[Babylon Bee...I think] Joe Biden has been plagued with questions about his age and mental health, but he's brushed off suggestions that he needs a cognitive test and has even gotten irritable at the suggestion. This came to a head yesterday when he was seen screaming at a pigeon, "I don't need a cognitive test!"
It's unclear what the pigeon said (though most suspect it was some sort of pigeon coo), but it riled up the presidential candidate. "Listen, bucko!" Biden yelled, jabbing his finger at the pigeon. "I get tested every day! You hear me? Why are you just bobbing your head around? Are you some sort of junkie?"
Biden opened up a bag of Wonder Bread he had with him. "I don't know who you little jerks are, but you have to leave me alone," he told the pigeon. "I just like to come to the park and eat a loaf of bread in peace, but you're always pestering me, questioning my mental health, and calling me ‘Sally.'" Biden then began cramming slices of bread into his mouth.
That same day, Trump was seen hitting a pigeon out of the air with a baseball bat, but it seemed to be a completely unrelated matter.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020
13:01 ||
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#1
I was wondering how a pigeon got in his basement...
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/07/2020 18:02
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The 1,300ft tunnel ran from San Luis, Arizona, through to San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico
Tunnel had a ventilation system, water lines, electrical wiring and a rail system
This appears to be the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history, and certainly the most sophisticated I´ve seen in my career,' said acting chief patrol agent
Homeland Security Investigations found the tunnel in mid-July when they discovered a sinkhole in the area of a tunnel investigation
No arrests have yet been made but agents are working closely with Mexican law enforcement
Border agents have found numerous cross-border tunnels this year.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/07/2020 14:56
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#6
'To save the planet we will be practicing electricity rationing at random times and for random lengths, in order to pay homage to these challenging times. And also, COVID-19.'
[Ynet] - The Israeli army and police are considering the purchase of personal anti-drone systems manufactured by Israeli company SKYLOCK, part of the Avnon Group.
The growing threat posed by hostile UAVs and the need to neutralize them from afar has resulted in a race to create personal devices to curb unauthorized drones, products that were previously only installed on vehicles.
SKYLOCK's wearable system weighs only 1.5 kilograms and has already been sold to the U.S. Army and NATO forces. According to SKYLOCK, the system, which is worn like a vest, is capable of neutralizing any drone within one kilometer of the device. 1 km only gives a small level of confidence
The device includes a drone detector and an anti-drone jammer, which its operators can determine whether to use after they are notified by the system of a UAV in their vicinity. A single device is priced at $50,000.
Israel defense powerhouses Rafael, Elbit and Elta, a division in the Israel Aerospace Industries, all currently sell anti-drone products, but they are much heavier and cover greater distances. They are usually installed on buildings as a defense mechanism for strategic locations, while SKYLOCK's device is meant for mobile forces, like a presidential guard or special army units. Maybe the plans to retire all the fly-boys are, a bit, premature?
#2
Anything that operates on a recieved signal can be jammed. You just need to know the frequency.
Drones, GPS, remote vehicles, handheld radios.
Makes he wonder if there's a niche here for a portable MASER (microwave freq. laser; actually invented before lasers) to kill recievers...
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/07/2020 11:50
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#3
I toyed with the idea of inducing a current surge in any 555 IC type timers, to speed up any clock driven controller circuits for navigation, az, el, throttle, etc. Even got to the point of buying a RC controller set, then my ADHD kicked in and it didn't go any where.
h/t Instapundit
[Victory Girls] ...If the LAPD responds and verifies that a large gathering is occurring at a property, and we see these properties reoffending time and time again, they will provide notice and initiate the process to request that [the Department of Water and Power] shut off service within the next 48 hours," These are the times that try men's souls.
[CNET] With less than two days remaining to reach an agreement on the next stimulus package before a self-imposed Aug. 7 deadline, White House and Democratic negotiators continue to search for common ground on the details of the bill, including if the final legislation will include a second stimulus check. How soon you could then receive that new payment depends entirely on when the two sides come together on a deal.
While negotiators are hopeful they will reach an agreement this week -- "I feel optimistic that there is a light at the end of the tunnel," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday -- President Donald Trump said he is prepared to act on his own to enact parts of the proposed bill if talks drag on.
"My administration is exploring executive actions to provide protections against eviction," Trump said Wednesday. In preparation for a deal this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that his chamber will delay its planned August recess scheduled to start Aug. 10 and convene on Monday.
Once the two sides do reach an agreement, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the IRS could "start printing them the following week." This timeline would be much faster than the 19 days it took for the IRS to send out the first stimulus checks after the CARES Act was passed in March. IRS? Doesn't the Treasury do that?
Working with the dates, we have a good idea when checks could be sent and who might receive them first, once the final bill becomes law. Read on for everything we know right now, based on the present debate. This story is updated often to reflect the latest news developments.
#3
The Democrats and the Republican legislators tucked in all kind of discretionary spending bills into law. IIRC it started in WW II and really took off after the "War Powers Act" under Johnson. " After all it hasn't been real money since they got rid of the Silver Certificates.
[DNYUZ] For most of the year, Sturgis, S.D., is a relatively quiet city of 7,000 residents tucked beside a 1.2 million-acre forest, with a motorcycle museum as its signature attraction. But each summer, Sturgis transforms as bikers descend for a massive motorcycle rally.
This year’s festival may attract about 250,000 people despite an uptick in coronavirus cases across the state, city officials say, leading to fears it could become a super-spreader event.
When the virus upended life across America in the spring, it forced the cancellation of graduation ceremonies, music festivals, marathons and other large gatherings. Sturgis, which has hosted the rally since 1938, pushed ahead with its plans anyway.
The 10-day rally, which begins Friday, may be the country’s largest public gathering since the pandemic began, and it comes amid widespread opposition. More than 60 percent of residents favored postponing the event, according to a city-sponsored survey.
"We should have postponed or canceled the rally last March," said Terry Keszler, a Sturgis City Council member, echoing the concerns that have divided his community.
City officials faced pressure from businesses, people outside the city and threats of ligation, Mr. Keszler said. Still, they cut back on advertising and canceled city-sponsored events, including the opening ceremony.
Over the past week, there has been an average of 84 coronavirus cases a day in South Dakota, a 31 percent increase over the previous two weeks. And some say the surge might grow worse: The city plans to offer coronavirus testing for its residents once the rally concludes on Aug. 16.
#4
Who moves to Sturgis and is like, "What motorcycle rally?"
It isn't a safety piece, it is an opinion piece concern trolling any readers who are thinking about going, and giving permission to the Kens and Karens and anyone who feels emasculated by motorcycles permission to sneer or even 5 minute hate.
These tourist destinations are destinations for good reason; they have a festival like Sturgis does, or is the gateway to a National Park or other attraction. People from all over the world come to see the attraction. Some love it so much, they pack up their life and move there.
Then when they get there, they get pissed there are tourists, and do everything they can to discourage tourism. Seriously Terry, you kiss your own ass with that mought?
#5
1,000,000, isn't that the daily NYC subway commute?
I'd take my chances five days in a cigar smoking, whiskey shooting, rode 2000 miles to get here biker bar over one cross-NYC subway commute any day of the week plus Boglesday.
[Independent Sentinel] Change your name and pretend you’re a minority if you want a management job at Chevron or if you want to keep your job. At least, it seems that way. The company will rehire with the goal of increasing the percentages of women and minorities.
Reuters reports, Oil major Chevron Corp (CVX.N) expects to reduce the dominance of white males in company management during cost-cutting this year, upping the share of senior-level jobs held by women and ethnic minorities to 44% from 38% last year, the company said in a statement.
#8
CA already has an unconstitutional discriminatory law requiring big corps to have a token woman (or more than one) on the Corp hoard. Forget the fact they should be qualified, and most already there are....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 9:20
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#9
Worked there for decades. This is nothing new. OTOH, at least the ones they kept were competent in the recent cycles. Not mentioned is the age discrimination component of the cyclical layoffs, which is present in all the Big Oils, probably necessary for corporate good long term, but still unfair to those purged. (Sort of like the military 'up or out' policy.)
#10
Very much so, out of the four people with my last job in the world, they kept the 22 year old girl who was the least qualified, and the office suck up. Laid off one married white guy and me, white guy with kids, with the most time with the company.
#11
What's even funnier, is they laid off the two guys who had the most time in the field with this new automation software they are just bringing to market.
[Free Beacon] The National Rifle Association plans to spend tens of millions of dollars to sway close races throughout the country for the 2020 election.
Jason Ouimet, who runs the NRA's lobbying arm and political action committee, spoke exclusively with the Washington Free Beacon in his first in-depth interview on the gun-rights behemoth's 2020 electoral strategy. He said the group plans to spend heavily in battleground states to help reelect President Donald Trump over presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, whom he described as "100 percent anti-gun." The group plans to focus much of its attention on Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Wisconsin—swing states with traditionally strong support for gun rights.
"We'll be in those places at every level," Ouimet said. And the message will be simple: A President Joe Biden and Democratic Senate are a threat to gun owners.
"You are literally going to be dealing with the potential confiscation of firearms. You're literally going to be told you can't carry in certain places. You can't own certain things for self-defense," Ouimet said. "Folks need to understand that."
The NRA spent $50 million to boost the GOP in 2016 but saw disastrous results in 2018 when it was outspent by gun-control groups. Ouimet said it plans on moving forward with the spending push despite losing between $10 and $15 million from the cancelation of the Second Amendment group's annual meeting and other fundraising events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We'll spend tens of millions of dollars. Will it be $50 million? I don't know," Ouimet said. "We got shut down from doing any of that level of fundraising. Yeah, that has an impact on us just the same way it has an impact on everybody else. Does it mean that we're not going to be effective? Does it mean that we're not going to play? No."
The coronavirus pandemic and social unrest may have hindered fundraising, but they have also led to historic gun sales. Ouimet said the NRA has added more than 1,000 new dues-paying members per day since June.
Per day? Wow.
The addition of some 60,000 new members and growing has helped swell NRA ranks to more than five million American adults.
