[Guardian] Flooding due to a burst water main forced the suspension of international flight arrivals at New York’s John F Kennedy international airport on Sunday, adding to the misery of travelers after a "bomb cyclone" winter storm canceled or delayed hundreds of flights.
Water poured from the ceiling on to a check-in counter and covered large areas of the floor of Terminal 4, video on CNN showed. The disruption occurred while the US north-east continued to endure bone-chilling weather with the New York temperature at 17F (-8C).
International flights to Terminal 4 were suspended and passengers who had already arrived there were diverted to other terminals, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. The airport advised travelers to check with their airlines before arriving.
The Port Authority said the burst water pipe appeared to be weather related. Flights later resumed but with delays, it said.
#1
Red Oak covered bridge near Gay, Georgia. It was constructed prior to the Civil War and still in use today. My how times they have changed. But what does this have to do with JFK airport you might ask.
#2
This story reminds me of te movie "Fifth Element" when the fake "Corban Dallas" show up and the ticket booth op says "Sorry about the mess!"
But then everything reminds me of movies, reality is overrated.
#3
Are the guys always happy in Gay?
Are their skies always blue, never gray?
Are the bars full of stars
Who race clay-orange cars
Through the backwoods of western GA?
Not that there'd be anything wrong with that. Serious points taken, as always. Mildly amazing these days to see such vulnerable old structures unburned (or even, apparently, covered with graffiti). Gotta see that in person.
[All Africa] Egyptian prosecutors have ordered the detention of a little-known female singer over a racy video posted online, the second female singer to face legal action within a month.
The prosecutors charged Laila Amer with violating public decency and inciting debauchery in the video, titled "Bos Omak," or "Look at Your Mother" a pun on a popular Arabic profanity. She was incarcerated You have the right to remain silent... Wednesday.
Amer appears in the three-minute clip belly dancing and making provocative gestures. It shows her playing a downtrodden housewife complaining to her husband about his bossy mother.
Lawyer Ahmed Mahran, who filed a complaint with authorities over the video, said the clip contributed to "destroying morality and disseminating vice."
Egypt's musicians union cancelled Amer's membership and said in a statement that her video was "an insult to the Egyptian people," according to the state-run al-Ahram newspaper.
Last month, Shaimaa Ahmed, another female singer whose stage name is Shima, faced similar charges and was sentenced to two years in prison, which was reduced to one year on appeal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2018 00:00 ||
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[All Africa] FORMER Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo has torched a storm after claiming opposition MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai is terminally ill and was taken advantage of by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Tsvangirai, two years ago, went public and announced that he was suffering from colon cancer. Since then, he has been in and out of hospital in neighbouring South Africa.
Mnangagwa paid Tsvangirai a surprise visit on one of the most poignant moments in his two months old regime following his take over from former President Bob Muggsy Mugabe Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win.... on the back of a military coup in November.
But Moyo, one of the biggest casualties of the military coup and now said to be holed up in Kenya after reportedly escaping death by a whisker said Mnangagwa's visit was unAfrican.
"There is no public relations coup and no history. It is ambulance chasing propaganda for the optics of exploiting a terminally ill political rival. The propaganda is cynical, crude, desperate and unAfrican.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2018 00:00 ||
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[All Africa] Zim-bob-we's Agriculture Minister Perrance Shiri has reportedly ordered an audit of former president Bob Muggsy Mugabe Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win.... 's "multiple farms", with a view to redistributing all but one of the farms.
According to NewsDay, the move was in line with the country's one farm per family policy.
"Minister Shiri has ordered, through our directors, that we compile a full list of the former first family's farms and we are already doing it," a source in the lands department told the paper.
The Mugabes were understood to own at least 14 game reserves frequented by wealthy western golfers and safari goers farms totalling around 16 000 hectares, the report said.
It had been thought that the former first family - particularly Mugabe - would escape probes by the new government.
Last week, the Zim-bob-wean government laid out in an official notice, Mugabe's benefits after he was forced to resign last month.
