1184: Ejexit

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Information revolution notwithstanding, the Internet will prove to be the undoing of society and civilization.

November 2, 2004 12:00AM ESTNovember 2, 2004PCMag reviews products

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after witnessing the latest presidential election process, it's apparent to me that the internet is turning into a bad dream. nobody wants to admit it, but the web's natural ability to remove normal interpersonal structures that prevent society from falling into chaos is not a benefit to anyone. information revolution notwithstanding, the internet will prove to be the undoing of society and civilization as we know it. it may not happen today, but it will happen sooner than we think.

just look at politics. thanks to the net and the so-called new media, the entire political scene has become one massive virtual hyde park corner filled with kvetching, squabbling bores. in the process, the dichotomous nature of binary communication has imposed itself on the public, forming two collectives with opposing and very rigid viewpoints. call them the ones and the zeros: the conservatives and the liberals. because of the internet, these two crowds—or mobs—are each growing in size and becoming increasingly intolerant of the other. since none of the purely liberal or conservative political parties are taken seriously in the u.s., these mobs have latched on to the major parties and hijacked them.

the best example of this is the recent sniping over the fabled george bush memos in which he was told to take a military physical in 1972. it seemed as if the letter could not have been written on a 1972 typewriter but was some sort of hoax. the two political beehives swarmed over this, making all sorts of accusations against anyone who even suggested that their side might be wrong. the untenable democratic position (which was the weaker) managed to save face by accusing karl rove of setting them up. as i was reading all this, i thought to myself, "so he was asked to take a physical. who cares?" there were other documents, of course, but it was an eye roller to everyone except the zeros and ones, whose ranks continue to grow.

rather than benefit from intelligent debate, the public is subjected to a lot of bickering fanned by the internet. i used to think that everyone was entitled to his opinion, but no longer. most opinions are worthless. as a culture, we are trained never to believe or say that opinions are worthless. for some reason, opinions are supposed to be revered because, uh, well, it's free speech! (no letters, please.)

i'm not suggesting that because most opinions stink they should be censored in order for us all to think a certain way. rather, thanks to the internet, we are confronted with too many opinions from too many people—a large number of whom are seriously disturbed or feebleminded. before the internet, these opinions would have been handed out in leaflet form to just a few people unlucky enough to bump into their purveyors. but now they're on the net, accompanied by miles of commentary written by people who are frustrated pamphleteers themselves.

almost everyone on the net is anonymous. when you see someone on the street handing out a flyer, it is usually not hard to determine whether he or she is a lunatic. not so with the haughty blogger who, by hiding behind a good online template, is actually taken seriously. a blogger who stays hidden long enough may even become famous. i know, not every blogger is a whack job—but that's the point. how can you tell?

saying from behind a false identity what one otherwise wouldn't dare say is a practice that began long ago, and blogging has just made it worse. i first noticed it with alter egos cropping up in e-mail, newsgroups, and especially online chat rooms, where true dweebs are suddenly transformed into don juans. the persona thing sometimes goes into new dimensions as boys are turned into men, men pretend to be women, and women turn into sex fiends. just keep the lights turned off.

blogs are now the easiest way to remake oneself, as the tools for their creation are fantastic and easy to use. they have emboldened a lot of otherwise shy people. this is the new media at work, creating false personas that are pumped up by other phonies. under the right circumstances, virtual lynch mobs emerge like swarms of locusts—individual bugs may be easy to squish, but a swarm is dangerous. i think these online mobs, where one or two troublemakers rile up the frustrated, are just as dangerous.

if it were up to me, i'd shut down the net tomorrow and make people get out of the house and mingle. by the time the liberal and conservative extremes, incensed by blog-driven blather, leave the house, it will be as two swarms of locusts hell-bent on revolution—or on battling each other: the zeros versus the ones.

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TopRead MoreAbout the AuthorJohn C. Dvorak is a columnist for PCMag.com and the co-host of the twice weekly podcast, the No Agenda Show. His work is licensed around the world. Previously a columnist for Forbes, PC/Computing, Computer Shopper, MacUser, Barrons, the DEC Professional as well as other newspapers and magazines. Former editor and consulting editor for InfoWorld, he... See Full Bio

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 10:00

SECURITY WARNING: Please treat the URL above as you would your password and do not share it with anyone. See the Facebook Help Centerfor more information. ‚š 2,270 ƒ EMAIL Š SHARE ‚ TWEET Derek Blair/AFP/Getty ImagesBritish police have marked ''Hate Crime Awareness Week'' with a series of childish online cartoons urging the public to report ''hateful'' behaviour ''even if it isn't a crime'', offering assurances that ''you don't even need evidence''.The cartoons, featuring exclusively white racists targeting non-white people, women in hijabs, and so on, were shared over the course of the week by

Devon and Cornwall Police'-- which was recently

exposed as having had to sack a number of constables, special constables, community support officers, and support staff for sexual misconduct.

The cartoons appeared to be aimed at people of limited intelligence, with one featuring a woman with a North American accent narrating an angry white man going into a greengrocer and becoming enraged by an apple placed among other fruit.

''This is John. John doesn't like apples and seeing them sold with other fruits upsets him,'' she explains, as John first shouts at the fruit and then physically attacks it.

''This behaviour seems ridiculous, but would it be any stranger like this?'' she asks, cutting to John screaming at the shopkeeper ''because he is black''.

The cartoon also shows a white man ripping off a Muslim woman's hijab and punching her to the ground, and an elderly white driver refusing to let the black shopkeeper from before board a bus.

''If you observe or experience any threatening or hateful behaviour,

even if it isn't a crime, you should contact the police,'' the narrator instructs.

Another cartoon shows a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white girl at a kindergarten '-- which do not exist in Britain's mainstream education system '-- approaching a boy of Middle Eastern appearance and telling him, ''stop playing with those [toys], you're going to make the toys dirty like your skin'' in a strange accent, prompting him to burst into tears.

The girl then explains to her concerned teacher that her father ''says that we should not play with people like him because they are different.''

Supporting Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Still another cartoon shows a computer-generated blob person who is sad after receiving ''hateful messages'' such as ''Your shade of blue makes me feel sick!'' and ''You're so gay and annoying''.

The blob person is then helpfully informed by a disembodied voice that ''there are so many ways to report a hate crime, and

you don't even need evidence!''

Supporting Hate Crime Awareness Week

Not all the cartoons are race-themed, however, with one focusing on a tomato person going to a nightclub, who is laughed at by the aubergine and broccoli bouncers because their ID card shows they have

changed ''gender'' from fruit to vegetableand back again several times before settling on ''N/A''.

The tomato person leaves the nightclub in despair after not being able to decide whether to use the restroom for fruits or the restroom for vegetables, only to discover a lemon person spraypainting ''Tomatoes Aint No Fruit'' on an alley wall.

The tomato person then calls the police, receiving help from a blueberry officer with a mustache and a helmet bearing a rainbow badge.

The fact that Devon and Cornwall Police only featured white people being racist hints that they (or their videomakers) may be inclined to agree with left-wing academics who believe it is not possible to be racisttowardswhite people, because racism requires ''power plus privilege'' and '-- according to this worldview '-- only white people have those things.

But this is not the legal position in Britain, and racially-aggravated crimes against white people are supposed to be treated as such '-- indeed, the left-wing press had to report official research showing that a

majority of recorded race attack victims were whiteas long ago as 1999.

Anti-white hate crime is likely undercharged, however, as, for example, the courts have

resistedtreating the industrial-scale sexual grooming and rape of mostly white girls by mostly Muslim men of Pakistani heritage as racially aggravated.

A recent case in which a teenager had

his hand cut off in Rochdale by a mob which abused him and three others as ''white bastards'' who were in their ''country'' was also not treated as racially aggravated '-- suggesting that the bar for authorities to concede that crimes against white people are racist is set rather high.

Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery Follow Breitbart London on Facebook: Breitbart London Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart\'s Facebook Page .

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My friends daughter was mugged on her way home from school shoved her face first from behind smashing her face into the pavement then stole her mobile phone. No police would come out just gave a crime reference number, they are more interested in hurty words than a 15 year old girl with a broken jaw. No wonder the parents organised their own punishment is it.

Police are only interested in policing the persecuted locals. They are there to protect the invaders

"Hate Crime Awareness Week"

Translation:Race-baiting of white people week.

Hate Whitey week is its real name.

Whitey is the fascist, racist.

Blacks attacking, raping whites = Okay.Moslems attacking, raping whites = Okay.

Pointing out the proliferation of both = hate crime.

Brain dead society with no standards, no laws.

The U.S. State Dept. needs to issue a travel ban to the UK, it has become a dangerous place for Americans especially in Londonistan.

It is obvious that the United States is not the Only Country whose Elected Officials are being paid and controlled by Foreign Enemies.

Members of the US Congress are more concerned with the safety and welfare of Illegals then the Safety and Welfare of Citizens, and now we see this happening in the EU.

I wonder if the Politicians in the UK have surrendered to Moslem Terrorist Organizations and why the UK has welcomed over 300 ISIS fighters back into the fold?

The only way the foreign enemies could get away with the brazen actions taken is if they were present in all countries with any level of power.All of them.U.S., U.K., Australia, NZ, Canada, all of them..

Could it be because an islamist is the head of Scotland Yard?

The UK police are the most useless police force on planet earth.