#2
How can the state of New York disband a nation wide organization, hmm? They seem to have been getting more and more ... arrogant these last few years.
[Red State] Black lives matter. That is a statement of fact. It’s undeniably true. But what happens when a political organization — touting specific beliefs with which many people (including many black people) disagree — takes that statement as their proper-noun name? The answer: a lot of confusion.
On Fox & Friends Thursday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani dropped a hammer on "Black Lives Matter."
Rudy wants people to "stop the nonsense," and to that end, he didn’t mince words:
"These are killers, and these are people who hate white people. They are people who hate white men in particular, and they want to do away with a mother/father family. They don’t think fathers are necessary. This is what we are talking about. Not the bull that you get on silly telly."
In which we are presented with the usual question: jihadi or nutter? Let us read on, dear Reader, and see.
[IsraelTimes] Gunman who took 6 captive in city of Le Havre called for release of ’unjustly imprisoned Paleostinian children’, report says; police source says he has psychological problems.
A gunman who took six hostages in a bank in the northern French port city of Le Havre gave himself up to police, officials said late Thursday.
"The hostages have been freed, safe and sound," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said, hours after an elite RAID police unit was deployed to the scene.
According to French broadcaster RTL, the suspect demanded that Israel free "unjustly imprisoned Paleostinian children" and allow Paleostinians free access to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which houses the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Nobody gets free access there, neither Muslims nor Jews.
The man had a history of psychiatric problems and had been in trouble previously for kidnapping and firearms offenses, a source close to the case said.
Ah, a nutter then. The kind any reasonable society would have locked up in an insane asylum to protect society from exactly this kind of nonsense.
An official in La Belle France’s national police told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named that the man was known to have psychological problems.
Quoting police sources, Rooters said the man is believed to have Islamist ties.
Oh my — nutter and jihadi.
The official did not confirm French media reports that he had put forth confused demands.
That would make sense if he’s nuts...
The official could not be identified by name, in keeping with French custom.
The gunman, aged 34, had entered the premises at 4:45 p.m., a police official told AFP. The man took five or six people hostage, but eventually released all but two of them, according to reports.
A special police intervention unit negotiated with the hostage-taker for the captives’ release for over five hours.
Another police source said the man had a handgun.
Le Havre is a major port city in western La Belle France.
[IsraelTimes] In response to High Court petition by disgruntled residents of Rehavia, Talbieh, law enforcement says demonstrations should not be restricted or relocated.
Recall, dear Reader, that g(r)omgoru informed us that the anti-Bibi protests are funded by the same people funding the current Antifa/BLM protests around the U.S., and for the same purpose of driving the conservative government to resign.
Crime Minister, one of the three main groups organizing protests against Netanyahu, said a Jerusalem protest would begin at 7:30 p.m. by the Prime Minister’s Residence on Balfour Street.
The group said Tel Aviv protests would take place by Public Security Minister Amir Ohana’s home at 6:30 p.m. and demonstrators demanding Netanyahu’s resignation would also wave flags from bridges across the country starting at 6:00 p.m.
The protest would be the first major demonstration since Saturday night, when some 10,000 people gathered outside Balfour Street, the largest-yet showing since the protests gained steam last month.
Protesters have for weeks been holding regular rallies on Balfour Street in Jerusalem, as well as in Tel Aviv and other areas, calling on the premier to resign due to his indictment on corruption charges. They have been joined by people protesting the government’s economic policies during the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic, with crowds in the thousands and rising.
Police told the High Court of Justice on Thursday that it believed it should reject a petition against the demonstrations by dozens of residents of Jerusalem neighborhoods Rehavia and Talbieh, who are seething over the weekly protests near their homes.
Siding with the demonstrators, police told the court that any attempts to curtail the rallies, held several times weekly, would impinge on the freedom to protest.
Police said they would therefore not place a cap on the number of participants, or relocate the protests elsewhere. The force also rebuffed a call to restrict the rallies due to health fears amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"There is no place for the request of the petitioners to move the demonstrations elsewhere," the police response said.
Sixty residents of the two Jerusalem neighborhoods had signed on to the petition, complaining that the noise and music blasted at the rallies late into the night was disrupting their lives.
An online counter-petition by other residents drew hundreds of signatures.
An attorney representing the residents lamented the police stance, saying law enforcement was allowing the demonstrators to make their lives "hell."
Netanyahu and his supporters have strongly condemned the protesters, branding them "anarchists."
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion on Thursday joined the chorus of criticism of the protest, citing the pandemic and the danger of transmission.
"I respect the right to protest, but we are in a difficult time," he said.
Netanyahu is on trial for a series of cases in which he allegedly received lavish gifts from billionaire friends and traded regulatory favors with media moguls for more favorable coverage of himself and his family. The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing, accusing the media and law enforcement of a witch hunt to oust him from office.
[IsraelTimes] University of Southern Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, student Rose Ritch says in open letter that classmates told her pro-Israel stance was ’complicit in racism’.
A Jewish student leader at the University of Southern California said she resigned due to harassment over her support for Israel.
Rose Ritch, the vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government, said in an open letter to the campus community Wednesday that she had to resign to "protect my physical safety on campus and my mental health."
The university administration had recently stopped impeachment proceedings against Ritch over allegations of complicity in racial misconduct on campus, and for not calling out alleged racial misconduct and micro-aggressive behavior by the student government president, who resigned last month, the Daily Trojan student newspaper reported.
"I have been harassed and pressured for weeks by my fellow students because they opposed one of my identities. It is not because I am a woman, nor because I identify as queer, femme, or cisgender," Ritch wrote. "All of these identities qualified me as electable when the student body voted last February. But because I also openly identify as a Zionist, a supporter of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, I have been accused by a group of students of being unsuitable as a student leader.
"I have been told that my support for Israel has made me complicit in racism, and that, by association, I am racist. Students launched an aggressive social media campaign to ’impeach [my] Zionist a**.’ This is anti-Semitism, and cannot be tolerated at a University that proclaims to ’nurture an environment of mutual respect and tolerance.’"
Ritch said that "an attack on my Zionist identity is an attack on my Jewish identity," and that the suggestion that her support for a Jewish homeland makes her unfit for office "plays into the oldest stereotypes of Jews, including accusations of dual loyalty and holding all Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government."
She said the USC student government "has failed to be an inclusive space for numerous communities on campus."
A USC spokesperson had no immediate comment on Ritch’s accusations, the Daily Trojan reported.
#2
"I have been harassed and pressured for weeks by my fellow students because they opposed one of my identities. It is not because I am a woman, nor because I identify as queer, femme, or cisgender,"
Play stupid identity games win stupid identity prizes
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 7:52
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#3
I'm sure they support Zimbabwe whole-heartedly though.
[Jpost] The executive orders, which go into effect in 45 days, come after the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge "untrusted" Chinese apps from US digital networks.
#1
Thereby making the Chinese negotiating position worthless in the US. No money for the CCP. That's what's got them upset aside from losing a valuable window into the US's soul.
#3
CALPERS has long tried to put Socially Aware Investing above Fiduciary Duty to get the best investment return possible. Anyone doing that should be able to be sued individually for damages
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 7:38
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#4
IIRC, CALPERS must invest x-amount in green/eco-friendly companies. It is due to such malinvestments -- as in Illinois -- that the Dems want to bail out these walking dead pension funds.
#5
UPDATE: CA Pension Fund Exec Yu Meng Resigned After Filing False Financial Disclosures, Self-Dealing CalPERS’ investments in companies supplying China’s military complex were already under scrutiny by the Trump administration, and major questions about Meng’s allegiance to the United States were brought up by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) due to the fact that Meng’s prior employer was the Chinese government and since Meng has admitted to being part of the CCP’s “Thousand Talents Program” (TTP).
In the initial article, I wondered why Meng had resigned out of the blue and effective immediately. It turns out that just three days earlier, on August 2, Yves Smith at the Naked Capitalism blog posted a stunning, well-sourced exposé detailing Meng’s false filings on required financial disclosure forms, blatant self-dealing, and close ties to the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party government.
[AnNahar] Cypriot police said Thursday they had questioned a Russian over alleged links to a ship and its cargo of ammonium nitrate said to have caused the devastating explosion in Beirut.
"Lebanese authorities asked us to locate the individual and ask him some questions which we did," a Cypriot police front man told AFP. "His response has been sent back to Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... The police front man said Igor Grechushkin was not arrested, but asked specific questions relating to the ship's cargo as requested via Interpol Lebanon.
"We have done what was requested from us," the official said.
Earlier on Thursday, Cyprus' Interior Ministry denied media allegations that Grechushkin also held a Cypriot passport, but said it would offer assistance to Lebanon.
Cypriot daily newspaper Politis said Grechushkin is a resident of the southern port city of Limassol -- one of the world's largest ship management centers.
In 2013, around 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate came into Lebanon on board the Rhosus ship, sailing from Georgia and reportedly bound for Mozambique, a Lebanese security official told AFP, asking not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the issue.
Grechushkin had leased the ship, which docked at Beirut port with a small hole in its hull, The New York Times
...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... and other media have reported.
Marine Traffic, a ship tracking platform, said the Moldova-flagged vessel first arrived in Beirut's port, the country's busiest, on November 20, 2013 and never left.
According to Lebanese law firm Baroudi & Associates, which represented the vessel's crew, the Rhosus ship had faced "technical problems."
[Cleveland.com] After an earlier rapid coronavirus test returned a positive result for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a second coronavirus test for DeWine, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine and members of his staff all have come back negative, the governor's office announced Thursday night.
The second round of testing was performed through a more sensitive test called a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test, which detects genetic material from the new coronavirus, the governor's office said. The earlier test, administered as DeWine traveled to greet President Donald Trump in Cleveland, delivers fast results by testing for the presence of antigens in the body, but is a relatively unproven technology and is viewed as less accurate.