First class air travel on four foreign trips per year; private houses and a veritable army of aides and domestic staff, were some of the nonagenarian's benefits.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Eighteen holes after brekkie, safari in the late afternoon, and sundowners by the Falls at elegant Elephant Hills. You'll be spoiled by the spoils.
[All Africa] Academics at the University of Zim-bob-we have petitioned the anti-corruption commission to investigate the "suspicious" way in which former first lady Grace Mugabe was awarded a doctorate four years ago.
The academics from the university's sociology department say they were "shocked" when Grace Mugabe emerged among the doctoral candidates in 2014.
"This was a shock to many members of the department as most members never (saw) or heard about the proposal, progress reports, thesis examiners and outcome of such a study by the candidate," reads part of the petition, quoted by the private Zim-bob-we Independent.
"The awarding of the degree has therefore not gone through processes that other candidates are subjected to which makes the awarding of the degree very suspicious," the petition adds.
Grace Mugabe was capped by her husband, then president Bob Muggsy Mugabe Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win.... , in August 2014 when he was still chancellor of the university. She appeared in the red academic gown and black cap for the doctorate of philosophy degree beside the then vice president, Joice Mujuru, who also received a doctorate.
Mujuru's doctoral thesis has subsequently been released into the public domain, but Grace's thesis has never been made available.
At the time Grace was reported to have enrolled for the doctorate just three months before it was awarded. Prominent graduates of the university, which has a distinguished track record, were outraged. The late Zim-bob-wean author, Chenjerai Hove at the time wrote to the university's vice chancellor, Levi Nyagura saying the university's decision to give a doctorate to Grace had reduced its degrees to "a laughing stock".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Which only means she's eligible for the next NFL draft.
[POLITICO] If the left-leaning nationalist wins Mexico's presidency, it could boost tensions over immigration, trade and border security.
MEXICO CITY — Andrés Manuel López Obrador's campaign rhetoric can make him sound like a Mexican Donald Trump.
The left-leaning front-runner in Mexico’s presidential race is overtly nationalistic, pushes “Mexican people first” policies and peppers his speeches with anti-establishment slogans that thrill the working-class Mexicans who flock to his rallies.
But while his style might be distinctly Trumpian, his policy prescriptions could not be more different. Indeed, the election of the former mayor of Mexico City could be disastrous for Trump and his administration, creating an even more charged relationship between the two countries that could reduce cooperation on border security, trade and immigration.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Because I think there’s a predisposition to want to strengthen and improve the relationship with the United States,” Jim Jones, U.S. ambassador to Mexico in the Clinton administration, told POLITICO. “But if they are so insulted and denigrated, the Mexican people will react and the Mexican politicians will react in favor of the Mexican voters.”
So we have to kiss Mexico's ass? Nope. No. Since when does Mexico want to improve relations? They blame all their problems on us. Not surprising a Clintonian is advocating bending over backwards for people who detest us. We don't do this any more.
Posted by: Herb McCoy7309 ||
01/08/2018 2:45 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah, Make Mexico Great Again (so you don't have to dump millions of your citizens on El Norte to avoid reform or revolution).
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/08/2018 10:00 Comments ||
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#5
Like Venezuela -ample raw materials and riches in oil, yet the place suffers a 3rd world leftist/communist shithole kleptocracy and incompetence
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/08/2018 10:22 Comments ||
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#6
You want MORE Trump, an antagonistic Mexico being defiant about illegals and trade is how you get more Trump and more turning Mexico into the 3rd World country it tries so hard to be.
#8
#6 You want MORE Trump, an antagonistic Mexico being defiant about illegals and trade is how you get more Trump and more turning Mexico into the 3rd World country it tries so hard to be.
Posted by: Silentbrick
"Third world country" would be a huge improvement over what it is now.
#12
Every time I have gone to Mexico and I ask the locals about their presidential elections they pretty much tell me that both sides are equally corrupt and they don't expect much to change with either party in office.
Insh'Allah Navigation?
A tanker carrying Iranian oil and run by the country’s top oil shipping operator was ablaze and spewing cargo into the East China Sea on Sunday after colliding with a Chinese bulk ship, leaving its 32 crew members missing, the Chinese government said.