They seem to be keeping the unarmed slaves corralled.You do know where the word police derives from yes?Policy.As in the ruler's policies.

When World War 2 ended there were tens of thousands of surplus firearms with ammo available for British people to hide away. They're gonna wish they had very soon.

Same here in San Francisco. They are protecting criminal non citizens as they maim/murder citizens.

We are watching. Some of you will be hearing from us shortly. Others take note.

-- The Brown Gestapo

It certainly looks that way from here in America.

yup' 12 hours ago

Imagine if these PSA's were telling any other race besides white, how to properly behave with others, the left would be howling racism. Notice how leftism stereotype whites as being "the threat" who need to constantly be reminded how to act civilized. Anti White Racism is the bigotry of our Time, the moment a person is born white they are blamed for everything by the left, the moment a white person is born they are immediately guilty, according to the left. According to the left, Whites are enemies in their own countries, whites are outcasts in the nations they created, how much longer will whites accept this unjust treatment, why do whites tolerate it? Anyone who hates whites, in the countries and nations whites built, are racists and traitors.

absolutely, it's becoming the new apartheid, see the latest story on the racist attack in Rochdale, police didn't even bother pressing charges on hate crime even though it was race motivated.

Do you think they'd be behaving this way if they weren't paid?Civil disobedience by way of a national strike, and the word going strong and clear to Westminster that you refuse to finance anti white judiciary and policing would soon have them on their knees.

They need to be demonitized and government control reduced.

All of this crappola going is forcing me to go ''blackface'' to survive the insanity of it all !!!!Should I change my screen name to ''Mr. Black Jim''???

Well now that was racist!

If the victim is white, forget it, plod couldn't give a toss.

If you're white, you do NOT matter. That's the message I always get anyways.

Oh but your work effort and your taxes matter.. even if you don't... It's a pity most of us can't withdraw from work or paying taxes... The Dole doesn't pay enough unless you are criminally inclined, then it's a doddle.

Time to organize vigilante groups to patrol the streets. Done correctly it could be very effective and might embarrass the police enough to start doing their jobs. What is happening in Britain is a travesty.

Already happening in my neck of the woods. It appears to be quite effective too leaving plod to do what he does best in his/her/it's rainbow socks...

Happening too in South Africa with its ridiculously ineffective police farce. But the SAPS is only too keen to arrest the vigilantes!

Sam' 1 hour ago

Foolish laws must be resisted by overwhelming the system through massive violations. If even 1% of the citizens reported 5 willing participants in the protest that would send a huge message. If everyone is in violation then nobody is in violation.

So... so... very sad for this child & her family. ðŸ

Bob' 1 hour ago

I guess police lives don't mean much there.

Who do the police get their marching orders from?

while at any time did you feel when raping !2yo girls did you feel racism we as police brought them back to you as that was are job

That makes no sense whatsoever.

It seems these cartoons are hate full to white people, in each case the white is the bad guy these are racist cartoons. I hope someone reports them the the cops.

And plod wonders why people hate them...

I did and i'd like to see them try to do something about it.

All these videos appear to have been made by a bunch of blinkered paranoid idealogues at the University of Wacko California. That the Devon & Cornwall police thought they were helpful to children and adults in Devon & Cornwall would be extremely surprising if you didn't know that the UK police force has become so politicised and now functions as the paramilitary wing of The Guardian.

They would then charge you for having racist thoughts.

This seems to be the trend in most European-majority countries these days, IMO.Doubtless it comes out of those secret Bilderberg-CFR-Trilateral Commission meetings.

In other words, you can hear a conversation between two people you don't like and "report it as a hate conversation" without evidence" and the cops will take care of the rest - is the UK now the same as Russia under Stalin? What happened to sovereignty of the individual - conceived within English common law and used throughout most of the globae as the fair and most functional anchor of Western civilization. Without evidence indeed - fhe British judicicial system has been hijacked and is now used against the general population by the power hungry elite. It's a national disgrace, as are the establishment.

TJB' 12 hours ago

We had a 1 hour meeting the other day with some clown from ACAS giving a talk about respect in the workplace that was stuffed full of nonsense like this. He spent a great deal of time explaning how it is harrassment to patronise or condescend to any one of the protected groups (Age, Sex, disability etc etc) and then went on to explain how in a factory such as ours where mulitple nationalitites work it's not right to expect older foreign nationals to be expected to be able to learn English, even though it's in the employee handbook that they should be able to understand instructions given to them in English for their own safety....

When i pointed out that by condescending to the elder foreign nationals in saying that they coudn't be expected to learn to speak English he was in contravention of the exact same policies that he was trying to explain all he said was,'good point - but you can't expect them to really can you?' So in explaining the legislation around harrassment and bullying he explicitly harrassed a protected group. It just goes to show that the legislation is an absolute nonsense.

Nothing to worry about. According to the Corbynites all the new arrivals are educated professional people, or are at least literate.

Common Purpose now infests the key positions within society and it needs stamping out; merely having attended one Common Purpose course should be cause for dismissal.

An organisation that believes in leading beyond authority and preparing for a post democratic world is subversive.

Demand to know how much your Local Authorities have spent, of your money, on COMMON PURPOSE courses!

...you can hear a conversation between two people you don't like and "report it as a hate conversation" without evidence"

It's worse than that. If you are accused, the burden of proof is on you to show that you are innocent - which you can't do as no-one can prove a negative. Your only way out is to accept a Police Caution, which means you will have a criminal record.

The East German Stazi would be proud.SNITCH SNITCH SNITCH, until everyone is too afraid to speak and SHUTS UP!

That's the plan. It never works, at least in the longer term, but these clowns seem to think they know best.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:22

Always, a brand of menstrual products, has been forced to scrub the ''woman'' symbol off their packaging in response to a coordinated effort by transgender activists to punish the brand for ''discrimination'' against trangender individuals.

The Daily Mail reports that the Procter & Gamble-owned brand caved to a boycott campaign that began when transgender activists noticed that Always placed the ''Venus'' symbol '-- a circle with a plus sign or cross beneath it, universally recognized as the sign for the female gender '-- on the wrappers of some of its sanitary products.

''A trans activist using the pseudonym 'Melly Boom' had tweeted in July asking Always why it was 'imperative' to have the sign on their sanitary products,'' according to the Daily Mail. ''The tweet said: 'There are non-binary and trans folks who still need to use your products too you know!'''

Ostensibly, 'Melly Boom' is referring to female to male transgender individuals who may identify as a different gender but who do not undergo surgical or medical transition, which would make them theoretically ''male'' but with a female reproductive system and monthly periods. Some social media users also claim that trangender females can have ''period-like'' symptoms once a month.

A high profile transgender activist named Ben Saunders also pestered Always in June after the release of a documentary about Saunders' transtion from female to male. The Always team replied directly to Saunders after making their decision, telling Saunders that, ''We are glad to inform you that as of December we will use a wrapper design without the feminine symbol.''

The brand's public relations team added that the change will come in late 2019 and that gender-neutral period products would hit stores in January of 2020.

The announcement comes on the heels of ''National Period Day,'' a nationwide push for ''menstrual equity.'' The non-profit organization, PERIOD, which organized 60 national rallies around the subject, wants Congress and state legistlatures to start providing menstrual hygiene products like pads and tampons free of charge through Medicaid to state and Federal employees, residents of womens' shelters, public school students, and prison inmates.

Contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination got in on the menstrual frenzy, tweeting their support for expanded access to menstrual hygiene products, and many were careful to display their wokeness by suggesting that ''people'' and not just ''women'' get periods.

Too many people don't have access to basic health needs like menstrual products. Whether due to lack of income, incarceration or gender identity, it's outrageous. Join @periodmovement for #NationalPeriodDay on 10/19 & support the fight for menstrual equity https://t.co/M532VyvIf7

'-- Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 18, 2019

The occasion also became a flashpoint for the same trangender activism that drove Always to drop the female symbol from their packaging. A number of ''intersectional feminists'' and transgender activists took to social media to remind period protesters that it's discriminatory to assume only women menstruate.

🗣 ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. ANY GENDER CAN GET THEIR PERIOD. #NationalPeriodDay

'-- Ericka Hart (She/ They) (@iHartEricka) October 19, 2019

Nearly 1 in 2 low-income people who menstruate have had to choose between being able to afford a meal or menstrual hygiene products. Having a period with dignity shouldn't be a luxury. https://t.co/f1KRTI5QzU #NationalPeriodDay #MEforAll

'-- NARAL (@NARAL) October 19, 2019

Not all women menstruate and not all who menstruate are women. Period equality is simply about equality. Period.#NationalPeriodDay https://t.co/U1XUo7C2vJ

'-- Deepa Shivaram (@deepa_shivaram) October 19, 2019

But not everyone is happy with ''intersectional'' menstrual activism. Feminists also took to social media, in the wake of Always's announcement to suggest that removing female symbolism from packaging is the first step to erasing the female gender and ending the women's rights movement.

''Removing the female symbol from sanitary towel packaging is basically denying the existence of women,'' one prominent feminist told the Daily Mail. ''We're now moving towards the total elimination of women's biology. The women's symbol has been used by feminists for decades. This is pure cowardice and virtue signalling from these big corporate brands who are capitulating to the trans agenda.''

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:19

A B.C. transgender woman who accused multiple aestheticians of discrimination for refusing to wax her male genitalia has had her case dismissed.