"We feel confident in the PCR results from Wexner Medical Center," DeWine's office said in a statement, referring to the Columbus hospital where the second test was performed. "This is the same PCR test that has been used over 1.6 million times in Ohio by hospitals and labs all over the state."...
#3
Wanna bet his first positive result will still be counted in "new cases"?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 7:45
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the Rapid tests have about a 30% false rate (positives, 10% negatives) according to some places on the interwebz. So big grain of salt. But PCR is a fairly reliable way of doing it so I'd believe a PCR test.
Posted by: Marilyn Tojo7566 ||
08/07/2020 8:43
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[Rudaw] The Trump administration’s top envoy for Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is stepping down just as the United States tries to moves ahead with a major diplomatic effort that would extend a U.N. arms embargo against Tehran in the face of widespread international opposition.
Brian Hook announced his departure on Thursday, a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would call for a U.N. Security Council vote next week on a resolution to indefinitely extend the embargo, which is due to expire in October.
Continued on Page 49
[Rudaw] Two members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed in festivities with armed tribal men in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor after an Arab tribal leader was assassinated by unknown button men, exacerbating ethnic tensions in the region, according to a top commander of the Kurdish-led force.
The towns of Ziban, al-Shuhail, and al-Huwaij in eastern Deir ez-Zor have seen days of unrest after an Arab tribal leader, Sheikh Mutsher Hamud Jeidan al-Hifl, was killed by unknown button men. Security is a problem for the region that is under SDF control, but borders regime areas and is a hotspot of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) activity.
Continued on Page 49
A #CCP general dared #US to deploy #THAAD in #Taiwan and vowed to eliminate all who advocate for Taiwan and #HKIndependence, back in 2017. Now that #US troops have indeed entered #CCP's "sensitive" territory, netizens dig out this old video and dare #PLA to fight the US... pic.twitter.com/JEeNo7ZufZ
The militants are shelling the positions of the Syrian Armed Forces and are trying to attack the Khmeimim base, Russia and Syria are forced to neutralize the threat, the Russian Defense Ministry said https://t.co/LHvYX0Wfo8#Syriapic.twitter.com/ajxFX0kTgh
[JPost] - The majority of Americans believe that state governments are lifting coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns "too quickly," according to a PEW Research survey.
The national survey was conducted between July 27 and August 2, and included the responses of 11,001 United States residents, where 69% of the sample say that "their greater concern is that state governments have been lifting restrictions on public activity too quickly."
#1
"The national survey was conducted between July 27 and August 2, and included the responses of 11,001 United States residents, where 69% of the sample watch CNN and MSNBC 100% of the time.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/07/2020 16:27
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#6
They found 7000 people who purposefully watch CNN.
It would be interesting what their real iewer eyeball #s are if you exclude the poor bastards trapped in airport lounes
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 18:27
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#7
That is bad.
Worse, trapped at home with someone who has the tele tuned to CNN and loud enough to hear across the house.
Me, had to do an intervention. I'd leave in the morning and wife would have on one of the big three. Back in the evening, one of the big three would be on. So about the second week of duck & cover, "Honey, whatever this is and may be, you must understand these shows are trying to scare you so you don't change the channel. Listen to what they are saying, they just keep saying the same thing over and over. Like the Haunted House Guy with Fake Chainsaw Gag - it gets you the first time and make the trip memorable. Think that guy puts in a 6 hour shift doing only that, it isn't as scary. Keep going through the Haunted House and that guy is in the same place, doing the same gag, every time. They get you frazzled, they get you hooked."
The #UnitedStates is negotiating the sale of at least four of its large sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan for the first time, according to six #US sources familiar with the negotiations, in a deal that is likely to ratchet up tensions with #China. https://t.co/OVNjXqdsUg
[ToloNews] Anti-government button men on Thursday morning hijacked seven fuel tankers on the Baghlan-Samangan highway near Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, torching two others, security sources said.
The incident happened in the Bagh-e-Shamal area in Pul-e-Khumri. After torching two tankers, they took seven others to Dahna-ye-Ghori district, the sources said.
The local officials have not yet commented on the attack.
No group has grabbed credit.
In recent days, the Taliban ...Arabic for students... has increased its attacks in Baghlan, particularly against security checkpoints.
BREAKING | A fire has broke out at the Haramain Rail Station in Jeddah which connects to the cities of Makkah and Madinah#قطار_الحرمينpic.twitter.com/lBmdEM1Nhu
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan forces killed or maimed at least 16 Lions of Islam of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... group in South-eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
According to a statement released by MoD, the Talibs were planning to lauch attacks against the Afghan forces on Ghazni-Kandahar Highway in Gilan district and Arzoo area located in the outskirts of Ghazni city.
The statement further added that the security forces killed 6 Talibs and maimed at least 6 others by conducting operations to prevent the Taliban attack on Ghazni-Kandahar highway.
The security forces also killed 4 Talibs during a similar operation which they conducted in Arzoo area located in the outskirts of Ghazni city, the statement added.
The Ministry of Defense also added that the security forces also destroyed some weapons and munitions belonging to Talibs.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.
[NYPOST] A man was fatally shot and another maimed in a drive-by shooting in Queens early Thursday — the latest in the Big Apple’s epidemic of gunplay, cops said.
A 21-year-old man was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car and a 19-year-old man was standing outside the vehicle at the corner of 91st Street and 85th Avenue in Woodhaven just before 4:30 a.m. when a dark-colored sedan rolled up and the occupants started firing at the pair, according to police sources.
The older man, who was blasted in the head and torso, was taken to NYC Health & Hospitals/Elmhurst, where he was pronounced dead. He's dead, Jim! cops said.
The younger victim, who was shot in the left arm, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he is listed at death's door.
No one has been arrested in connection to the slaying.
Hours earlier, around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, a 30-year-old man was blasted in the face on Dumont Avenue near Mother Gaston Boulevard in Brownsville, cops said.
He was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Cops are looking for a man between 20 and 25 years old, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
About two hours earlier, a 29-year-old man was shot twice in the back during a dispute on Howard Avenue near Park Place in Weeksville around 9:30 p.m., cops said.
He was taken to Brookdale with non-life-threatening injuries.
And around 8 p.m., a 37-year-old woman was grazed in the head and a 20-year-old man was shot in the foot at Cornelia Street and Cypress Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, cops said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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The younger victim, who was shot in the left arm, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he is listed at death's door.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 7:30
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#3
Grom not understand.
G(r)omgoru, you are confused by Fred’s little auto-translate program. When the words have a light grey, dotted underline, that means they are not original — click on the headline to see the original article. The original text, as now updated, is:
Ljesnjanin, who was shot in the left arm, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he is listed in serious condition.
[DAILYTIMES.PK] A youth was killed in the name of honor in the area of Police Station City and his dedbody was dumped near Dhok Gujjar.
The victim’s father Mohammad Tahir, son of Ghulam Jilani, while filing a report with the city police, said that his son Akash Tahir, who works as a lawyer’s clerk in the district court, was want two days ago by Musafar Khan, son of Mohammad Noor, a resident of Dhok Feroz. Who live in a rented house.
Muhammad Tahir says that the next day when Akash did not return, I asked Musafar Khan where is Akash? Musafar Khan said that he did not know. Today Akash Tahir’s dedbody was found in Dhok Gujjar.
According to the Akash’s father, Mahmood al-Hassan told him that Musafar Khan and his son had killed Akash Tahir because Musafar Khan suspected that his daughter Gul Dana had an illicit affair with Akash Tahir.
SDPO Saddar Circle Syed Azhar Hassan Shah along with police personnel rushed to the spot as soon as the incident was reported and shifted the dedbody to District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem.
Police have arrested Musafar Khan, his sons and three women involved in the murder case who were trying to flee Afghanistan. During the preliminary investigation, the arrested accused have confessed to the murder of Akash Tahir.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
Poor Emperor Xi, cunning but not smart, ruthless but not steady enough to keep his word in anything to anybody.
I would have to guess the only reason he isn't doing an erratic serpentine around a Forbidden city courtyard a la that Rumanian turd from years' past is they're waiting for the dam to go on his watch.
#2
A long time ago I read an article about post-Mao China. Accurately or not, the writer compared China's leadership to a dark room full of grey cats. Sometimes a cat will appear in the window but, otherwise, you have no idea what's happening inside that room. For some time it seemed they stabilized with an agreement that the boss would only keep his position for ten years. But Xi wants to be boss for life and it remains to be seen whether his life is long or short.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
08/07/2020 11:54
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#3
She charges five bucks to watch the video. No thanks. Someone trying to make money from commission referrals?
Posted by: Black Charlie Grundy3982 ||
08/07/2020 18:19
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Video at last 2 links are free.
Premiere at 9 pm EST at 👉
[Al Ahram] Despite strong objections from al-Azhar, on 19 July parliament provisionally approved a law regulating religious fatwas. Drafted by Osama al-Abd, the head of parliament’s Religious Endowments Committee, and other MPs, the law regulates the selection and performance of the grand mufti and his aides. "It also seeks to grant Dar al-Iftaa, the Egyptian House of Fatwa, financial, technical and administrative independence," said al-Abd. al-Abd explained that the law will stem the tide of bizarre fatwas. "Many people who like to describe themselves as religious scholars and holy mans issue fatwas on controversial and sensitive issues that might spark sectarian strife or cause social unrest," said al-Abd.
Egypt’s grand mufti, Shawki Allam, told MPs that "we have seen a kind of fatwa chaos recently, with people without any religious academic experience issuing fatwas through TV channels or via social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube."
"As religious scholars and MPs, we decided that there should be a law that ends this chaos by entrusting Dar al-Iftaa with the exclusive prerogative to issue fatwas," he said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
The creation of a parallel institution to Al Azhar is the crux of the argument. Azhar has for years argued that there are too damned many fatwas floating around, but in reality it could do nothing about it. Now it appears the parliament is going to resolve the issue. Or try to.
[NYPOST] Amid the devastation in Beirut, a maiden of tender years was found alive after spending at least 24 hours buried under the debris from this week’s deadly blast in the Lebanese capital, according to a report.