Thick clouds of dark smoke could be seen billowing out of the Sanchi tanker, engulfing the vessel as rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather and fire on and around the ship, Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, told Iranian television.
The Sanchi collided with the CF Crystal about 160 nautical miles off the coast near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta on Saturday evening, the Chinese Ministry of Transportation said in a statement.
The Panama-registered tanker was sailing from Iran to South Korea, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, an ultra light crude. That is equivalent to just under 1 million barrels, worth about $60 million, based on global crude oil prices.
"Sanchi is floating and burning as of now," the ministry said. "There is an oil slick and we are pushing forward with rescue efforts."
State media CCTV showed pictures of the tanker ablaze and billowing plumes of thick dark smoke.
It had sent four rescue ships and three cleaning boats to the site by 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Sunday, it added.
South Korea also sent a ship and helicopter to help. A Korean Coast Guard official confirmed the tanker was still raging at 1 p.m. (0500 GMT). He declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The tanker’s 32 crew members were all Iranian nationals except for two Bangladeshi nationals, the Chinese transport ministry said.
"There is a wide perimeter of flames around the vessel because of the spillage and search and rescue efforts are being carried out with difficulty," Rastad said.
"Unfortunately, up to this moment, there is no news of the crew," he said.
CF Crystal’s 21 crew members, all Chinese nationals, were rescued and the ship suffered "non-critical" damage, China’s transport ministry said.
It was not immediately clear how much environmental damage had been caused or the volume of oil spilled into the sea.
MAJOR MARITIME INCIDENT
The incident also marked the first major maritime incident involving an Iranian tanker since the lifting of international sanctions on Iran in January 2016.
There was a collision involving an NITC-operated supertanker in the Singapore Strait in August 2016, but there was no loss of life or pollution.
The Chinese government gave no details of the size of the spill. The Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement that the cause of the incident was under investigation.
Reuters ship tracking data shows Sanchi was built in 2008 and was managed by the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC). Its registered owner is Bright Shipping Ltd.
It was due to arrive at Daesan in South Korea from Kharg Island in Iran on Sunday, according to Reuters ship tracking.
The Sanchi tanker, leased by Hanwha Total Petrochemical Co Ltd, had "valid foreign insurance", Iranian oil ministry spokesman Kasra Nouri told Iran’s state television.
Hanwha Total was not immediately available for comment.
Sanchi collided with CF Crystal, registered in Hong Kong, which was carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain from the United States to China’s southern province of Guangdong, the government said.
CF Crystal, which was built in 2011, was due to arrive in China on Jan. 10, according to Reuters ship tracking data.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/08/2018 14:25 ||
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...The USN also has P-8 Poseidons in the air to assist.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/08/2018 16:57 Comments ||
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So Iranians offloading to Chinese for delivery to DPRK were ‘intervened’?
[Wash Examiner] Defense Secretary Jim Mattis joked with reporters Friday that he was too preoccupied with his position at the Pentagon to read the explosive new tell-all book about the Trump administration.
"No, I'm a little busy, these days, actually doing my job, you know?", Mattis told journalists when asked whether he intended to peruse Michael Wolff's book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
"No, I don't ‐ I don't ‐ I purposely don't read that. And, if it's a book with my name in it, the aide puts sticky ‐ double stickies over it, so I don't read about myself," he added during a media opportunity.
This is Mattis' second jocular exchange with the press pool in several days.
On Thursday, he shut down a reporter's question regarding President Trump's tweet comparing the size and power of his "nuclear button" to that of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
"My job as the secretary of defense is to make certain that we have forces ready to defend this country," Mattis said.
"But with all due respect, Mr. Secretary...," a member of the gaggle interjected.
"That always preludes something that is perhaps less than due respect from you, Barbara," Mattis replied. "Go ahead, please."
[GEO.TV] Two robbers were caught on Sunday during an armed robbery in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... ’s Saddar area. Citizens after getting hold of one of the robbers, gave him a beating, following which he departed this vale of tears in the hospital, while the other died in a shoot-out.