In a scathing ruling B.C. Human Rights Tribunal member Devyn Cousineau found that Jessica Yaniv had been repeatedly deceptive, and had sought to target small businesses for financial gain ''or to punish certain ethnic groups which she perceives as hostile to the rights of LGBTQ+ people.''

READ MORE: B.C. Human Rights Tribunal to take up to 3 months to decide transgender waxing case

The ruling involves seven cases that were consolidated into one, all of them involving allegations the businesses refused to serve Yaniv on the basis of her gender identity. Five involved genital waxing, while two involved waxing arm or leg hair.

Most of the cases involved racialized women with imperfect English, several of whom operated businesses from their home.

Cousineau dismissed all seven complaints, and has ordered Yaniv to pay the respondents $2,000 each.

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Genital waxingAt the heart of the case was whether the women had discriminated against Yaniv for refusing to wax her male genitalia when she had sought a Brazilian wax.

Cousineau said she was satisfied that Yaniv has male genitals, though noted she was repeatedly evasive about the matter during testimony.

Yaniv argued that a Brazilian refers to any waxing of the genital area regardless of who it is performed upon, while the respondents argued it refers to the procedure around a vulva only, and that the same procedure involving a penis or scrotum is referred to as a ''brozilian'' or ''manzilian.''

Angela Barnetson, an experienced licenced aesthetician who teaches at the Blanche Macdonald Centre in Vancouver, testified that the beauty industry refers to waxing of biologically female parts as a Brazilian and of biologically male parts by the other two terms.

She told the tribunal the ''brozilian'' procedure is both substantively different from a Brazilian and highly technical, adding the technique is not taught at Blanche McDonald.

It can involve handling a penis and scrotum for between 20 minutes and an hour, while potentially causing tears or bleeding in the client if done wrong, she said.

READ MORE: B.C. Human Rights Tribunal rules in favour of transgender politician

Barnestson also testified that clients often become sexually aroused during the procedure.

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''A scrotum is different than a vulva '-- regardless of the gender of the person it is attached to,'' wrote Cousineau.

''Given the difference in techniques, training, and physical body parts, it is not appropriate to lump both together under the broader rubric of ''genital waxing'', or '-- as Ms. Yaniv argues '-- ''genital waxing for women.''

Cousineau said she rejected Yaniv's assertion the case was analogous to a baker denying service for a gay wedding cake, noting baking does not involve intimate contact for a prolonged period of time.

Rather, she said waxing services require active and specific consent.

READ MORE: UBC barred from Vancouver Pride after hosting 'transphobic' speaker

''I do not accept that a person's decision to touch a stranger's vulva then requires them to also touch a stranger's penis and scrotum,'' wrote Cousineau.

Cousineau also threw out the complaints relating to leg and arm waxing.

She said refusing those services on the basis of gender identity would be discrimination, but found Yaniv's motive for making the complaints was personal financial gain and to ''punish'' racialized and immigrant women based on a perception they were ''taking over'' and hostile to LGBTQ2 women.

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Pattern of deception and harassmentThe tribunal found that in Yaniv's contact with the various aestheticians, she had been deceptive, often making multiple attempts to contact the women using different names and photos.

In one case, she first approached Sandeep Benipal of Blue Heaven Beauty Lounge through Facebook Marketplace with a male photo and the name Jonathan.

Benipal told Yaniv she only accepted female clients, to which Yaniv responded ''I am a lady.'' Benipal, however, declined service when Yaniv told her she was trans and had not had surgery, which Benipal took to mean male genitals were involved, according to the ruling.

The ruling says two days later, Yaniv again approached Benipal, this time with the name Jessica and a photo of a woman with long hair and makeup she'd found on the internet.

When Benipal told her she would perform a Brazilian, Yaniv then told her she was menstruating and asked if Benipal would do the waxing around the string of a tampon.

READ MORE: Pride divided '-- Leadership under pressure as LGBTQ2 community looks to future

Yaniv later told the tribunal the purpose of the question was to see if Benipal was ''professional,'' a conclusion Cousineau rejected.

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''In an unrelated Facebook post, Ms. Yaniv said publicly that 'The funniest thing is asking an immigrant for a tampon they freak out lol [crying/laughing emoji],''' wrote Cousineau.

''In my view, the most likely scenario is that Ms. Yaniv was trying to make Ms. Benipal feel uncomfortable or awkward for her own amusement or as a form of revenge. This is consistent with Ms. Yaniv's behaviour in relation to all of the Respondents.''

The tribunal states that Yaniv went on to try and contact Benipal three different times with different photos asking about services for transgender people, and eventually complained to Groupon that Benipal was being discriminatory.

In another case, Yaniv had booked a Brazilian with Marcia DaSilva, a Brazilian immigrant who worked from her home with children present.

DaSilva initially accepted the booking, even after Yaniv said she was trans, according to the ruling.

She later cancelled when she became suspicious after Yaniv texted her multiple times, eventually revealing she was not the person in the photo she'd used to book the appointment online.

READ MORE: Trans advocates want VPL to scrap event featuring controversial feminist

''Ms. DaSilva did not cancel the appointment when Ms. Yaniv disclosed that she was transgender. Rather, her response was to tell Ms. Yaniv to just come to the appointment and say that she did not have a problem serving her,'' wrote Cousineau.

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''She only ultimately changed her mind after Ms. Yaniv kept pushing, and sent her the picture of herself '-- revealing, for the first time, that she was not in fact 'Jessica.'''

Cousineau noted that DaSilva's personal safety was relevant to the case.

She went on to note that Yaniv made multiple further attempts to contact DaSilva, accused DaSilva's of discrimination to her boss, and reported DaSilva's Facebook page, resulting in it being shut down. DaSilva eventually went to the police about the dispute, the ruling states.

''As a result of her negative encounter with Yaniv, Ms. DaSilva closed her business,'' wrote Cousineau.

Racial animusThe tribunal rejected Yaniv's argument that the reason the majority of her complaints were against racialized women was because they are the main providers of beauty services in her community, instead finding that Yaniv suffers from a ''racial animus.''

''Ms. Yaniv has a grievance against certain ethnic and cultural groups in the Lower Mainland of B.C. which she perceives are failing to assimilate effectively into what she considers 'Canadian' culture,'' wrote Cousineau.

''These complaints are one way in which she is attempting to make this point and punish members of these groups.''

As evidence, the ruling pointed to a series of social media posts by Yaniv, including one which complained of ''immigrants here who gawk and judge and aren't exactly the cleanest people,'' and who ''lie about s''t, they'll do anything to support their own kind and make things miserable for everyone else.''

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Yaniv testified that she believes ''certain groups,'' such as Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Indian people, hold discriminatory attitudes to transgender people, and that such groups are obligated to adhere to Canadian culture and values when in Canada.

Yaniv argued these communities are failing to assimilate and use their religions as a shield to excuse their discrimination, going so far as to liken their behaviour to neo-Nazism, the ruling states.

''Ms. Yaniv resides in the most populous area of the province '-- the Lower Mainland. Her testimony that she must travel to Victoria to 'avoid' racialized service providers is not supported by any evidence and is not credible,'' wrote Cousienau.

''Coupled with Ms. Yaniv's open hostility towards these groups, I cannot avoid the finding that Ms. Yaniv is using many of these complaints to fulfill her promise to 'expose' the 'bigotry' of South Asian and other immigrant or racialized women who would not serve her.''

(C) 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Archived Version

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:16

'--Getty

Classes would explore power and oppressionThe Seattle school district is planning to infuse all K-12 math classes with ethnic-studies questions that encourage students to explore how math has been ''appropriated'' by Western culture and used in systems of power and oppression, a controversial move that puts the district at the forefront of a movement to ''rehumanize'' math.

The district's proposed framework outlines strands of discussion that teachers should incorporate into their classes. One leads students into exploring math's roots ''in the ancient histories of people and empires of color.'' Another asks how math and science have been used to oppress and marginalize people of color, and who holds power in a math classroom.

Another theme focuses on resistance and liberation, encouraging students to recognize the mathematical practices and contributions of their own communities, and looking at how math has been used to free people from oppression.

Seattle's proposals land as schools all over the country are discussing the role ethnic studies should play in their curricula. In most places, if schools offer ethnic studies at all, it's usually in a stand-alone course in high school. But increasingly, schools and districts are starting to sprinkle ethnic studies across the K-12 spectrum. Seattle is taking a highly unusual approach by weaving the field's multicultural and political questions not just through all grade levels, but into all subjects.

Seattle's four-page framework is still in the proposal stage. If adopted, its ideas will be included in existing math classes as part of the district's broader effort to infuse ethnic studies into all subjects across the K-12 spectrum. Tracy Castro-Gill, Seattle's ethnic studies director, said her team hopes to have frameworks completed in all subjects by June for board approval.

If the frameworks are approved, teachers would be expected to incorporate those ideas and questions into the math they teach beginning next fall, Castro-Gill said. No districtwide'--or mandated'--math/ethnic studies curriculum is planned, but groups of teachers are working with representatives of local community organizations to write instructional units for teachers to use if they wish, she said.

''Seattle is definitely on the forefront with this,'' said Robert Q. Berry III, the president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. ''What they're doing follows the line of work we hope we can move forward as we think about the history of math and who contributes to that, and also about deepening students' connection with identity and agency.''