The crying child is seen in heart-wrenching video, with her head poking through the rubble as rescuers work feverishly to free her by removing heavy slabs of concrete Wednesday night, the UK’s Metro reported.
Earlier in the day, a crowd cheered as a man also was pulled alive from rubble more than 10 hours after the blast in the city’s port.
"Issam is alive!" the people yelled as the dust-covered man was removed on a stretcher.
The explosion that rocked the city Tuesday has killed at least 137 people, injured more than 5,000 and displaced hundreds of thousands. Many remain unaccounted for.
There are attempts underway at this hour by local authorities to rescue survivors trapped UNDER the collapsed silo near the epicenter of the explosion in #Beirut.
Rescue crews were made aware of their entrapment after a phone call was made from the site of the collapse. https://t.co/uIZZFs84vw
Clearing the decks for action now that they’re teaming up with China and Iran? Given that, like the Palestinians, whenever there is a choice they make the wrong one, this should prove interesting for all involved.
[DAILYTIMES.PK] Pakistain has paid back a $1 billion loan to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... . The country paid back $1 billion out of a $3 billion loan that it secured one and a half years ago to avoid default on international debt obligations.
According to the Pak Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Pakistain (SBP), Pakistain has taken the loan of $1 billion from China to pay back the Saudi Arabia loan.
In October 2018, Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide the financial package of $6.2 billion to Pakistain for three years. This included $3 billion in cash assistance and $3.2 billion worth of annual oil and gas supply.
As per the agreement, the Saudi cash and oil facility was for one year with an option to roll over the amount at the end of the year for a period of three years. Pakistain was paying 3.2 percent interest on the $3-billion facility, according to the information that the Ministry of Finance.
In its report in April this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that "Saudi Arabia also refinanced $3-billion BOP (balance of payments) support loans that matured in November (2019)-January (2020)." However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... the repayment of $1-billion loan within six months of its renewal was surprising.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
It fits with the new de facto alliance of China, Pakistan and Iran.
#5
China, Pakistan & Iran, huh? I thought China was supposed to be smart (not like everybody says... like dumb). Pak I can at least understand from the point of surrounding mutual-enemy India, but Iran?
[KhaamaPress] A roadside kaboom planted by Talibs went off in western Nimroz province of Afghanistan, killing at least seven civilians, the local authorities said.
Bahram Khel, the acting spokesperson for the provincial government, confirmed that the incident took place in Khash Rod district.
He said a vehicle carrying civilians struck a roadside kaboom planted by Talibs in Khash Rod district on Wednesday.
Bahram Khel further added that the earth-shattering kaboom killed 7 civilians and maimed another one.
The Taliban ...Arabic for students... group has not commented regarding the incident so far.
Talibs and other Death Eaters often use roadside kabooms to target the security forces but the majority of such attacks inflict casualties on ordinary civilians.
[IndependentSentinal] Manufacturing in the USA is measured by a key business activity gauge. And it has soared to a 15-month high in July. This exceeded all expectations.
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) business survey, published on Monday, shows that its topline manufacturing activity indicator, called the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), surged to a reading of 54.2 in July. Readings above 50 indicate expansion while those below mean contraction.
Economists polled by Reuters predicted the manufacturing gauge to rise to 53.6 in July, so the higher-than-expected number is encouraging, particularly in light of April’s 11-year low of 41.5.
“In July, manufacturing continued its recovery after the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Timothy Fiore. He is the chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee in a release.
There are, however, concerns about sustainability.
“Manufacturing is recovering from low levels and the outlook is uncertain, given the threat of repeated disruptions from virus outbreaks,” said Rubeela Farooqi. He is the chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. He made the remarks to The Associated Press.
#3
Consumer product companies are working round the clock to restock supplies of household cleaners and toilet paper, and no doubt supplies for meals and for home improvements and repairs as well — that may have something to do with it.
#4
PMI hit a low of under 40 in March or April of this year. Manufacturing was (still is) devastated and recovering from a severe COVID China Plague deficit.
[NYPOST] The mail-in ballots of more than 84,000 New York City Democrats who sought to vote in the presidential primary were disqualified, according to new figures released by the Board of Elections.
The city BOE received 403,103 mail-in ballots for the June 23 Democratic presidential primary.
But the certified results released Wednesday revealed that only 318,995 mail-in ballots were counted.
That means 84,108 ballots were not counted or invalidated — 21 percent of the total.
One out of four mail-in ballots were disqualified for arriving late, lacking a postmark or failing to include a voter’s signature, or other defects. The Post reported Tuesday that roughly 30,000 mail-in ballots were invalidated in Brooklyn alone.
The high invalidation rate provides more proof that election officials and the Postal Service were woefully underprepared to handle and process the avalanche of mail-in ballots that voters were encouraged to fill out to avoid having to go to the polls during the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic, critics said.
Gov. Andrew Sonny Cuomo signed an executive order to make it easier to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot. The state also footed the bill by providing pre-paid envelopes for voters to mail the ballots.
"A 26 percent invalidation rate is astounding. It’s very troubling," said Arthur Schwartz, who represented several candidates in a federal lawsuit claiming voters were disenfranchised over the BOE and Postal Service’s handling of ballots.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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[THEREGISTER] The United States National Security Agency has issued new advice on securing mobile devices that says location services create a security risk for staff who work in defence or national security.
The new guide [PDF], titled "Limiting Location Data Exposure", notes that smartphones, tablets and fitness trackers "store and share device geolocation data by design."
"Location data can be extremely valuable and must be protected," the document adds. "It can reveal details about the number of users in a location, user and supply movements, daily routines (user and organizational), and can expose otherwise unknown associations between users and locations."
Which is not good at all for spies and defence force personnel.
The guide also suggests that it is impossible to stop mobile devices recording and revealing location data, partly because network operators can’t help but collect such data in their normal course of business.
The document also warns: "Location data from a mobile device can be obtained even without provider cooperation. These devices transmit identifying information when connecting to cellular networks. Commercially available rogue base stations allow anyone in the local area to inexpensively and easily obtain real-time location data and track targets."
While acknowledging that most devices offer settings to reduce location-tracking, the guide says "Mitigations reduce, but do not eliminate, location tracking risks in mobile devices. Most users rely on features disabled by such mitigations, making such safeguards impractical."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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So what's so hard with 'infection tracking' then? Other than the massive exponential interconnection of crossings and contacts someone (and their contacts' contacts' contacts) has had.
[ALMASDARNEWS] A Russian-made S-300 air defense system has been spotted near the strategic port-city of Sirte in north-central Libya.
According to conflict observers, a photo taken east of Sirte allegedly shows the presence of an S-300 air defense system, which is something that Libya did not previously possess.
However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... while some claim that this is an S-300 system, the Russian publication, Avia.Pro, said that the photo does not necessarily confirm its presence, as it is only possible to confirm the ownership of the radar.
"At the moment, there is no complete confidence that we are talking about the S-300 complex, since it was only possible to confirm the ownership of the radar; however, given the fact that Russian military aircraft regularly fly to Libya, landing at air bases controlled by the Libyan National Army. Moreover, we are talking about Russian military specialists, analysts are inclined to believe that we are talking about these complexes," the publication said.
The Libyan National Army has not commented on the claims of the S-300 system’s deployment to Sirte.
It should be noted that neighboring Egypt does possess an S-300 system and given their alliance with the Libyan National Army, the deployment of this weapon could very well be possible.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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[NYPOST] A cancer researcher and mother of two who emigrated from India to Texas reportedly was murdered on her daily jog Saturday morning.
Sarmistha Sen, 43, was found dead by a passerby at about 7 a.m. near a creek along the Chisholm Trail in the city of Plano, Fox 4 reported, citing police.
Police did not reveal the manner of death but classified it as a murder.
About the same time Sen was discovered, police received a call for a nearby home burglary and arrested 29-year old Bakari Moncrief
... Bakari Abiona Moncrief when his mother is displeased, he looks recently arrived from the Mother Continent...
— who is also considered a suspect in Sen’s death.
Moncrief is being held on $1 million bond on the burglary charge as police investigate his possible link to the murder.
"We have our suspicions, but we have to have proof," said Plano Police Officer David Tilley, according to Fox 4.
"And that’s what they’re looking for right now is trying to obtain proof as to whether or not this individual is or is not responsible for her death."
Sen and her husband were married in India before moving to Texas to continue her higher education. The couple has two sons — 12-year-old Neil and Ryan, 6.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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An Indian maid came to grief!
I blame our commander-in-chief,
Sam Bass, William Cody,
Bass Reeves, Sheriff Foti,
Lord Krishna, Cortez,
Rodgers, Staubach, Bob Hayes,
Hoss, Calamity Jane,
Brokeback Mountain, John Wayne,
T.R., Elliott, Shane,
Kane, Mark Matthews, "King" Kong,
The cat crooning this song,
Wild Bill Hickok, Tom Mix, Lee Van Cleef...
Or Bakari Abiona Moncrief.
In June, @tedwheeler disbanded @PortlandPolice's Gun Violence Reduction Team in response to George Floyd's death & antifa/BLM riots. Now, Portland is experiencing a surge in gun-related homicides. There are also triple the number of shootings in July 2020 compared to July 2019. pic.twitter.com/6o650PlPP5
At the end of May, violent antifa & BLM rioting spread to Eugene, a small city in Oregon. Eugene Police finally announced the arrests of multiple criminal suspects after months of investigation. #Antifa online are freaking out & calling for bail donations. https://t.co/NRsJYTEBAU
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
The Azerbaijani pogroms against non-Muslims after the USSR's breakup were un-reported by the world's press and extremely vile. They and the Ottomans should get along just fine.
(Disclaimer - I once worked with a Russian girl who lost her complete family in those rampages. She was more traumatized than another co-worker who survived Cambodia's death squads.)
[Jpost] The Paleostinian Authority has formed a commission of inquiry to investigate the death of Khalil al-Sheikh, the brother of Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the PA General Authority of Civil Affairs and member of the Fatah Central Committee.
