is a sub-Orwellian farce with Conradian overtones: the horror…the horror…, remixed for the Raging Twenties. The heart of our moral darkness is not in the Congo: it’s in a dingy courtroom attached to a prison, presided by a lowly imperial lackey.
Weekend reads: A big change in China; revealing a paper mill; plagiarism detection put to the test
Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: a letter about coronavirus retracted from a Lancet journal because … Continue reading Weekend reads: A big change in China; revealing a paper mill; plagiarism detection put to the test
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. - Joseph Stiglitz writes about the need to cultivate solidarity as an alternative to neoliberal selfishness. And Chuck Collins reminds us how the very existence of billionaires represents both a profound failure of public policy, and a cause of distortions at the whims of those who have far too much. - Meanwhile, Pete Evans reports on the failure of a bond system to provide any effective response to the coronavirus. And Patrick Condon discusses how the influence of the financial sector is making housing unaffordable. - PressProgress high... more »
US And Taliban Signs Historic Deal To End The War In Afghanistan. All American Troops Will Leave Within 14 Months
*Daily Mail:* *US and Taliban sign peace deal that will send ALL American troops home in 14 months and pave way to end of 18-year Afghanistan war* * Pompeo was on hand for signing of the historic peace deal with the Taliban on Saturday in Doha, Qatar * Deal paves the way for a full US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 14 months if conditions are met * Taliban agrees to steps to ensure Afghanistan doesn't once again become a safe-haven for terrorists * America has been at war in Afghanistan for 18 years since invasion after the 9/11 terror attacks * Announcement of peace deal c... more »
Assange: Report on rigged court in London
Attorneys for WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange are citing a 20-year-old extradition treaty between the US and UK at day four of the embattled journalist's extradition hearing. The treaty prohibits extradition for political offenses. Former UK MP and friend of Julian Assange George Galloway discusses the implications.
Hasen's Timely Warning
For the symposium on Richard L. Hasen, Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy (Yale University Press, 2020). Rick Hasen delivers a warning with a real punch in *Election Meltdown*. This is an essential account of the problems with our electoral system just in time for the 2020 election cycle. I’m certainly going to have my students read it when I teach voting rights this fall. Hasen, a well-known expert in election law, identifies four critical dangers facing American democracy: voter suppression, instances of incompetence by both parties ... more »
Trump 'to meet Taliban leaders' after US signs deal on pulling troops out of Afghanistan
Just In - 14 hours ago
The deal on troop withdrawals could pave the way for a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan and represent a step toward ending the 18-year war.
Malaysia's Mahathir loses bid to return as prime minister
Just In - 14 hours ago
Malaysia's king appoints seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as the new Prime Minister, trumping Mahathir Mohamad's bid to return to power after his resignation last week.
Actresses walk out as Roman Polanski wins best director at 'French Oscars'
Just In - 14 hours ago
Fugitive director Roman Polanski's win at the Cesar awards is met with booing and a walkout by some actresses attending the ceremony in Paris.
Israel Announces Coronavirus Vaccine Within Three Months
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - The announcement was made by David Zigdon, CEO of the Galilee Research Institute (Migal), located in Galilee, Israel. Zigdon held a press conference on Thursday, February 27th, along with his team, to announce progress in the research. According to the scientist, the team has been working tirelessly on the development […] The post Israel Announces Coronavirus Vaccine Within Three Months appeared first on The Rio Times.
Lula Institute Case: Defense Claims ‘Document Manipulation’
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - The defense counsel for ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presented new allegations on Wednesday, February 26th, in addition to its closing arguments in the case in which the leftist is charged with receiving R$12 (US$3) million in Odebrecht kickbacks, in connection with the purchase of a plot of land […] The post Lula Institute Case: Defense Claims ‘Document Manipulation’ appeared first on The Rio Times.
Brazil’s Government Reports R$44 Billion Surplus, Best January in Historical Series
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - The Federal Government's cash flow recorded a primary surplus of R$44.124 (US$11.031) billion in January, the best performance for the month in the historical series, which began in 1997, according to the National Treasury. The result, which includes the Treasury, Social Welfare and Central Bank accounts, reversed the R$14.637 billion […] The post Brazil’s Government Reports R$44 Billion Surplus, Best January in Historical Series appeared first on The Rio Times.
Genome of New Virus That Infected Brazilian Is Sequenced in São Paulo
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - The Adolfo Lutz Institute, together with the Institute of Tropical Medicine of the University of São Paulo and Oxford University, have sequenced the genome of the new coronavirus that infected a Brazilian man. The research was supported by the APESP (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation) and the Medical Research […] The post Genome of New Virus That Infected Brazilian Is Sequenced in São Paulo appeared first on The Rio Times.