Seattle's framework reflects ideas and practices that NCTM has outlined in publications such as last year's ''Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics,'' Berry noted. That report argues, among other things, for renewed focus on helping students see how math affects the lives of millions, in social media algorithms, polling data, and world finance.

But what some see as leading-edge work, others view as misguided. Seattle's proposed guidelines caused a furor on social media after Rod Dreher, an editor for The American Conservative, blogged about them on Sept. 30. In a Twitter thread dubbed #WokeMath, critics sneered at the district's blend of math and oppression, and zeroed in on parts of the framework that ask, ''How important is it to be right?'' and ''Who gets to say if an answer is right?''

Seattle talk-radio host Dori Monson jumped into the fray on his own blog, asking, ''Did you realize when you subtracted one number from another that you were disenfranchising people by using Western math?'' Liz Wheeler, a host on One America News, tweeted that Seattle ''is now teaching kids as young as Kindergarten that math is racist.''

Castro-Gill said that one elementary school has been trying out some of the ideas from the new framework, but she wouldn't name the school ''because of the hate and vitriol'' on social media.

'Of Course There Are Right Answers'She said opponents have misconstrued the proposed guidelines, especially the section about right answers.

''Of course there are right answers in math. We're not saying there aren't,'' Castro-Gill said.

Seattle's proposed framework blending math and ethnic studies emerged from ongoing conversations in the field of ethnomathematics, and from a newer push to ''rehumanize'' math. Here is a sampling of articles and books often cited as good primers on those ideas.

Rehumanizing Mathematics for Black, Indigenous and Latinx Students, 2018 edition of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' journal, ''Annual Perspectives in Mathematics Education,'' editors Imani Goffney and Rochelle Guti(C)rrez

' ''What is ethnomathematics, and how can it help children in schools?'' by Ubiratan D'Ambrosio. From the NCTM journal ''Teaching Children Mathematics,'' February 2001

' ''Rehumanizing the 'Other' Race, Culture, and Identity in Education Research,'' by Jennifer Langer-Osuna and Na'ilah Suad Nasir, ''Review of Research in Education,'' December 2016

' ''One District's Systematic Approach to Detrack High School Mathematics,'' Brian R. Lawler, conference paper presented at 40th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Greenville, S.C.

Ethnomathematics: Challenging Eurocentrism in Mathematics Education, Arthur Powell and Marilyn Frankenstein, editors, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1997

Source: Education Week

''What we're saying is that there are many ways of reaching conclusions, and that process should include dialogue. If a student got the right answer, we should celebrate that ingenuity and intelligence instead of telling them there is only one way to get to that right answer.''

When too many black and Latino students see no place for themselves in math and science, Castro-Gill said, it's important to be explicit about how their own cultures contribute to math and how they can use it to make their communities, and the world, better.

Seattle's new math framework grew out of a 2017 community campaign, led by the NAACP, for more attention to ethnic studies. Its work to blend math and ethnic studies draws on conversations that have been unfolding for decades in the field of ethnomathematics, which focuses on cultural links to math, and in a movement known as ''rehumanizing math.''

Ethnomathematics, which studies the intersection of math and culture, took shape in the late 1970s, introduced by Brazilian math professor Ubirat n D'Ambrosio. Leading thinkers in the field now include Linda Furuto at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and Filiberto Barajas-L"pez at the University of Washington's school of education in Seattle.

More recently, some scholars, most prominently Rochelle Guti(C)rrez at the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, have begun advocating for a ''rehumanizing'' of mathematics, which places dynamics such as race and oppression at the center of conversations about math and culture.

Guti(C)rrez noted that math organizations that focus on the preparation and oversight of math teachers back key concepts that appear in Seattle's proposed guidelines. The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators' standards for teacher preparation, for instance, say new math teachers should ''understand the roles of power, privilege, and oppression in the history of mathematics education.''

''Math education has been very focused on access and closing the achievement gap, around grit and growth mindset. Those ideas are centered around individuals, and ways of thinking they need to adopt. We haven't focused enough on identity or systems of power,'' Guti(C)rrez said.

''Students should be able to see themselves in the curriculum, recognize math as a tool for making their lives better, and question what math is, and the purpose of math,'' she said.

Expanding Inquiry Into the Purpose of MathA top official at one math organization agreed to talk only anonymously about the new framework to avoid becoming part of the controversy. Starting the conversation with a sigh, he said it's too bad that Seattle blended important ideas with highly controversial ones.

''We all want students of color to be included, believe they can learn math, and see themselves as mathematicians,'' he said. ''It's important for them to learn about great contributions to mathematics from all cultures'--Indian and Chinese and Babylonian.

''But you don't need to talk about liberation and oppression and how Western mathematics has somehow taken over. It just turns people off and makes the goal of being inclusive that much tougher.''

Other leaders in math education welcomed Seattle's push to incorporate political and cultural questions into math, and some said they'd been including similar questions in their teaching for years.

Berry, of the NCTM, recalls an exercise he did with aspiring math teachers when he taught at the University of Virginia. Berry gave his students a drawing of a square. One half was filled with red dots, and the other half with blue dots. Students had to find various ways of dividing the space, some structured to let the red dots win, and others to let the blue dots win.

''It was a lesson in gerrymandering,'' Berry said. ''It showed how we can create structures with geometry to get the outcomes we want politically. We can construct them for advantage or disadvantage.''

Peggy Brookins, the president and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, said she got pushback to culturally sensitive strategies as a high school math teacher in the mid 1980s.

Capitalizing on her school's location near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Brookins linked her lessons to the astronauts' work. As her students studied exponents and the power of 10, she had them calculate the speed at which rockets left Earth's orbit, and led a discussion of how astronauts of color had struggled to find roles in NASA's programs.

''My principal came and asked me to step outside,'' recalled Brookins. ''He said a parent had called and said he didn't send his daughter to school to learn about black people.''

Her principal backed her up, telling the angry parent that there were many private schools in town if he wished to transfer his daughter. But the experience stuck with Brookins.

''I get what Seattle's doing. I get where they're coming from,'' she said. ''People need to realize culturally responsive pedagogy in ways they haven't historically.''

Vol. 39 , Issue 10 , Pages 1, 17

Published in Print: October 23, 2019, as Seattle Effort Merges Math, Ethnic Studies

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:30

Party leaders who are fatalistic about Democrats' chances in 2020 are musing about possible late entrants to the race. Sherrod Brown? Michelle Obama?

Senator Elizabeth Warren has faced persistent questions about her viability in the general election, and there is concern among some Democrats about her liberal politics. Credit Parker Michels-Boyce for The New York Times WASHINGTON '-- When a half-dozen Democratic donors gathered at the Whitby Hotel in Manhattan last week, the dinner began with a discussion of which presidential candidates the contributors liked. But as conversations among influential Democrats often go these days, the meeting quickly evolved into a discussion of who was not in the race '-- but could be lured in.

Would Hillary Clinton get in, the contributors wondered, and how about Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor? One person even mused whether Michelle Obama would consider a late entry, according to two people who attended the event, which was hosted by the progressive group American Bridge.

It's that time of the election season for Democrats.

''Since the last debate, just anecdotally, I've had five or six people ask me: 'Is there anybody else?''' said Leah Daughtry, a longtime Democrat who has run two of the party's recent conventions.

With doubts rising about former Vice President Joseph R. Biden's ability to finance a multistate primary campaign, persistent questions about Senator Elizabeth Warren's viability in the general election and skepticism that Mayor Pete Buttigieg, of South Bend, Ind., can broaden his appeal beyond white voters, Democratic leaders are engaging in a familiar rite: fretting about who is in the race and longing for a white knight to enter the contest at the last minute.

It is a regular, if not quite quadrennial, tradition for a party that can be fatalistic about its prospects and recalls similar Maalox moments Democrats endured in 1992, 2004 and in the last primary, when it was Mr. Biden who nearly entered the race in October. But the mood of alarm is even more intense because of the party's hunger to defeat President Trump and '-- with just over three months to go before voting starts in Iowa '-- their impatience with finding Mr. or Mrs. Right among the current crop of candidates.

''There's more anxiety than ever,'' said Connie Schultz, a journalist who is married to Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, another Democrat who some in the party would like to see join the race. ''We're both getting the calls. I've been surprised by some who've called me.''

''I can see it, I can feel it, I can hear it,'' Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor, said of the unease within the party. He said he thinks Mr. Biden is best positioned to defeat Mr. Trump but called the former vice president's fund-raising ''a real concern.''

Mr. Biden's lackluster debate performances and alarmingly low cash flow '-- he has less than $9 million on hand, not even half of some of his rivals '-- has fueled the Democratic disquiet. But if the causes of the concern are plain to see, what exactly can be done about it is less clear.

And even some of those being wooed acknowledge that it can be hard to discern between people just being nice and those who genuinely want them in the race.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg have both told people privately in recent weeks that if they thought they could win, they would consider entering the primary '-- but that they were skeptical there would be an opening, according to Democrats who have spoken with them.

Former Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who associates say has wondered aloud about whether he should have run and has found it hard to watch Mr. Biden's missteps, has also been urged to get in. But he still thinks the former vice president, who was once his longtime Senate colleague, is the party's best nominee.

Another Obama administration official who weighed a campaign at the start of the year, former Attorney General Eric Holder, is considering a last-minute entry but has conceded it may be too late, according to a Democrat familiar with his thinking.