Khalil, 47, was shot in the chest on Wednesday night when he and other Paleostinians tried to arrange a reconciliation between two rival families in al-Bireh, the twin city of Ramallah.
It was not clear what sparked the shooting. Ultimately, it all comes down to Resistance Against The Juice
Unconfirmed reports claimed that Khalil was shot by an officer belonging to the Paleostinian Preventive Security Force. The suspect has been arrested by the PA security forces, the reports said.
Khalil died shortly after being rushed to a hospital in al-Bireh.
As news of his death spread, scores of Fatah button menerupted into the streets of some neighborhoods in Ramallah and al-Bireh and unleashed a volley of gunfire. The button men also forced shopkeepers to close their businesses.
PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, announcing the decision to form a commission of inquiry into the incident, instructed its members to take all necessary measures to find out what happened.
PA security officials said that the shooting incident was directly connected to a family feud and had nothing to do with the victim’s brother, Hussein al-Sheikh, who is one of the most powerful Fatah figures in the West Bank. The officials claimed that Khalil was hit by a stray bullet.
The officials warned that the PA security forces would not allow scenes of anarchy and lawlessness on the streets of Ramallah and al-Bireh. They were referring to the appearance of Fatah button men in some neighborhoods immediately after the shooting incident.
Kiley Delgado (formerly Kiley Warren), 28, was charged w/felony riot & more. She was arrested at the #antifa riot in east Portland where a police station was set on fire. Delgado was part of the "wall of moms." She was quickly released. #PortlandRiotshttps://t.co/muah03UhrBpic.twitter.com/clqEBGGKb3
Kristopher Michael Donnelly (or Krystopher Donnelly), 26, is charged w/felony riot, felony assault of an officer, felony criminal mischief & more. He was arrested in relation to the violent #antifa riot in east Portland. #PortlandRiotshttps://t.co/aHBQBrNg2lpic.twitter.com/G2MfYzovBd
Adrian De Los Rios, 32, was arrested at the #antifa riot in east Portland. He's charged w/felony riot, felony criminal mischief, attempted assault of an officer, escape & much more. He's from Minneapolis & was at the BLM protests there too. #PortlandRiotshttps://t.co/l2pTOi9PKLpic.twitter.com/F7WNtsg3GX
More evidence of antifa at the riots in Portland. Beeman was actually part of the organized antifa “street medic” unit. As usual, this will be ignored by the media. https://t.co/mq8tFH0QjJ
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
Looking at these obviously mentally ill folk... tell me again why the left found it in their interest to start removing state mental hospitals back in the 1970s.
#6
^ If gutless Ted Wheeler feels able to speak out against Antifa, the worm, she is turning. Scrolling down on the Andy Ngo twitter feed brings you to a couple of dozen lions of Antifa trying to intimidate an elderly woman: "It's not your world any more!"
Posted by: Matt ||
08/07/2020 13:08
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[gCaptain] The volatile chemical that Lebanese authorities blame for Tuesday’s lethal blast in Beirut had been lying in storage at the city’s port for six years in spite of warnings from customs officials about its hazards, documents show. Evidently, customs officials in Beirut do not have much authority to enforce violations.
The ammonium nitrate arrived as cargo on the ship Rhosus in 2014, according to two letters issued by the director general of Lebanese Customs. For reasons that are unclear, dockworkers unloaded the chemical, which can be used to make fertilizers and explosives, and put it into storage.
Customs officials later asked judicial authorities at least twice to issue orders for the ammonium nitrate to be confiscated or re-exported, according to the letters. In one of the letters, dated May 3, 2016, the director general at that time, Shafik Merhe, warned of “the extreme danger” from storing the chemical in a warehouse “in these unsuitable weather conditions.” The material posed a risk to the staff and the port, he said. The buck is passed here.
Lebanese broadcaster LBCI reported that the Rhosus had been scheduled to sail with its cargo from Beirut six years ago but stayed at the port due to a mechanical failure. Workers welding a door on Tuesday started a fire that ignited the chemicals, LBCI said, citing people who attended a Supreme Council of Defense briefing after the blast.
The explosion killed at least 100 people and wounded thousands more. Authorities blamed a quantity of ammonium nitrate equivalent to 1,800 tons of TNT that had been stored at the port, without saying what triggered the blast.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Tuesday described the storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port as “unacceptable” and said that those responsible would be held accountable. Cat's out of the bag, Hassan.
Several security officials told AFP that it temporarily docked at the port but was later seized by authorities following a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company against the shipowner.
Port authorities unloaded the ammonium nitrate and stored it in a rundown port warehouse with cracks in its walls, and the ship sank sometime later because of damage, the officials said.
The warehouse started to exude a strange odor, which led security forces to launch a 2019 investigation that concluded that the "dangerous" chemicals needed to be removed from the premises.
The agency also noted the walls of the warehouse were unsound, urging the port authorities to repair them.
It was not until this week that workers were dispatched and began repair works, in what might have possibly triggered the blast.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/07/2020
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The warehouse started to exude a strange odor, which led security forces to launch a 2019 investigation that concluded that the "dangerous" chemicals needed to be removed from the premises.
This is the perfect example of bureaucratic diddling and what the results can be. Sounds like the Michigan water fiasco on steroids.
Who owned the ship full of boom-powder and where was it going?
#5
Huge hazard. Not a secret. I'm guessing Hezbollah had an interest in keeping it around. An enterprising fellow (Hi, Wally!) could use this to get over on the Hezbullies. The PM said that those responsible would be held accountable, so let's take advantage of the national outrage and go round up some suitable suspects!
ANP launched an operation, capturing a three-member group linked with the Daesh Terrorist Group in PD#1, Kabul City. Meanwhile, ANP arrested a weapon/drug trafficker along with six pistols & some amount of drugs & military equipment in PD#9, Mazar-e-Sharif City of Balkh. pic.twitter.com/a05McaHOEK
[ToloNews] The Kabul Bank Recovery Department has recovered more than $15 million of the bank’s embezzled funds over the last year, much of which was from Khalilullah Frozi, the former CEO of the bank.
According to Rohullah Habib, head of the Kabul Bank Recovery Department, $987 million is the total amount lost during the scandal, of which he said "$400 million has been recovered so far." Recovery of the remaining amount is "in process."
Habib clarified that $61 million has been collected out of the $272 million owed by Sher Khan Farnood, the founder and former head of the Kabul Bank who died in prison in August 2018. He was accused of being among the top embezzlers.
According to Habib, Khalilullah Frozi owes $196 million to Kabul Bank and has paid $14 million to the department.
Frozi, however, told TOLOnews on Tuesday that he had paid $17 million to the government along with properties "worth millions."
Habib called the recovery of Kabul Bank funds a "complicated process" and time-consuming.
"He (Frozi) has not paid cash since his release from prison. From his seven properties in total, three of them are worth $8. 9 million and the four remaining properties are under review by the recovery department," Habib added.
Talking to TOLOnews on Tuesday, Frozi said: "We have paid a portion of the money--$17 million. We have handed over the Dosti township that was our property and the government has sold it for Afs600 million ($7.8 million)," Frozi said, adding that he has also given to the government properties such as "16 jeribs (7.9 acres) of land on the Airport Road, 7 jeribs (3.4 acres) of land in Makrorayan area (in Kabul), 50 jeribs (24.7 acres) of land in Karte Naw (area in Kabul), and two jeribs (0.9 acres) of land near Poland's embassy."
"The issue was political, the issue was the big controversy of the former president Karzai and the US embassy. It was a consequence of the intervention of former US ambassador Karl Eikenberry ...retired United States Army Lieutenant General who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan... . Kabul Bank paid the price for pressure that the US put on Karzai and Kabul," added Frozi.
The court recognized Sher Khan Farnood, the founder and chairman, and Khalilullah Frozi, as well as a number of other individuals and companies, as owing back large sums to Kabul Bank, but Farnood died in prison two years ago.
"The basis of the process was wrong. The former head of the Central Bank, Mr. Abdul Qadir Fitrat, has done wrong and has acted in contravention of the law. We are not saying that nothing was done in Kabul Bank, but it could be solved in simpler ways. But they [Kabul Bank Recovery Department] still has not been able to collect the debts," said Sulaiman Toofan.
Kabul Bank, the largest private bank in Afghanistan, was established in 2004 by Sherkhan Farnood; But after it went bankrupt, the government took over the bank in 2010. Watchdogs have criticized the government for failing to recoup the bank's stolen assets after nine years.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The head of the Iranian Red Islamic Thingy Society, Karim Hemti, announced on Thursday, the dispatch of two planes filled with humanitarian aid to Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... The President of the Red Islamic Thingy Society stated that the two Iranian planes are carrying 15 tons of medical materials and medicines, 45 tons of food, and a field hospital that will be established in Beirut in coordination with the Lebanese Red Thingy, accompanied by 13 specialist doctors and 16 civil defense personnel.
He said that Lebanon announced that it did not need camps or pitching tents, and therefore it was not sent to it.
"We will be with the Lebanese people, and we will prepare more assistance according to the field conditions and needs in the coming days," he added.
Twenty tons of Iraqi medical aid arrives in blasted Beirut
[Rudaw] An airplane carrying 20 tons of medical aid from the Iraqi government landed in Beirut on Wednesday evening to support those maimed in the city’s recent deadly explosion, Iraq’s oil minister told Iraqi state-media.
"Under the guidance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, an Iraqi delegation led by the oil minister arrived in Beirut with 20 tons of medical aids," Ihsan Abdul-Jabar announced on Wednesday of his visit. "The delegation consists of 15 senior doctors to provide support to the hospitals in Leb The blast has devastated the economic heart of Lebanon during a time of unprecedented financial crisis, with the value of the Lebanese pound plummeting since October 2019, when anti-government protests erupted across the country, leaving many jobless and unable to feed their families.
Israeli organization says it will send medical aid to Lebanon
[IsraelTimes] An Israeli group says it is planning to fly medical and humanitarian aid to Leb to support those injured in the Beirut blast on Tuesday, which killed more than 130 people and maimed thousands. The equipment is meant to be distributed at health institutions and children care facilities.