Cops Mistake 86yo Korean War Vet & Wife for Bank Robbers, Hold Them at Gunpoint, Almost Kill Them
[image: mistake]As the duo of great-grandparents pulled out of the bank, they were swarmed by cops by mistake who thought they were bank robbers and nearly shot.
Sound Familiar?
Teachers' strikes continue to roil Ontario. The basic issue: Doug Ford wants to employ fewer teachers. After all, if you cut the payroll, you save money. To achieve those savings, Ford proposes to increase class sizes and mandate online learning. He has recently been handed a report on what Ontarians think of larger classes and mandated online learning. But he refuses to release the report. Martin Regg Cohn writes: My Toronto Star colleague Kristin Rushowy has revealed the results of the latest government survey that Premier Doug Ford tried to keep secret. Bad enough that his Prog... more »
Bog Standard Bots or Spook Bots?
Well, some of you may have noticed that this site has been down for the last 48 hours. But you will now notice that it is back up. Which is good. The site became the victim of some kind of Malware attack from the Bots, but thankfully it’s now cleansed and hopefully more secure. Was this the work of Spook Bots, intent on disabling the site because of its investigations and the insightful thoughts from many wonderful commentators? Possibly. Or […]
"Hey, It’s Not Just Corona Virus"
*"Hey, It’s Not Just Corona Virus"* by Jim Kunstler "Whatever the Democratic Party is infected with may be worse than covid-19. The symptoms presented point to a rare illness known as kuru. By now, we all understand that diseases easily jump between continents in this era of incessant air travel. The National Institutes of Health’s MedlinePlus bulletin has this to say about it: "Kuru is found among people from New Guinea who practiced a form of cannibalism in which they ate the brains of dead people as part of a funeral ritual. This practice stopped [allegedly] in 1960, but cases o... more »
Bon Voyage Regis!
*Embracing an old tree in Yalta, Crimea, Russia last fall (Photo by Regis Tremblay)* Our friend Regis Tremblay is moving to Yalta, Crimea. He has decided to make a new life there and take his film making skills to Russia. Part of his goal is to make films that reveal to Americans that Russians are just ordinary people - they love their children, they love to eat and drink, they love to laugh, they love their nation. We will miss Regis. He's done much to support our peace work over the years here in Maine by making films and helping us to expand our audience around our work at BI... more »
Onwards!
So Lord Justice Singh sang from the same hymnbook as Mr Justice Supperstone and Mrs Justice Lang and rejected David Keighley's bid for a judicial review into the BBC's methods of measuring impartiality. The judges ruled that the BBC can use opinion polls as proof of their impartiality, if they so choose, as there's nothing in the BBC Charter to legally prevent them from so doing. Moreover, the judges ruled that such audience surveys are actually a rational means of measuring impartiality. They also ruled that the BBC isn't obliged by law to adopt any particular methodology. "Thi... more »
Star Trek Feels The Bern
….And smells it too….. As the video creator states… “It Wrote Itself.” ~Terry
A Psychiatrist Explains How Trump’s ‘True Believers’ All Share One Thing
*Ronald W. Pies* *Politics, Americas* [image: Reuters] Care to make a guess? When Donald Trump gave “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.” Hoffer had no academic training, having worked mainly as a longshoreman. He wrote “The True Believer” in reaction to the rise of fascism, Nazism and communism. Against all odds, the book became a best-seller. Hoffer shrewdly analyzed the forces that spark nationalist and totalitarian movements. The irony of Trump’s “true believers” remark probably escaped both the president and his audience. As a psychiatrist, I’m in... more »
Russia Now Has 'Cruise-Missile Killer' Missiles
*Charlie Gao* *Security, * The S-350 could be quite dangerous. On February 26, Russian’s VKS took their first delivery of the new S-350 “Vityaz” surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. The S-350 has received increasingly intense media coverage through 2019 as it came closer to entering service. The majority of this has focused on the S-350s anti-cruise missile capability. However, the S-350’s adoption has interesting implications for the role of the S-400 in Russian air defense. The primary missile that the S-350 will fire is the 9M96, or variants thereof. The same missile can also... more »
Is America Ready for Sultan Donald Trump?