Mr. Brown, who nearly entered the race earlier this year, said the pressure on him to reconsider from labor leaders, Democratic officials and donors has ''become more frequent.'' And Deval Patrick, the former Massachusetts governor, who also weighed a campaign run before deciding not to, said he too has been nudged by friends to reconsider. ''It's nice to be rumored about,'' he said, before notably refusing to rule out a last-minute entry. ''Don't ask me that question,'' he said.

But Mr. Patrick suggested an 11th-hour bid was highly unlikely and had a message for increasingly angst-ridden Democrats: ''Everybody needs to calm down, it's early. It's so early.''

The chances that another major contender decides to run are remote: While Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg have both been encouraged to enter the race, Democrats close to them believe the only scenario under which they'd consider running is if Mr. Biden drops out or is badly weakened.

Neither is likely to take place before the end of this calendar year, at which point the filing deadline to be on the primary ballot in large Super Tuesday states like California and Texas will have passed. But that's not stopping the speculation, which has only grown of late thanks in part to the 2016 Democratic nominee's public comments.

Mrs. Clinton, after largely staying in the background of the Democratic primary, has been more vocal this month, promoting a book she wrote with her daughter and taunting Mr. Trump on Twitter. She also opened a feud with Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by claiming the long-shot candidate was being supported by the Russians, as a potential third-party spoiler in the general election.

Democrats who have recently spoken with Mrs. Clinton say she shares the same concerns other party elites have about the field '-- worried about Mr. Biden's durability, Ms. Warren's liberal politics and unsure of who else can emerge to take on Mr. Trump. But these people, who spoke anonymously to discuss private conversations, say she enjoys the freedom that comes with not being on the ballot.Mr. Bloomberg is said to be more eager to find a way into the race '-- and chatter about his potential candidacy has only grown among Democrats who work on Wall Street and are concerned about Ms. Warren's rise. He raised some eyebrows recently by putting off a fund-raising request from one third-party Democratic group until he knew about his own intentions, according to two Democrats familiar with the conversation.

But the former New York mayor has flirted with presidential runs before, only to pull back. Friends say he recognizes his long odds at this stage of the race and his advisers suggest he will play a significant financial role in the 2020 race without his name on the ballot.

Still, it's unlikely that the what-if musing, particularly among the party's class of donors, elected officials and strategists, will quiet down as long as Mr. Biden is struggling and Ms. Warren, the Massachusetts senator, is surging.

''With Trump looming, there is genuine concern that the horse many have bet on may be pulling up lame and the horse who has sprinted out front may not be able to win,'' said David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama.While much of the daydreaming about a last-minute entry comes from pro-business Democrats, it is not confined to the wealthy.

Mr. Brown and Ms. Schultz noted that they were hearing from a broad range of people but declined to offer any names.

He said he was staying out of the race and had no regrets. The Ohio senator said he was confident Democrats would eventually rally behind their nominee, but he warned the party not to embrace a single-payer health care plan that eliminates private insurance.

''I think it'll be a hard sell to the public if we go into the general election for 'Medicare for all,''' said Mr. Brown, citing the risk of alienating union workers who would lose their negotiated plans.

One longtime Democrat who originally sought to entice Mr. Brown into the race, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, could not help letting out a loud ''oy!'' when asked about the possibility of another candidate joining the sprawling field.

''For as long as I have been in politics, I've heard Democrats fretting about their presidential contenders,'' said Ms. Weingarten.

Indeed, for some Democrats, the grass is always greener outside their field.

There were multiple stages of the 1992 primary when Bill Clinton's candidacy was seen as doomed, either because of his own vulnerabilities or because of the third-party threat of H. Ross Perot, the wealthy Reform Party candidate. Would-be Democratic saviors that year included Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York, former Senators Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, Sam Nunn of Georgia and Al Gore of Tennessee, and Representative Richard Gephardt of Missouri.

In the 2004 race, Mr. Gore was again sought after as a potential candidate. That race evolved along similar lines to the current primary, with Democrats desperate to oust an incumbent Republican (George W. Bush) but nervous that their front-runner into the fall (Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont) would prove unelectable as the nominee. That time, a candidate did come in relatively late in the race, Wesley K. Clark, a retired general, but he gained little traction and Mr. Kerry ultimately won the nomination.

At this time four years ago, it was Mr. Biden who some Democrats were hoping would join the race to offer the party another option besides Mrs. Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Mr. Biden, of course, decided not to run. But now it's his own candidacy that's prompting a familiar call for the cavalry, or at least one horse-bound white knight.

''If Biden were surging, I doubt you would be hearing this,'' said Harold Ickes, a longtime Democratic consultant. ''This shows a restlessness among a lot of people.''

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.

Correction:Oct. 22, 2019An earlier version of this article misstated the year some Democrats wanted Joseph R. Biden Jr. to be a late entrant into the race. It was four years ago, not three years ago.

Jonathan Martin is a national political correspondent. He has reported on a range of topics, including the 2016 presidential election and several state and congressional races, while also writing for Sports, Food and the Book Review. He is also a CNN political analyst. @ jmartnyt

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:36

During the 2016 election cycle, a large part of the Russian propaganda effort was aimed at spreading false stories on a number of fronts. One of these was the creation of websites that looked like they were those of local U.S. news organizations, and sometimes even contained many actual news stories, but also contained conspiracy theories or simple lies hiding among the real news. Those sites are once again appearing in large numbers. Meanwhile, social media is seeing a sharp spike in new accounts as troll farms crank out large numbers of false identities to cite the false stories posted by these false news outlets. 2020 is already looking a lot like 2016 '... except worse.

As the Lansing State Journal reports, the not-actual-news sites are popping up all over Michigan. Nearly 40 sites have appeared in recent days with titles like the Ann Arbor Times and the UP Gazette. Each of these sites includes some local news, often lifted from real news sites in the area. But they're also heavily saturated with political messaging. The growing number of sites, and the duplication of articles found on real news outlets, means that readers searching for a story can often end up on the fake site rather than the original source'--especially when bots and trolls have boosted the apparent importance of the false site by creating frequent links and click-throughs.

Not surprisingly, these proliferating sites have a ''conservative'' bent and include not just national stories, but also stories targeting local representatives and state officials. That includes some stories that are strongly slanted and others that are simply made up from whole cloth, such as claims that the state government is sitting on an unspent mountain of highway money while the infrastructure crumbles.

Elevating these sites, along with tweets, Instagram messages, Facebook pages, and other social media drenched in propaganda, is the mission of the stacks of new troll accounts noted by CNN Business. Prominent in the efforts so far is a group of Instagram accounts that are designed to look like they belong to people from different states with different backgrounds and political leanings who share just one common trait: a strong dislike for Joe Biden. The type of memes and statements being spread by these accounts are identical to the sorts of comments used in 2016 to build up a deep animosity toward Hillary Clinton and shape the idea that she had done '... something crooked, even if no one was quite sure what it was.

'†' Story continues below '†'

Another similarity with the troll activity in 2016 is the use of race in messaging. Black communities were the largest target of Russian propaganda in the 2016 campaign, with the goal of reducing enthusiasm for Clinton and harming voter turnout. That same pattern is already visible in what's appearing for 2020.

Those fake Instagram accounts supposedly represent groups called things like @michigan_black_community and similar names meant to make it seem that they are supported by activists within the African American community. Those accounts agree on a lot of things, including opposition to Trump, but they also make frequent attacks on Biden, uniting around the idea that if he is the candidate, black voters should sit out the election.

A similar effort has been extended to other groups in 2020. There are feminists '... against Biden, LGBTQ rights advocates '... against Biden, and environmentalists '... against Biden. There are also accounts in the mix hoping to mine divisions among supporters of various Democratic candidates, such as accounts pretending to be Bernie voters who will go for Trump or stay home if Biden wins the nomination.

The early focus on Biden doesn't mean that these accounts can't make a sudden and miraculous switch in their hate-direction. Should Sanders or Elizabeth Warren do well in early voting, all of these groups can be expected to become ''anyone but fill-in-the-name-of-leading-candidate-here'' fans.

It would be nice to think that, four years on, Americans would recognize the signs of these often-automated hate-driven accounts. However, not only are the new accounts springing up by the thousands, but they're already scoring eyeballs. Facebook reports at least 250,000 followers of accounts identified as Russian trolls.

And as this is happening, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell once again on Wednesday blocked a Senate vote on a bill to improve election security. It's Russian troll season again, and the Republicans are welcoming them with open arms and a weakened election system.

Published with permission of Daily Kos

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:06

It didn't take long for the Trump campaign to figure out how to troll Joe Biden moments after the former vice president's campaign announced a Latino voter outreach program on Wednesday.

Interested in 2020 Elections? Add 2020 Elections as an interest to stay up to date on the latest 2020 Elections news, video, and analysis from ABC News.Biden, who spent the day campaigning across Pennsylvania and Iowa, announced "Todos Con Biden," a "national network of Latino supporters" working to help elect the former vice president earlier on Wednesday.

But there's one problem. The Biden campaign failed to purchase www.todosconbiden.com, or even lock down the @TodosConBiden Twitter handle before announcing the new effort -- prompting the president's reelection team to do what it does best: troll.

Now, the Trump campaign is using www.todosconbiden.com to mock the former vice president, with a landing page that says in both English and Spanish, "Oops, Joe forgot about Latinos." The page also links out to the president's own Latino outreach coalition "Latinos for Trump." And the @TodosConBiden Twitter account, in the possession of the Trump campaign, has already begun posting unflattering counter messaging targeting Biden.