SmartAID says it will fly in personal protective equipment, ventilators, medical items for burn victims, general supplies for injuries and solar lights, along with more equipment. The items are being collected in warehouses in North America and Australia, the organization says.
Lebanon has not approved Israel’s offer to help the country deal with the devastation caused by the earth-shattering kaboom, and it isn’t clear whether it will accept this aid either.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
Iran starting to rebuild the supply that just blew up Beirut. 95 tons of Ammonium Nitrate 2600 tons more to go.
[DAILYTIMES.PK] Nine people have died and dozens were maimed after 10 gas explosions destroyed homes in North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... . A gas cylinder ignited after a leak in Hyesan on Monday evening, according to reports.
The explosion set off the gas cylinders attached to the nearby homes. It’s thought that there were 10 explosions in total.
Six people were killed instantly while around 30 people suffered from varying degrees of burns. They were taken to a local hospital, where three reportedly died this morning.
In a similar incident, the official Iraqi news agency reported about a fire in a food and electrical warehouse in Najaf Ashraf and announced that firefighters are trying to contain it.
Sources revealed that the food and electrical storages of "Al-Quds" in the south of the province caught fire. Al-Quds? WTF?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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Top|| File under: Commies
#1
Geeesh, these fires and explosions are spreading almost as much as the coronavirus.
[Daily Wire] The Minnesota Star-Tribune endorsed one of Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-MN) primary challengers and suggested that the first-term congresswoman has failed to "unite" her district.
The Star-Tribune, the largest newspaper in the state, endorsed Democratic candidate Antone Melton-Meaux
... lawyer, husband to a medical professor/surgeon, Progressive and pro-immigrant like Ilhan Omar, but he is strongly connected to Progressive African-American politics nationally and locally, whereas she belongs to CAIR and the internal Islamist movement...
over Omar in an editorial published Wednesday. The race for Omar's reelection has attracted millions of dollars in an effort to unseat the incumbent with a history of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments.
"Melton-Meaux brings a different sensibility to this race, one grounded in helping resolve disputes to move forward ‐ a skill this country is much in need of," the Star-Tribune says. "Whether it's health care, criminal justice or affordable housing, Melton-Meaux appears progressive, but pragmatic. While Omar wants to lead a movement, Melton-Meaux seeks to serve the Fifth District."
The editorial board contrasted Omar's push to defund and abolish police departments and her embrace of a government takeover of the health insurance industry against Melton-Meaux's more "pragmatic" approaches.
"Omar's 2018 victory launched her into the national spotlight as the first Muslim woman and first refugee elected to Congress. But her time has been marred by missteps, including remarks on Israel widely regarded as anti-Semitic, an outsized number of missed votes, and campaign-finance issues," the board continued, noting that "Omar has sent more than $1.6 million to her husband's D.C. political consulting firm, E Street Group, and is herself the target of a Federal Election Commission complaint regarding travel expenses."
"It is just these kinds of ethical distractions that the Fifth District could do without," the board said. "In the Editorial Board interview, Omar took little responsibility for her rocky start, instead largely blaming her critics and saying her failing was perhaps in not realizing what a ‘special unicorn' she would be in Congress." Like marrying her brother, filing false tax returns, paying her hubs (and herself)...and generally being an Islamic Tw*t
The Democratic establishment has largely coalesced behind Omar, one of the benefits of incumbency. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed the freshmen lawmaker on July 13 as funding for Melton-Meaux's candidacy surged into the race.
He out-raised her $3.2 million to less than $500,000 in the last quarter...
#2
How do you say in Somali, you're poll numbers look like crap? /rhet question
Keep shoving that 'election donation' money to your new hubby's front organization.
Minnesota DFL officials charged Tuesday that Antone Melton-Meaux, the top challenger to incumbent U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, skirted campaign finance laws by hiding some of his top political consultants in Tuesday’s nationally-watched Democratic primary.
#7
A Federal Election Commission complaint obtained by the Star Tribune alleges Melton-Meaux’s campaign violated federal election law by “conspiring to intentionally obscure” the identity of political consultants listed as limited liability corporations working on his challenge to Omar in a hotly contested race that has already seen each side raise more than $4 million.
DFL Files Campaign Finance Complaint Against Ilhan Omar’s Challenger Melton-Meaux
August 7, 2020 Corinne Murdock
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Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) filed a complaint against Democratic challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, claiming that his campaign created LLCs to shield the identity of several consultants and donors. The DFL filed the complaint exactly one week before the upcoming primary on August 11.
The DFL’s complaint refers to the disclosure requirements outlined in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, citing emails from Milton-Meaux’s campaign and a MinnPost article as their main evidence. Three LLCs are named as Respondents.
A press release by the DFL quotes Party Chairman Ken Martin disavowing Melton-Meaux’s candidacy.
Much of his money comes from pro-Israel PACs. America PAC, for instance, has given around $382,000. Strongly conservative group NORPAC raised over $100,000 for Melton-Meaux in fundraisers in May and June, with AIPAC generating three times that amount for him. “Together, we have the privilege of accomplishing a dual objective. Supporting a deserving candidate, Antone Melton-Meaux, who has communicated a genuine desire to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and bring honor to his country and party while at the same time replacing Ilhan Omar, a highly divisive member of Congress who has proven to be unfairly and repeatedly critical of Israel,” explained NORPAC.
I was wondering where he was getting all this campaign monies, Woodrow
#8
For all his talk of ending divisiveness, Melton-Meaux has certainly had a divisive career as a partner in Jackson Lewis, a law firm that specializes in union-busting. As the Huffington Post noted, in at least three cases, he represented large corporations that were fighting lawsuits from workers who claimed they were discriminated against or had their wages stolen by their employers. “It’s troubling to see somebody who’s running as a Democrat have that sort of record,” said Chris Shields, a spokesperson for the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
[EN.ANNAHAR] Residents of Beirut vented their fury at Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... ’s leaders Thursday during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, blaming them for the deadly explosion that ravaged the capital. Shouting, "Revolution!" they crowded around the visiting leader who promised to press the politicians for reform.
A military judge leading the investigation into Tuesday’s blast said 16 employees of Beirut’s port, where the earth-shattering kaboom took place, were tossed into the calaboose. He said 18 had been questioned, including port and customs officials, according to the state news agency.
But while Sherlocks focus on port officials, many Lebanese put the blame squarely on the political elite and the corruption and mismanagement that even before the disaster had pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse.
The Cabinet was previously warned by a security agency that a stockpile of explosive chemicals stored at the port was dangerous, Lebanon’s customs chief told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named — a report that could raise questions of high-level neglect.
That stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate set off the massive blast, apparently when touched off by a fire at the port. The chemical had been left sitting in a warehouse ever since it was confiscated from an impounded fat merchantman in 2013.
The explosion, powerful enough to be felt in Cyprus across the Eastern Mediterranean, killed more than 130 people, maimed thousands, and blasted buildings for miles around. Two days later, some 300,000 people — more than 12% of Beirut’s population — can’t return to their homes, officials estimate. Damaged hospitals are still struggling to deal with the maimed. Dozens are still missing. Officials have estimated losses at $10 billion to $15 billion.
Furthermore, the disaster struck at a time when people’s savings have melted away, and unemployment and poverty have mounted in the financial crisis. Few have the capacity to rebuild homes and businesses, and the government is scraping for dollars.
After talks with Lebanese leaders, La Belle France’s Macron announced his country will organize a conference in the next few days with European, American, Middle Eastern, and other donors to raise money for food, medicine, housing, and other urgent aid.
But he warned Lebanon’s political elite that he wouldn’t give "blank checks to a system that no longer has the trust of its people." He called on them to create a "new political order."
He promised a "clear and transparent governance" so that the aid goes directly to the population and aid groups.
In startling scenes, Macron — whose country once was Lebanon’s colonial ruler — presented himself as a champion for the Lebanese to push change on their leadership.
After visiting the devastated port, Macron walked through one of the worst-hit neighborhoods, Gemmayzeh, down a street lined with wrecked buildings.
On the narrow street, a crowd gathered around him and shouted their anger, chanting, "Revolution!" and "The people want to bring down the regime!" — slogans used at mass protests last year.
Macron told them he would propose "a new political pact" when he met the government later. Then, he added, "I will be back on the first of September and if they can’t do it, I will keep my responsibility toward you." He also promised that French aid would be given out with transparency and "will not go into the hands of corruption."
Protesters have begun to burn tires outside the #Beirut municipality building as public backlash from Tuesday's explosion continues. pic.twitter.com/slbHvp7qSh
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
After nearly one thousand years of support for the Maronite Christians of Lebanon, which began with the Crusades, the French walked away from that relationship. By the 1970s Lebanon was on its own. And now Macron seeks to square the circle and return French influence to Lebanon? It is a questionable ploy, but Lebanon does need a friend and financial lifeline in Europe.
During several separate raids, ANP arrested 11 individuals involved in murder & armed robbery in Herat, Parwan, Faryab & Takhar provinces. The cases have been referred to the judicial organs for further processing. pic.twitter.com/RkqT1DSQD0
[Al Ahram] It will always be remembered as one of the world’s most shocking moments in its recent history. The blast in Beirut’s port on Tuesday was compared by the city governor to those that decimated Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II in 1945. People in Limassol, Cyprus, 240 kilometres away from Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , felt the blast as if it was an earthquake.
The explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, according to Lebanon's President Michel Aoun
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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[24 views]
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS) launched a big attack in two separate parts of central Syria last night.According to a field report from the Hama Governorate, the Islamic State faceless myrmidons targeted the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions in the Sa’an District of the Salamiyah countryside.
The report said the Syrian Arab Army was able to fend off the Islamic State’s assault after their reinforcements arrived in Sa’an from nearby Salamiyah city.
Shortly after this attack, the Islamic State launched another assault on the Syrian Arab Army’s positions, but this time they targeted the Badiya al-Sham region in the Homs Governorate.