The robbers had killed a shopkeeper earlier over resistance during the robbery. The two were running away after stealing from one of the shops in the mobile market.
After people caught the first robber, the other one fled and hid inside the market. The citizens called police and Rangers who surrounded the area.
The other robber was killed in an exchange of fire with security personnel.
The thief, who was maimed in mob beating, was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to injuries. [Wheeze!] [Gasp!] "I am undone!" [Rattle!] "Rosebud!"
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2018 00:00 ||
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Wow, a good old crossfire, and in Pakistan no less.
Posted by: Herb McCoy7309 ||
01/08/2018 2:42 Comments ||
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I'm hoping to see a 404 in a title someday...
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/08/2018 11:32 Comments ||
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#3
removed "Cannot load M3U8:Crossdomain access denied" from title
As Instapundit sez - 'Get woke, go broke.'
[AwfulAnnouncing] The ratings news is in for the first round of the NFL playoffs, and it doesn’t look great for the networks and the NFL, with every single game suffering double-digit drops year over year relative to comparable slots.
First, the Tennessee Titans-Kansas City Chiefs broadcast on ESPN and ABC Saturday afternoon was not only a drop from last year, but the least-viewed NFL playoff game since 2012. ... and that was the best game of the four over the weekend - go figure.
#1
Roll Hard Left and Die™... The NFL Management and its sportscasters are sipping from the poison chalice that the MSM gulped down years ago. The theory that a Journalism degree is a necessary to write about news has been a slow poison.
[Deadline] "Hollywood’s a boys’ town and they will do what they have to do to keep their power, even if that means paying lip service for a while to stamping out misogyny," the award-winning showrunner tells Deadline. "There are a lot of women staying quiet, worried that the boys are keeping a list for those who go public," she added. "It’ll happen later, under the radar, a lot of it will be unspoken even, but careers will be sidetracked, promotions blocked, I just know it. That’s always been the way this town has worked."
Whether that is the case, all four of the women asserted that while the recently formed Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund may provide access to attorneys, some protection, and even reciprocity, the fallout of speaking out about the wide-spread sexism will still be acrid. Announced at the beginning of the year, the Time’s Up initiative is backed by Anita Hill, lawyer Nina Shaw, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Rashida Jones, Scandal’s Kerry Washington, CAA’s Maha Dakhil, Ashley Judd, Universal boss Donna Langley and around 291 more women.
... See also here for a totally unrelated story.
#4
I think the last Hollywood movie I saw was Titanic when it first came out. And if I can keep my wits about me, that's the way it will remain til the day I kick the bucket.
I detest the people, and loathe their product.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/08/2018 10:30 Comments ||
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#5
Well. These people do drama for a living. Some much better than others. Not hard to imagine a few got "ahead of the curve" and are now maybe feeling a bit anxious. As everyone knows, being caught in a lie and being subject to "backlash" is essential the same thing. IfyaknowwhatImeanandIthinkyado...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/08/2018 10:39 Comments ||
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#6
the black dresses were unique and, obviously, quite expensive.
Not to mention that many were very revealing, and some would have been more suitable for a Fredericks of Hollywood catalog than being worn in public, showing exactly how woke the ladies now are.
I believe the leading ladies and those with name recognition generally wear gowns borrowed from the designer, and accessories as well. It’s fabulous advertising for all involved,
#7
Not to mention that many were very revealing, and some would have been more suitable for a Fredericks of Hollywood catalog than being worn in public, showing exactly how woke the ladies now are. Posted by: trailing wife
And those women wonder why they cannot get any respect and are treated as sex objects.
#8
Saw them give an award to Handmaids tale. I actually watched a few episodes and thought the story was pretty lame back in the Reagan era when it was some kind of warning against Republicans, now it was just dull.
It beat out Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, This is us, and the Crown which are all far more interesting shows. But of course this year was about sexual harassment and girl power and all so the winner was pre-determined.
Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, Kent Jones,Harmony Korine, Richard Pena, Jerry Schatzberg, Julian Schnabel, Barbet Schroeder, Paul Auster, Mike Nichols,Diane von Furstenberg, Harvey Weinstein, Adrien Brody, Jonathan Klein, Natalie Portman, Scott Foundas, John Landis, Alexander Payne, Taylor Hackford, Steven Soderbergh, Michael Mann, J. Neil Schulman, Harrison Ford, David Lynch, Terry Zwigoff
[FreeBeacon] Federal agents posing as criminals were unable to purchase any firearms from legitimate online marketplaces despite dozens of attempts over a two-year period.
Between July 2015 and November 2017 investigators from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), following up on a congressional request, tried to make the illegal private gun purchases through a number of online forums and market places. They made 72 attempts over that time but couldn't complete a single sale using legitimate sites.
In 29 attempts the gun sellers refused the sale after being asked to illegally ship the gun to the buyer. Twenty-seven sellers refused after being told the potential buyer was a felon, domestic abuser, or otherwise prohibited from buying a firearm. Eleven sellers attempted to scam the investigators after finding out they were prohibited from buying firearms with two successfully obtaining money from investigators but never sending the promised firearm. Another five attempts to illegally purchase firearms were ended when the investigators' accounts were shut down due to suspicious activity.
"Tests performed on the Surface Web demonstrated that private sellers GAO contacted on gun forums and other classified ads were unwilling to sell a firearm to an individual who appeared to be prohibited from possessing a firearm," Seto J. Bagdoyan and Wayne McElrath of the GAO's Forensic Audits and Investigative Service section said in a report on the investigation released in November.
The investigation specifically targeted online sales by private sellers who do not have a federal firearms license and, in most states, aren't required to perform background checks on potential buyers. The investigators wanted to see if private sellers on otherwise legitimate online gun forums and marketplaces would break federal law by knowingly selling firearms to somebody who isn't allowed to buy them.
"The purpose of our Surface Web purchase attempts was to determine whether private sellers would knowingly sell a firearm to an individual prohibited from possessing one, as outlined by the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA)," Bagdoyan and McElrath said in their report. "Our agents used one of five scenarios based on a provision of the GCA when attempting to purchase a firearm. The scenarios involved overtly explaining why our agent was prohibited from possessing a firearm."
The investigators targeted websites based on whether they hosted nationwide or regional ads, the number of ads they could find, the variety of guns available on the site, how easy it was to access the site, and input from outside organizations like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
"To perform Surface Web testing, our agents accessed public gun forums and other classified ads where private nonlicensed sellers listed firearms for sale," the report said. "These forums and classified ads were identified from our meetings with ATF and third-party entities, and a review of available documentation."
The GAO had originally planned to conduct 75 attempts at illegal purchases on otherwise legitimate sites but gave up after 72 straight failures.
The investigation, first highlighted by the Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay, had better luck on a collection of websites known for criminal trafficking the GAO refers to as the "Dark Web." Investigators were able to make two gun purchases in seven attempts through the online havens for illegal activity.
"Our agents successfully purchased two firearms from sellers we located on a Dark Web marketplace as a result of seven total attempts," the report said. "ATF officials stated that the Dark Web is completely anonymous and is designed to facilitate criminal activity online."
The GAO was able to purchase one semi-automatic AR-15 from a Dark Web seller and one Uzi that was advertised as being capable of automatic fire. The agency said it forwarded information about the likely-illegal sales to appropriate law enforcement agencies for follow up.
They should have tried when Holder was selling....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/08/2018 6:29 Comments ||
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#3
I like the point: "two successfully obtaining money from investigators but never sending the promised firearm". "I'm sorry, I still can't ship that to you."
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/08/2018 11:31 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Red Oak covered bridge near Gay, Georgia. It was constructed prior to the Civil War and still in use today. My how times they have changed. But what does this have to do with JFK airport you might ask. 
Eighteen holes after brekkie, safari in the late afternoon, and sundowners by the Falls at elegant 
[POLITICO] If the left-leaning nationalist wins Mexico's presidency, it could boost tensions over immigration, trade and border security.
[GEO.TV] Two robbers were caught on Sunday during an armed robbery in 