The reelection team told ABC News they bought the URL for a "minimal cost" after the Trump campaign's coalition team noticed the URL for the new effort was still up for grabs.

"The Biden campaign continues to be inept with a deeply flawed candidate," Deputy Communications Director Erin Perrine told ABC News. "Latinos are thriving under President Trump and now thanks to the Biden camp, people can find out more about that success at www.todosconbiden.com."

Donald J. Trump for President The landing page for the Donald J. Trump for President campaign. The Trump campaign said they bought the URL for the Biden campaign's newly announced Latino voter outreach effort "Todos Con Biden."In response, the Biden campaign said the move by the Trump campaign was "no surprise."

"It is no surprise that Trump's Campaign would resort to childish antics like this to take attention away from this President's appalling record of separating families and using immigrants as scapegoats, fomenting hatred and white supremacy, and trying to take away health care from millions of Americans who need it," according to Isabel Aldunate, deputy director of strategic communications/Hispanic media press secretary for the Biden campaign.

Scooping up the URL and Twitter handle to mock Biden is just the latest example of the Trump campaign's trolling strategy, which has in part fueled and embodied the reelection effort so far. During the last two Democratic primary debates in Ohio and Houston, the campaign paid thousands of dollars to fly a massive banner above the host cities slamming the president's potential rivals.

The campaign has also turned mockery into cash, selling everything from "Pencil-Neck Adam Schiff" T-Shirts to most recently "Where's Hunter?" shirts, which went on sale less than an hour after the president asked about the former vice president's son at a Minneapolis rally.

And it's not just the Trump campaign who sees a gaffe like this as a broader issue for Biden, who himself has been prone to missteps over his decades-long career.

"How the hell are you Joe Biden's campaign and you don't lock up the URL before you announce stuff?" Mike Madrid, a veteran Republican political consultant who's a vocal critic of the president told ABC News.

On top of trolling Biden, the Trump campaign is using this opportunity to tout the president's record with Latino Americans, such as record low unemployment. But critics, including Madrid, argue economic issues alone won't be enough to sway large numbers of voters given Trump's record on immigration.

"Anybody who believes that economic numbers are going to motivate Latinos to shift allegiances -- that's an absurd notion," Madrid said.

However, the longtime political operative added that if Democrats are going to beat Trump in 2020 it will require a far more efficient operation than the campaign Hillary Clinton ran in 2016, and Wednesday's Biden blunder doesn't instill faith that the 76-year-old former vice president is the best option.

"Can the Democratic nominee get higher Latino voter turnout than the disastrous operation by Hillary Clinton? This tells me that Biden and his campaign are not looking really strong in that regard," Madrid said. "That's what concerns me."

The Biden campaign launched "Todos con Biden" with the goal of growing grassroots support while also promising immigration and education reform for the Latino community.

"Joe Biden knows that our diversity is our strength, and as president, he will continue to ensure that all Americans are treated with dignity -- not scapegoated or used to score political points, " Laura Jim(C)nez, the campaign's national Latino vote director said.

It comes months after the Trump campaign rolled out its own "Latinos for Trump" coalition in June, an effort aimed at turning out Latino voters.

In the 2016 election, Trump took 29% of the Latino vote, topping Romney, who took 27% of the Latino vote in 2012. Hispanics are projected to become the largest minority group in the electorate in 2020, with 18.3%, surpassing African Americans.

ABC News' Molly Nagle and Johnny Verhovek contributed to this report.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:28

John Joseph Donahoe II (born April 30, 1960)[1] is an American businessman who is the president of ServiceNow. Early in his career he worked for Bain & Company, becoming the firm's president and CEO in 1999.[2] He is on the board of directors at Nike [3], The Bridgespan Group [4] and is chairman of PayPal. Donahoe was named president and CEO of ServiceNow, a cloud company, in February 2017.[5][6]

In January 2020, he will become CEO of Nike.

Early life and education [ edit ] John Donahoe was born in Evanston, Illinois on April 30, 1960.[7] His father was an accountant at Price Waterhouse in Chicago.[8] In 1978, he graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.[8] He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College, followed by an MBA from Stanford Business School.[9] Donahoe is of Irish descent.[10]

Career [ edit ] After his senior year of high school, a friend's father asked him to work at his Schlitz beer distribution company. "You'll make good money," he said. It was a union job and the first requirement was that he join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.[11]

Before joining eBay he worked for Bain & Company (a worldwide consulting firm based in Boston) for 20 years, starting as an associate consultant and rising to become the firm's president and CEO in 1999.[2]

In March 2005 he was hired as president of eBay Marketplaces. His role was to focus on eBay's core business, which accounts for a large percentage of the company's revenues. He made more than forty acquisitions, including Shopping.com and StubHub,[12] and the classifieds sites Gumtree and LoQUo, and most recently, Shutl.[13][14] After his departure from eBay in 2015, Donahoe was replaced by eBay Marketplaces president, Devin Wenig.[15]

In February 2017, he was announced as the president and CEO of ServiceNow, a software company that he became familiar with while working at eBay.[5]

He served on the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College from 2003 to 2012.[16]

In October 2019, he was announced as the next CEO of Nike, and will succeed Mark Parker on January 13, 2020.[17]

Politics [ edit ] Donahoe has contributed to both parties; to Republican candidate Congressman David Dreier of California as well as two Democrat candidates: Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Barbara Boxer[18] of California.

Personal life [ edit ] He is married to Eileen Donahoe (n(C)e Chamberlain), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.[19] They have four children; three sons and a daughter, and live in Portola Valley, California.[20][21]

References [ edit ] ^ cdn.businessweek.com at Archive.today (archived 2013-07-13) ^ a b "Leadership - eBay Inc". Web.archive.org . Retrieved 2018-03-08 . ^ "John Donahoe Joins NIKE, Inc. Board of Directors". Nike . Retrieved 2019-06-15 . ^ "Cheryl L. Dorsey and John Donahoe Join The Bridgespan Group Board of Trustees". Bridgespan . Retrieved 2019-06-15 . ^ a b Balakrishnan, Anita (2017-02-27). "Former eBay boss John Donahoe named CEO of cloud company ServiceNow". CNBC . Retrieved 2017-02-27 . ^ "Former eBay CEO John Donahue Has A New Job". Fortune . Retrieved 2017-02-27 . ^ "John Donahoe". Irish America . Retrieved 3 November 2014 . ^ a b "Tech drives eBay growth". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 3 November 2014 . ^ "John J. Donahoe II". Businessweek . Retrieved 3 November 2014 . ^ "A fifth-generation Irish-American, John is very interested in his Irish ancestry". Irish America. 2008-06-02 . Retrieved 2017-03-25 . ^ linkedin.com at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2013-11-08) ^ Stone, Brad (2007-02-21). "Stirring Up the Cubicles at eBay". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-04-05 . ^ "John Donahoe | Irish America". irishamerica.com . Retrieved 2017-04-05 . ^ Eldon, Eric; Tsotsis, Alexia. "John Donahoe, eBay President And CEO, To Take The Disrupt NY Stage". TechCrunch . Retrieved 2017-04-05 . ^ Mac, Ryan. "EBay Reveals $23 Million Golden Parachute For CEO John Donahoe In PayPal Split". Forbes . Retrieved 2017-04-05 . ^ "Trustees Emeriti". Dartmouth College . Retrieved May 26, 2017 . ^ Turner, Nick (22 October 2019). "Nike Taps EBay Veteran John Donahoe to Succeed Parker as CEO". Bloomberg LP . Retrieved 22 October 2019 . ^ NEWSMEAT '–· John Donahoe's Federal Campaign Contribution Report Archived 2012-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Newsmeat.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-24. ^ "Dartmouth News' announcement of Dr. Donahoe's appointment of U.S. Ambassador to UNHR", The Dartmouth, 13 November 2009. ^ Donahoe, Eileen and John (15 July 2013). " ' We Leaned Into Our Marriage ' ". Lean In. ^ Sellers, Patricia (26 January 2011). "EBay CEO Donahoe bares his own work-life struggles". CNN Money. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. External links [ edit ] Biography at eBay's corporate siteJohn J. Donahoe Forbes Profile

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 22:42

Tim Cook will work closely with Chinese government officials to promote Tsinghua University's economics and management school Apple CEO Tim Cook (Fortune photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) '-- Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook is the new chairman of the Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management (SEM) of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

According to Tsinghua University SEM's public WeChat account, the 20th meeting of the advisory board was held at the Beijing campus on Oct. 18. The meeting was chaired by Cook, with 35 members in attendance.

Cook's role will be to promote development of the college and make it a world-class economic management school. His mandate will last from 2019 to 2022.

The advisory board was established in 2000. It comprises entrepreneurs, business school deans, scholars, leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and financial departments.

The day before the advisory board meeting, Cook met with Xiao Ya-qing (肖亞慶), director of China's State Administration for Market Regulation in Beijing. According to the bureau's official website, "The two sides have conducted in-depth exchanges on expanding investment and business development in China, protecting consumer rights and fulfilling corporate social responsibility."

Apple actively operates within the Chinese market. Although Cook has met with high-level Chinese executive officials in recent years, many of Apple's initiatives have been "looked down on" by China, according to CNA.