The Syrian Arab Army was once against able to foil the terrorist attack, but it forced the military to deploy more forces to the Badiya al-Sham region.
The Islamic State has intensified its attacks in the Hama and Homs governorates since the outbreak of the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic in Syria.
The terrorist group has taken advantage of the pandemic to carry out ambushes and raids on several sites belonging to not only the Syrian Army, but also, the Iraqi military and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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[30 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
Iranian Militias and Regime Forces are bringing more reinforcements to the Khasham Pocket and the area between Al-Mayadin and Al-Bukamal,the reasons for the reinforcements are unknown
[Twitter]
[Exclusive live shooting] A precursor to the closure of the Chinese Consulate in New York? Two large shredded paper trucks destroyed documents in front of the Chinese Consulate for two hours
#3
It seems to me that the guard should have no authority to shoo anyone away from the sidewalk. It's not private property, it's public. There may be an argument if the person taking the video were interfering with people doing their job.
#4
The lesson from Enron just caught up with the CCP.
Excess document copies are not assets!
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/07/2020 17:57
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#5
The lesson from Enron/Houston just caught up with the CCP.
That's my assessment also. They had no destruct plan in Houston (well maybe a poor plan that was never tested). Literally went to Home Depot and bought trash cans after the eviction notice.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
08/07/2020 18:32
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#6
the guard should have no authority to shoo anyone away from the sidewalk.
There you go displaying your free society privilege, gorb. Those poor guards are totally totalitarian, so stop being all judgy and stuff.
[ZeroHedge] While Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (whose close friend and fellow activist Cori Bush just upset a longtime incumbent in a Missouri Congressional primary earlier this week) pushes for a 'first-in-the- nation' wealth tax that most reasonable people fear would destroy the state's tax base by driving the billionaires and multimillionaires who finance more than half of the state's budget to leave, NY Gov Andrew Cuomo is begging rich people to "please come back" to NYC.
Why live there when they can visit from time to time, and stay in a Trump Tower room to boot?
During a briefing earlier this week, Cuomo shared an amusing anecdote with reporters as he tried to illustrate the importance of retaining wealthy taxpayers during a period of fiscal crisis (remember, NY is seeking $60 billion in federal money to plug a gaping hole in its budget). Cuomo said that he had been calling up wealthy New Yorkers and asking them to please return to the city from their second homes out in the Hamptons, or Palm Beach, or Greenwich.
"I literally talk to people all day long [REALLY, literally all day?]
who are now in their Hamptons house who also lived here, or in their Hudson Valley house, or in their Connecticut weekend house, and I say, ’You got to come back! We’ll go to dinner! I’ll buy you a drink! Come over, I’ll cook!’" Cuomo said.
Unfortunately, a personal overture from one of the country's most recognizable governors - in many cases - simply isn't enough to convince rich people to return to a city where crime has just skyrocketed to levels unseen since the 1990s, rattling even "Ultra-Wealthy" neighborhoods like the Upper East Side.
"They’re not coming back right now. And you know what else they’re thinking? ’If I stay there, I’ll pay a lower income tax,’ because they don’t pay the New York City surcharge," he added.
Just remember: When pandering politicians like AOC inflame public anger toward the wealthy and successful, they know what they're doing - and they're doing it for a reason.
If the state's finances collapse and NYC returns to the "bad old New York" of bygone decades, then that should translate into even more support for demagogues who have already indoctrinated a whole generation to blame "capitalism" for all their problems.
This isn't the first time Cuomo has brought up the need to coax rich people to return to the city and the state: Here's another clip from July 23, where Cuomo goes into more detail about the "aggravating factors" driving people away.
#1
"Après moi, le déluge" -- Louis XV Andre Cuomo
The Richest can move to avoid taxes (or pay to have the rules changed) -- so predatory taxing only works if they can't flee. Poor People have no money to tax (unless you are in to slave labor) -- so no money there.
The Middle Class can be plucked, sheared and plundered, but the problem is that they just don't have enough money to paper over the gaping fiscal hole (you also can only drive the corner Pizza Parlor into bankruptcy once!)...
#7
I am simply astonished at Cuomo's complete and utter childishness with this 'Please come back - I'll cook you dinner!' bullshit. Dems keep hitting new lows.
#8
de Blasio and his buddy Soros is turning New York City into a target rich area. Trained mules will tear off their peckers and no one will object.
If there are no funds available for police and firemen's pensions what happens then ?
#11
With the imbalance of the rich leaving and the homeless, drug using sex workers moving into luxury hotels at city expense, aren't they afraid the island will tip?
#13
This is why Chuck Schemer and Nancy McBotox demand removal of deduction limits for high local and State taxes
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/07/2020 12:07
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#14
/\ Exactly, and the Feds (Trump) is 100% correct to tell the states to bugger off. Funny how there is never any mention of the states trying to get their fiscal house in order (Feds, too, but...).
This obscene party of musical fiscal chairs will come to a crashing halt I think sooner than we might think. COVID-19 certainly did not help, but it may have only exacerbated a problem already in motion.
#15
If they're in the Hamptons or the Hudson Valley, what does Cuomo care? They're still in NY State.
I understand why Warren Wilhelm should care; but don't get Cuomo.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/07/2020 16:22
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#16
And deBlasio isn't helping with his minimum 15 day visit to NYC. 14 days quarantine, and however much longer you can afford after that.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
08/07/2020 16:51
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#17
Do you suppose the conversation was more like:
"Come on back buddy, stop by for dinner. We can have some fondu and wine. I'll even let you play with my nipple piercings."
-or-
"Gee, if enough of you don't come back, there is no way to guarantee the safety of any of your business activities within the State of New York. Shame if something happened to them."
It's Kurt
[Townhall] There are a few safe bets in life — the sun will rise in the East, the mainstream media will tongue-bathe the Dems, the Never Trump sissies of the Ahoy crew will die alone, forgotten, and unloved — but there is no safer bet than on Joe Biden not taking the debate stage with Donald Trump.
If he does debate Trump, Grandpa Badfinger is toast. And if he doesn’t debate Trump, Grandpa Badfinger is also toast. Either way, that post-moderate muppet is a breakfast entrée. Dodging the debate is merely his least bad choice, sort of like going with chlamydia over syphilis.
[Al Ahram] A boat carrying around 40 migrants colonists and refugees has sunk off the coast of Mauritania, leaving only one survivor, the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... refugee agency UNHCR said on Thursday.
The perilous sea passage from West Africa to the Canary Islands was once a major route for migrants colonists seeking jobs and a better life in Europe. Attempts became scarcer when Spain stepped up patrols in the mid-2000s, but the route is seeing a fresh surge.
"New shipwreck off the coast of Nouadhibou #Mauritania of approximately 40 persons on board, there is one survivor (from Guinea)," tweeted UNHCR special envoy Vincent Cochetel.
UNHCR "along with authorities & partners are trying to step up efforts to prevent such tragedies, but traffickers keep lying to their clients," he said.
The boat was carrying migrants colonists and refugees, a UNHCR front man confirmed.
Nearly 2,800 illegal migrants colonists arrived by boat in the Canary Islands between Jan. 1 and July 14, Spanish Interior Ministry data show, five times as many as in the same period in 2019.
Late last year, at least 62 people drowned off the Mauritanian coast and around 80 had to swim for shore after the boat carrying them northwards from Gambia ... The Gambia is actually surrounded by The Senegal on all sides but its west coast. It has a population of about 1.7 million. The difference between the two is that in colonial days Senegal was ruled by La Belle France and The Gambia (so-called because there's only one of it, unlike Guinea, of which there are the Republic of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, New Guinea, the English coin in circulation between 1663 and 1813, and Guyana, which sounds like it should be another one) was ruled by Britain... sank - one of the deadliest incidents along the route in recent years.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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[NYPOST] Three 15-year-old boys in Florida are reportedly in jug after inadvertently trespassing on Mar-a-Lago property while carrying an AK-47 as they tried to flee the police.
The bizarre scene unfolded Friday around midnight when Palm Beach police noticed the teenagers parked in a Hyundai on a road about two miles from President Trump’s club, the Palm Beach Police Department told the local NBC affiliate.
When police approached the vehicle, the driver took off, initiating a short car chase, according to the report.
The teens eventually ditched their vehicle near Mar-a-Lago and allegedly carried a backpack containing the rifle as they fled onto the property.
Club security found the bag containing the rifle and a 14-round magazine on a seawall, police said.
The boys were later detained on the property. When a cop asked the group about the rifle, one of them allegedly told the officer he "found it."
All three face charges of armed trespassing, armed burglary, and resisting arrest without violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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#1
"found it" That's what the terr on the Thalys train said back in 2015.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
08/07/2020 7:08
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#2
inadvertently trespassing on Mar-a-Lago property
[Al Ahram] The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-aligned Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... movement in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... on Thursday said it shot down an explosive-laden drone heading towards the kingdom, a statement published by Saudi state news agency SPA said.
There was no immediate comment on the incident in Houthi media.The drone had been launched from Hodeidah governorate on Yemen's Red Sea coast, the coalition said. It did not say where the drone was intercepted.
Cross-border attacks by Houthi forces have escalated since late May when a truce prompted by the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic expired. In late June, missiles reached the Saudi capital Riyadh. The coalition has retaliated with air strikes.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported a coalition air strike on Thursday morning on the Saada area which borders Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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Top|| File under: Houthis
Terrorists operating from Afghanistan resorted to mortar and heavy weapons fire on Pakistan posts in Binshahi Sector, Dir. In the evening the Afghan Border Police Posts also started engaging Pakistan Army posts.https://t.co/cDj6wKwJR7
[Jpost] After nearly six months without incendiary balloons, five fires broke out in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... border communities. At least three of them were caused by incendiary balloons.
IDF fighter jets attacked a Hamas, one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede, underground infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip late Thursday, the IDF Spokesperson confirmed.
The attack was in response to several explosive balloon attacks from Gaza to Israeli territory during the day.