*Henry F. Carey* *Politics, Americas* [image: Reuters] By many accounts, the next generation of Trumps and in-laws are impressive. Family is important to Donald Trump. The president-elect has appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a senior White House adviser. For the duration of the presidency, the real estate mogul has handed over the reins of his company to two of his sons Donald and Eric (and the CFO Allen Weisselberg). His children have played important roles in the election campaign; in transition reviews of new appointments; and have even participated in meetings with ... more »
Fact: LSD And Aircraft Carriers Don't Mix (The Navy Found Out the Hard Way)
*Jeff Schogol* *Security, * A sailor assigned to the nuclear reactor department aboard the USS Ronald Reagan admitted to bringing LSD aboard the aircraft carrier. *Key point: *The military sometimes has discipline problems. A sailor assigned to the nuclear reactor department aboard the USS Ronald Reagan admitted to bringing LSD aboard the aircraft carrier, Navy Times reports. In a copy of a plea deal obtained by Navy Times, Machinist's Mate (Nuclear Power) 3rd Class Philip S. Colegrove said he "wrongfully" brought the powerful hallucinogen aboard the Reagan while docked at vario... more »
Hitler's Super Warship: Was the Battleship Bismarck Really Supposed To Be Invincible?
*Warfare History Network* *History, Europe* [image: Bismarck in port in Hamburg. 24 August 1940. Bundesarchiv.] Sinking the Bismarck myth. In 1960 Twentieth Century Fox released the film Sink the Bismarck! Based on C.S. Forrester’s bestselling book The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck, the documentary-style film tells a gripping and reasonably factual account of the most famous sea chase in history. In an early scene, German Fleet Admiral Günther Lütjens addresses the crew of the battleship as they head out to the Atlantic. With the typically bellicose posturing usually portrayed ... more »
America And Russia Almost Ended The World 5 Times
*Tom Nichols* *Security, * Did mere luck help us avoid catastrophe? *Key point: *At some point, luck runs out. An international “crisis” is the anxious space between peace and war. It is defined by three things: time, threat, and the likelihood of violence. The shorter the time, the greater the sense of threat to important interests, and the greater the chance of physical harm, the more intense the crisis. By definition, it cannot go on indefinitely: like the analogous medical term, it’s the point at which things must get better or worse. The July crisis of 1914 lasted only week... more »
'White Fright' Fueled Donald Trump's White House Win
*Christopher Sebastian Parker* *Politics, Americas* [image: Reuters] What drew white voters to Donald Trump? Many presidents have assumed the reins of a divided nation, but we’ve never seen anything like the reaction to Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential election. It didn’t happen to Richard Nixon while the country was bitterly split over race and war. Half of the country believed Al Gore was cheated out of his shot at the White House in 2000, but the run-up to George W. Bush’s presence in the Oval Office offered nothing like what we are seeing now. President Barack Obama, by ... more »
Saturday Snippet: Cossack patriotic overkill
In 1835, Nikolai Gogol published his famous work *Taras Bulba*. It's an over-the-top patriotic panegyric to the Cossack people and culture of the time, wildly exaggerated, but very popular ever since. Wikipedia says of it: The main character is based on several historical personalities, and other characters are not as exaggerated or grotesque as was common in Gogol's later fiction. The story can be understood in the context of the Romantic nationalism movement in literature, which developed around a historical ethnic culture which meets the Romantic ideal. Initially published ... more »
Syria News Links 28-29 February 2020
29 February 2020 — The New Dark Age There may be some duplication due to cross-posting and may be updated throughout the day, so please check back Russia, Turkey confirm goal to reduce tension in Syria’s Idlib https://tass.com/politics/1125125 War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/29/turk-f29.html Syria war: Refugees eye Europe … Continue reading Syria News Links 28-29 February 2020
Iran News Links 28-29 February 2020
29 February 2020 — The New Dark Age There may be some duplication due to cross-posting and may be updated throughout the day, so please check back The fall of the U.S. empire and the coming economic crash https://seeyouin2020.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-fall-of-us-empire-and-coming.html Turkey & Syria on brink of WAR in Idlib: How did it come to this? Latest situation … Continue reading Iran News Links 28-29 February 2020
Turkish Sultan-In-Chief Goes Wild, Threatens Putin, Claims Thousands Of Syrian Troops Were Killed
Erdogan claimed that the operation in Idlib is not a gamble and is not an attempt to expand Turkish border. The Turkish President added that Turkish forces entered the region under a request from the “Syrian people” (i.e. al-Qaeda terrorists that use civilians as human shields) and Turkey will not leave the area until the “people” request this (i.e. Turkey wants to occupy the region).
THE VIRUS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD ECONOMY
The next two weeks will be crucial in determining whether or not the corona virus, which has spread beyond China, will be classified as a pandemic. Even if it has not, the fact that is has infected hundreds of thousands of people, means it is now established in the human race. Therefore, it is not this winter, but next winter, which will determine how virulent it is. In the meantime, the virus has already sent the markets into intensive care.
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