Apple was recently forced by the CCP to remove a crowdsourced map service from its App Store that allowed Hong Kong protesters to track police activity. Cook defended the removal in an email to employees and emphasized the app was removed for illegal use.

Earlier this month, the Taiwan flag emoji disappeared from Hong Kong and Macau iPhone users' keyboards after a software update. At the same time, the U.S. online media Quartz, which was reporting on the Hong Kong protests, was removed from the Chinese version of the App Store.

News of Cook's new role comes during trade war talks between the U.S. and China. According to Liberty Times, some netizens have remarked that Cook is ''wasting his time trying to stabilize the Chinese market.''

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Archived Version

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:15

(Bloomberg) -- America is sitting on a mountain of uneaten bacon.

More than 40 million pounds (18,000 metric tons) of pork bellies, the cut used for bacon making, were sitting in refrigerated warehouses as of Sept. 30, according to U.S. government data released Tuesday. That's the most for the month since 1971.

The overhang came after a build up in the American hog herd. Pork output surged over the summer months and through September, said Dennis Smith, senior account executive at Archer Financial Services Inc. Bellies have seen a magnified inventory increase because demand is mostly domestic, unlike cuts such as ham, for which overseas buying can help reduce reserves.

Hog producers started building up their herds in anticipation of more demand for meat imports from China, where African swine fever has killed millions of pigs. The U.S. herd swelled to 77.7 million head. as of Sept. 1, a record for the month and the highest since 1943 considering all periods, the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data show.

So far, that's mostly led to an excess for U.S. supplies. But the glut could be short-lived if recent Chinese buying is any indication. Export sales of American pork have soared to weekly records, buoyed by purchases from the Asian country.

U.S. Pork Exports Hit Record on Demand From China, Mexico

China mostly buys carcasses, which they then process domestically, rather than individual cuts of pork. Of course, the belly goes over with the whole hog.

''The theory is, if we continue to export split carcasses to China, it'll create a belly shortage,'' Smith said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Lydia Mulvany in Chicago at lmulvany2@bloomberg.net;Dominic Carey in Washington at dcarey5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Attwood at jattwood3@bloomberg.net, Millie Munshi, Patrick McKiernan

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

(C)2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Archived Version

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:24

Police have confirmed that the 39 people found dead in a truck were Chinese nationals. The revelation comes after three properties were raided in Northern Ireland.

The 39 people found dead inside a refrigerated truck in southeastern England were all Chinese nationals, British police confirmed on Thursday.

Emergency workers found the bodies of 39 peopleinside a truck container at an industrial estate in Essex on Wednesday morning.

Police confirmed the victims included 31 men and eight women. A victim previously thought to be a teenager was actually a young adult woman.

The alleged driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, was arrested on suspicion of murder after driving the truck to Grays, about 32 kilometers (20 miles) east of the British capital. He has not been charged.

Police have raided three properties in Northern Ireland as part of the investigation.

The circumstances leading up to their deaths have not been revealed, but illegal immigrants are often stowed trucks in a bid to reach the United Kingdom from the European mainland.

Echoes of previous tragedies

In the country's biggest illegal immigrant tragedy, 58 Chinese people were found dead in a tomato truck at the southern port of Dover in 2000. The vehicle had begun its journey to the UK in Belgium's Zeebrugge port, as appears to be the case in the latest incident.

Police said the container section of the vehicle came by ferry from the Belgian port into Purfleet, close to where the truck was found. The ferry crossing takes nine to 12 hours. The tractor unit of the vehicle, registered in Bulgaria, was believed to have originated in Northern Ireland.

Forensic investigators were working by the truck throughout Wednesday, and it was later moved to a nearby "secure location", so "the bodies can be recovered whilst preserving the dignity of the victims," police said. It is the country's largest murder investigation since the 2005 terrorist attacks, which killed 52 people.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as "unimaginable tragedy."

Underscoring the issue of people being smuggled in trucks, police in Kent discovered nine people, alive, stowed in the back of a truck on Wednesday.

aw/rt (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)

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Archived Version

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:21

Earlier this week, it was revealed publicly that Ben Shapiro was among the many conservative influencers who had been dining privately with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at his home.

Zuckerberg talked to Shapiro in the hopes to form an alliance with the neoconservative commentator, and it appears that the Big Tech overlord was successful in courting Shapiro into his sphere of influence.

A glowing article was published on Shapiro's Daily Wire on Thursday that painted Zuckerberg as a hero for free speech fighting back against restrictive content curation policies preferred by Democrats:

Trending: Democratic Rep. Katie Hill Had ''Throuple'' Relationship With Female Staffer, Estranged Husband

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gave a defiant speech on Thursday in which he highlighted the importance of free speech in response to critics' demands for heightened content auditing amid the 2020 presidential election cycle.

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''I've focused on building services to do two things: give people voice and bring people together,'' Zuckerberg said while addressing a crowd at Georgetown University. ''These two simple ideas '-- voice and inclusion '-- go hand in hand.''

''We've seen this throughout history, even if it doesn't feel that way today. More people being able to share their perspectives has always been necessary to build a more inclusive society,'' he continued. ''And our mutual commitment to each other '-- that we hold each others' right to express our views and be heard above our own desire to always get the outcomes we want '-- is how we make progress together.'' '...

He further expressed his pride in representing a company which values the American tradition of free expression, but noted that free speech is also not absolute, especially when that freedom infringes on another individual's rights. He also examined some of the difficulties in determining what should constitute acceptable speech on the social media platform.

''The future depends on all of us. Whether you like Facebook or not, we need to recognize what is at stake and come together to stand for free expression at this critical moment,'' Zuckerberg said. ''I believe in giving people a voice because, at the end of the day, I believe in people.''

''And as long as enough of us keep fighting for this, I believe that more people's voices will eventually help us work through these issues together and write a new chapter in our history '-- where from all of our individual voices and perspectives, we can bring the world closer together,'' he added.

While Shapiro's site covers Zuckerberg's lip service in an obsequious manner, the corporation's recent history shows an extreme hostility toward freedom of expression, particularly from conservative points of view.

Facebook's lawyers have recently admitted in the court of law that the corporation is a publisher that maintains the right to arbitrarily censor content for any reason they see fit.

Lol Laura Loomer got Zuckerberg to admit to being a publisher. Good work Laura pic.twitter.com/8JECWLruAZ

'-- holiday on parade (@holiday_99) September 18, 2019

Zuckerberg's social media platform has also shown extreme hostility against Christian speech in recent months, indicating their opposition to the most basic of American values.

BREAKING: Following this morning's letter from various US Senators demanding @Facebook rectify this situation, @facebook has just sent ANOTHER push notification our followers claiming that we are spreading "false news"

This is truly unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/Qr3auabaaJ

'-- Live Action (@LiveAction) September 11, 2019

With the many Big Brother offenses that Facebook has already brazenly committed, no conservative collaborator with them can be trusted '' particularly Shapiro, who already has a long-record of opposing President Trump's ''America First'' agenda.

Bypass Tech Censorship!Facebook, Twitter and Google are actively restricting conservative content through biased algorithms. Silicon Valley doesn't want you to read our articles. Bypass the censorship, sign up for our newsletter now!

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Archived Version

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:38

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc (TWTR.N ) posted worse-than-expected third quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, which the company attributed to advertising problems including product bugs and unusually low demand over the summer, sending its shares down about 15%.

FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed logo for Twitter is seen in this picture illustration made in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Shares of the micro-blogging platform dropped to $33 in trading before the bell.

Twitter's revenue rose 9% from a year earlier to $824 million, missing Wall Street expectations of $874 million, based on IBES data from Refinitiv. Total advertising revenue was $702 million, an increase of 8% year-over-year.

Third-quarter net income was $37 million, or $0.05 per share. In the same period last year, the firm reported net income of $789 million, or $106 million when adjusted to exclude certain items.

Analysts had expected net income of $161.5 million.

Twitter had forecast that third quarter revenue growth would lag the first two quarters, partly due to ending some older ad formats. But it also encountered unexpected problems, such as bugs which impacted its ability to target ads and share data with ad partners, and fewer big events compared with the previous summer.

For the fourth quarter, Twitter expects total revenue to be between $940 million and $1.01 billion. Wall Street on average expects $1.06 billion.

However, the social media platform did record a rise in daily users who see ads on the site, beating analyst estimates.

Twitter has stopped disclosing its monthly active users count, instead reporting mDAU, a metric it created to measure users exposed on a daily basis to advertising through the site or Twitter applications that are able to show ads.

Twitter's Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey said the growth in monetizable daily active usage (mDAU) was driven by product improvements, including making the site easier to navigate and more proactively identifying abusive content for removal.

The company's average mDAU hit 145 million, beating analyst expectations of 141 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. This alternative metric was up 17% year-over-year.

In July, Twitter launched a more personalized desktop Twitter.com as part of its efforts to make the platform better for conversations. It has also experimented with the ability to follow topics, and has recently expanded testing for a feature to hide replies.

Recently, the company made 6-second video bidding available for global advertisers and it has continued to expand its live and on-demand video partnerships, including deals with NBC Olympics and Eurosport for coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Twitter and other social media platforms have also recently come under scrutiny over their ad policies.

Twitter, Facebook Inc (FB.O ) and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O ) Google were this month criticized by U.S. democratic presidential candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, for allowing politicians to run ads containing false or misleading claims.