Earlier on Thursday, after nearly six months without incendiary balloons, five fires broke out in the Gaza border communities. At least three of them were caused by incendiary balloons.
Furthermore, a balloon carrying an bomb was found in the Arad industrial zone.
"The State of Israel will not accept any violation of illusory sovereignty and harm to the residents of the south," said Defense Minister Benny Gantz. "In Gaza, it should be understood that there is no other solution - only returning our boys home and peace will lead to economic growth in the Gaza Strip. If the terrorist organizations have not yet understood: Whoever puts Israel to the test will be severely harmed."
Hamas has been holding the bodies of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, when they fell in combat during Operation Protective Edge.
Hamas also responded to Thursday's incident, saying, "Israel is exporting its internal crisis to the Gaza Strip."
This is the second time this week that there has been an escalation between Israel and Gaza. Overnight Sunday, the IDF attacked Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the terrorist organization fired rockets into Israeli territory.
No Israelis were maimed in the incident, though some damage was reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
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[17 views]
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#1
I thought the IDF had a balloon killer UAV patrolling the Gaza border. Maybe it was in the wrong sector.
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/07/2020 0:24
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[Reuters] New York state's attorney general sued to dissolve the National Rifle Association on Thursday, alleging senior leaders of the non-profit group diverted millions of dollars for personal use and to buy the silence and loyalty of former employees.
The lawsuit announced by Attorney General Letitia James alleges NRA leaders paid for family trips to the Bahamas, private jets and expensive meals that contributed to a $64 million reduction in the NRA's balance sheet in three years, turning a surplus into a deficit.
James alleged in a statement that NRA leaders "used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use," failing to comply with the NRA's own internal policies in addition to state and federal law.
In announcing the lawsuit, James told reporters the NRA "has operated as a breeding ground for greed, abuse and brazen illegality." She added "no one is above the law" - including the NRA.
At the same time, the attorney general for Washington, D.C.,
... that’s Karl Racine...
filed suit against the NRA and its foundation, alleging the misuse of charitable funds and wasteful spending.
The confrontation pits James, a Democrat, against the largest and most powerful gun organization in the United States, one that is closely aligned with President Donald Trump's Republican Party.
The NRA, which teaches gun safety in addition to advocating laws making it easier for Americans to own guns and ammunition, is subject to New York law because it is registered as a non-profit organization in New York, where it conducts most of its financial transactions.
The NRA, which has its national headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, about 20 miles (30 km) west of Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York state and the NRA have tangled before. The state has taken legal action against NRA-branded insurance policies sold to gun owners, and the NRA is suing the state for closing gun stores under an executive order to halt the spread of COVID-19.
The latest lawsuit names the NRA as a whole and four senior executives of the group including Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice-president who has been atop the leadership for decades.
It also names former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Wilson Phillips, former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer.
The suit charges the NRA with "awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty," James's office said in a statement.
"The failure of the NRA to comply with multiple fiduciary responsibilities and state and federal laws resulted in the NRA seeing substantial losses on its balance sheet: going from a surplus of $27,802,714 in 2015 to a net deficit of $36,276,779 in 2018 - contributing to a total loss of more than $64 million in just three years," the statement said.
In addition to attempting to close down a group that has existed since 1871, James seeks to recover millions of dollars in lost assets and to stop the four executives from serving on he board of any other not-for-profit group in the state.
While the NRA is incorporated in New York, the NRA Foundation, its charitable wing, is incorporated in the District. Both are headquartered at the same address in Fairfax, Virginia. According to Racine’s lawsuit, an OAG investigation found that the NRA’s financial problems in recent years prompted it to lean heavily on the Foundation for funds, including two $5 million loans in 2017 and 2018, one of which has not been repaid. The lawsuit also alleges a series of fee schedules and other financial schemes to funnel more money to the NRA.
#1
AG James is correct that there were many financial misdeeds in the NRA but this is a truly weird lawsuit.
If financial misdeeds can be used to require de registration of non profit groups, then it can justify de registration of such orgs as the Red Cross, the democrat and republican party, planned parenthood and many, many more.
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/07/2020 0:41
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#2
The suit charges theNRARepublicansDemocratsCongresswith "awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty," James's office said in a statement.
FIFY
Direct assault upon the 1st Amendment right of free association, right of free speech. See, its not just about the 2d Amendment. Time to get serious and use TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242 against the perp.
#12
She is doing more to boost revenue for the NRA than any other event. Watch the dollars roll in.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/07/2020 12:24
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#13
She is also trying to freeze the NRA funding for the election.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/07/2020 13:14
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#14
Why all female African American DA's look the same to me?
I’m sure the Soros PAC (or those of the other Progressive multibillionaires who like to spend their couch change this way) finding and funding them also provides training in dress and general appearance to all their candidates, not just the female African-Americans.
#15
New York seeks to break up National Rifle Association, alleging financial mismanagement
..and then there is Congress which makes the NRA look like little kids lemonade stand by comparison if you want to talk financial mismanagement. Then we can start with all the state governments and their public employee ponzi pension plans.
In my opinion this notable for a number of reason, but predominantly because, as I have been constantly reminding everyone, Iran continues its push to respond to the Soleimani assassination, among other things. https://t.co/71SxlhGUgp
[ALMASDARNEWS] The commander-in-chief of the Palestine Liberation Army,
...the Palestinian wing of the Syrian Army manned, one expects, by the grateful descendants of grateful Palestinian “refugees”...
Major General Tariq Al-Khadra, passed away at the age of 80 in Damascus. According to sources in Damascus, General Khadra passed away at the Tishreen Hospital in the capital city, Damascus, on Wednesday evening.
[EN.ALGHADEER.TV] Egypt and Greece on Thursday signed a maritime deal that sets the sea boundary between the two countries and demarcates an exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling rights.
The deal is a response to a similar agreement between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... and Libya’s Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... -based government last year that has spiked tensions in the East Mediterranean region.
The Turkey-Libya deal was widely dismissed by Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece as an infringement on their economic rights in the oil-rich sea. The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... says it’s a violation of intentional law that threatens stability in the region.
Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades over sea boundaries but recent discoveries of natural gas and drilling plans across the east Mediterranean have exacerbated the dispute.
"This agreement allows Egypt and Greece each to move ahead with maximizing their benefits from resources available in this exclusive economic zone, namely promising oil and gas reserves," said Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry after Thursday’s brief signing ceremony in Cairo.
He added that "Egyptian-Greek relations have been crucial to maintaining security and stability in the East Mediterranean region and for countering threats caused by irresponsible policies that support extremism and terror," a reference to Ankara’s support for the Tripoli government.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2020
00:00 ||
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#1
Thus far no map of the Egypt-Greece Exclusive Economic Zones has been issued publicly. The US Department of State, which for more than forty years has been the leader in producing reports on and substantiating claims to Limits in the Seas, should be asked for its judgement on this. It would also help if it would comment on recent Turkish tinkering with its EEZ.
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.
[Babylon Bee...I think] Joe Biden has been plagued with questions about his age and mental health, but he's brushed off suggestions that he needs a cognitive test and has even gotten irritable at the suggestion. This came to a head yesterday when he was seen screaming at a pigeon, "I don't need a cognitive test!"
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] 
[Red State] Black lives matter. That is a statement of fact. It’s undeniably true. But what happens when a political organization — touting specific beliefs with which many people (including many black people) disagree — takes that statement as their proper-noun name? The answer: a lot of confusion.
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
[IsraelTimes] University of Southern 
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
[Rudaw] The Trump administration’s top envoy for 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...Arabic for 
...Arabic for 
[NYPOST] A man was fatally shot and another 
[DAILYTIMES.PK] A youth was killed in the name of honor in the area of Police Station City and his dedbody was dumped near Dhok Gujjar.
[Al Ahram] Despite strong objections from al-Azhar, on 19 July parliament provisionally approved a law regulating religious fatwas. Drafted by Osama al-Abd, the head of parliament’s Religious Endowments Committee, and other MPs, the law regulates the selection and performance of the grand mufti and his aides. "It also seeks to grant Dar al-Iftaa, the Egyptian House of Fatwa, financial, technical and administrative independence," said al-Abd. al-Abd explained that the law will stem the tide of bizarre fatwas. "Many people who like to describe themselves as religious scholars and 
...Arabic for 
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
[NYPOST] A cancer researcher and mother of two who emigrated from India to Texas reportedly was murdered on her daily jog Saturday morning.
[Jpost] The Paleostinian Authority has formed a commission of inquiry to investigate the death of Khalil al-Sheikh, the brother of Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the PA General Authority of Civil Affairs and member of the Fatah Central Committee.
[ToloNews] The Kabul Bank Recovery Department has recovered more than $15 million of the bank’s embezzled funds over the last year, much of which was from Khalilullah Frozi, the former CEO of the bank. 
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
[Daily Wire] The Minnesota Star-Tribune endorsed one of Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-MN) primary challengers and suggested that the first-term congresswoman has failed to "unite" her district.
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
[ZeroHedge] While Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (whose close friend and fellow activist Cori Bush just upset a longtime incumbent in a Missouri Congressional primary earlier this week) pushes for a 'first-in-the- nation' wealth tax that most reasonable people fear would destroy the state's tax base by driving the billionaires and multimillionaires who finance more than half of the state's budget to leave, NY Gov Andrew Cuomo is begging rich people to "please come back" to NYC.
Unfortunately, a personal overture from one of the country's most recognizable governors - in many cases - simply isn't enough to convince rich people to return to a city where crime has just skyrocketed to levels unseen since the 1990s, rattling even "Ultra-Wealthy" neighborhoods like the Upper East Side.
This isn't the first time Cuomo has brought up the need to coax rich people to return to the city and the state: Here's another clip from July 23, where Cuomo goes into more detail about the "aggravating factors" driving people away.
[Al Ahram] A boat carrying around 40 
[Reuters] New York state's attorney general sued to dissolve the National Rifle Association on Thursday, alleging senior leaders of the non-profit group diverted millions of dollars for personal use and to buy the silence and loyalty of former employees.
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