In August, Twitter announced it would no longer accept advertising from state-controlled news media outlets, shortly after it came under fire for showing ads from Chinese state-controlled media that criticized the Hong Kong protesters.

Twitter also faced heat over its handling of user data when it said in October that email addresses and phone numbers uploaded by users to meet its security requirements may have been 'inadvertently' used for advertising purposes.

Total operating expenses, including cost of revenue, rose by 17% year-over-year to $780 million, partly due to plans to hire more employees.

The company expects fourth-quarter operating income to be between $130 million and $170 million.

Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Ambhini Aishwarya in Bangalore; Editing by Peter Henderson and Christopher Cushing

But this is an interesting IoT project. With a dashboard

that enables you to set number of shocks and severity base don behaviors, like

speeding, or leaving the lights on when you leave a

room---bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzttt!

Seriously, this is a great gag gift.

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Archived Version

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 23:45

Image copyright Getty Images/Facebook Facebook has set out extra measures for fighting the spread of disinformation at the next UK election.

These include extending its partnership with fact checker Full Fact and improving the ad library in which political ads are archived.

In addition, it announced separate plans for the 2020 US Presidential vote, including a way to track how much each candidate spends on Facebook ads.

It also confirmed it continues to be a target for foreign influence campaigns.

The company's cyber-security chief said his team had just removed four distinct networks of accounts, pages and groups from Facebook and Instagram earlier in the day.

"Three of them originated in Iran, and one in Russia - they targeted a number of different regions including the United States, North Africa and Latin America," said Nathaniel Gleicher.

"The Russian operation showed some links to the [St Petersburg-based] Internet Research Agency and had the hallmarks of a well resourced operation.

"They took consistent operational security steps to conceal their identity and location, and it appears that this operation was still in the early stages, and was focused on trying to build its audience when we took it down."

'Transparent and trackable'Richard Allan, Facebook's vice president of policy solutions, detailed its plans for an expected UK election in an article for the Daily Telegraph.

He said it would also set up "a dedicated operations centre" for the UK if an election is declared.

The centre's job would be to quickly remove content which breaks Facebook rules, said

However, he reiterated that it would not be Facebook's job to "fact check or judge the veracity of what politicians say".

All political ads, including ads in the UK on social issues such as immigration, health and the environment, will be subject to verification of the identification of the poster, and stored in the firm's political archive, searchable by anyone, whether or not they are a member of Facebook.

The library, designed to make political ads more transparent and trackable, has faced criticism for being difficult to use because of bugs and crashes.

In July 2019 the New York Times covered the case of a researcher from Mozilla who reported a bug which crashed the library after 59 pages of results.

Facebook replied that the issue was "unfortunately a won't fix for now" although it later said it had resolved the problem

Mr Allan also pledged to offer all political candidates a dedicated channel for reporting harassment.

Full Fact Full Fact was co-founded by Conservative party donor Michael Samuel in 2010, and it operates as a charity.

In September it identified that a Conservative party advert had featured a BBC article with an altered headline.

Facebook later removed the ad. Full Fact said that various versions of the headline would have received up to 510,000 impressions, although that could have included multiple viewings by one person.

"Images, videos and articles on Facebook which [Fact Check] assess to be untrue will now be more clearly labelled as false, and we'll continue pointing people to reports which debunk the myth," said Mr Allan.

"Our algorithm also heavily demotes this content so it's seen by fewer people and far less likely to go viral."

Mr Allan stopped short of saying that the extra measures would be sufficient to prevent election interference in the next UK election.

"While we can never say for sure that there won't be issues in future elections, we are confident that we're better prepared than ever," he said.

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Archived Version

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 05:45

Follow Matt on TwitterThis is a Holy Sh*t factor in the Ukrainian saga.

According to a former Ukrainian parliament member, the Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings hired former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden for protection.

Oleksandr Onyshchenko, the Ukrainian businessman, revealed that Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma's founder, Mykola Zlochevsky because the company was being accused of massive corruption and they wanted to be protected by the Vice President's son.

''It was to protect [the company],'' Onyshchenko said on Friday.

The Bidens have been in the hot seat in the past month after the House Democrats started an impeachment inquiry into President Trump over a phone call the President had with the president of Ukraine.

During an interview last week, Hunter Biden sat down with ABC's Amy Robach to discuss his overseas business dealings and how they relate to his father.

Hunter Biden denied any wrongdoing in regards to his overseas business however he did admit that it was poor judgement to join the associations in China and Ukraine.

''In retrospect, look, I think that it was poor judgment on my part,'' the younger Biden said. ''Is that I think that it was poor judgment because I don't believe now when I look back on it '-- I know that there was '-- did nothing wrong at all. However, was it poor judgment to be in the middle of something that is a swamp in'--in'--in many ways? Yeah.''

''So I take full responsibility for that,'' he continued. ''Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever. Did I make a mistake based upon some ethical lapse? Absolutely not.''

This is a developing story.

You can read more from our friends at TrendingPolitics.com

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 23:29

The Council acknowledges the following contributors who supported the Council's work in the 2018 fiscal year.

Supporters engage with the Council through partnerships, sponsorships, and/or membership.

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 15:58

The U.S. House can review the already-existing evidence for impeachment, such as in a debate on a vote for impeachment. But they cannot try to unearth grounds for impeachment that they do not already haveHere's some free legal advice: Trump Administration officials should reject the recent subpoenas by the House of Representatives Democrats. They read like political speeches, intended to influence public discussion, not like legal subpoenas. To answer these ''when did you stop violating the law?'' letters is to buy into and endorse their false premise.

If a Trump official were my client, I would recommend a short, quick letter in response. But would my client run the risk of not complying with a subpoena? Could officials who don't cooperate be found in contempt or be accused of obstruction of justice?

Purely political smear job. Republicans should not fall for the scamNo. Because I would immediately file a lawsuit for a ''declaratory judgment'' to get a decision on whether my client has to provide documents that House Democrats do not have a right to demand. I would not wait for a hostile opponent to attack my client.

But the entire exercise is a purely political smear job. Republicans should not fall for the scam. They should meet the scam head-on and expose it for the hoax that it is.

There is confusion because there is no authority in the U.S. Constitution for Congress to act as a law enforcement agency. The power to investigate is only implied, not stated, by custom and interpretation. Constitutionally (not what Congress believes) the power of investigation is especially weak compared to an explicitly-stated power.

Congress surely has the implied power to investigate both the activities of the government and topical issues for the purpose of passing legislation or amending legislation. Our country's political world has long accepted this. But there are limits.

A person receiving a subpoena has every legal right to object when Congress over-steps its limits. Therefore, recipients of these phony subpoenas should call the Democrats' bluff, but also protect themselves by rushing as the ''first to file'' to the courts for a ''declaratory judgment'' ruling.

Recipients of these phony subpoenasThe Democrats sent an identical letter to a variety of officials and departments, including, the Trump White House, signed jointly by three Committee Chairmen, which included the key paragraphs:

Pursuant to the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry, we are hereby transmitting a subpoena that compels you to produce documents set forth in the accompanying schedule by October 18, 2019.

The Committees are investigating the extent to which President Trump jeopardized national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding security assistance provided by congress to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression, as well as any efforts to cover up these matters.

* * * The Committees are investigating the extent to which President Trump jeopardized national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding security assistance provided by congress to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression, as well as any efforts to cover up these matters.

Congress is not empowered to act as a law enforcement agencyThe response I would write as a lawyer for one receiving the subpoena would go like this:

Dear Chairman:

We are not aware of any documents that match the description of your request. First, no impeachment inquiry exists. Not only is there no impeachment inquiry provided for under the U.S. Constitution or other law, but certainly there is no impeachment inquiry simply because the Speaker of the House held a press conference.

The Constitution provides for impeachment where treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors have already been clearly established as true. Congress is not empowered to act as a law enforcement agency. Thus, the power of impeachment exists only when grounds have already been established, not when Congress hopes to discover grounds.

But any investigative process of an ''impeachment inquiry'' if the Constitution would at the least require a vote of the full House of Representatives, not a press conference.

Therefore, you write for documents relating to an impeachment inquiry. We are not aware of any such documents pertinent to an impeachment inquiry.

Collusion of Democrat party elected officials with the then-government of UkraineSecond, we are not aware of any documents relating to events affecting the 2020 election in the United States. We are aware of documents relating to foreign interference in the 2016 election, should you suddenly develop an interest in the corruption of the 2016 election during the Administration of former President Barack Obama.

Third we are not aware of any documents relating to the withholding of security assistance to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression, since we are not aware of ''security assistance'' provided by Congress (that being a military operation) and particularly because, after passing careful review, the first tranche of funding for lethal military aid was actually provided to the Ukraine, as a sharp break from the purely humanitarian relief provided by President Obama. Thus we are not aware of any assistance to the Ukraine that was withheld, except by the Obama Administration.

Therefore, we do not have any documents that fall within the scope of your document request as you have defined it. There are documents that expose the collusion of Democrat party elected officials with the then-government of Ukraine to corrupt the 2016 presidential election in the United States in favor of Hillary Clinton. These have already been released to uninterested journalists and to the general public. If you would like to send an intern to pick up a set of such publicly-available documents, please let me know.

''How can the Congress impeach a President without investigating first?''''But!'' some respond, ''How can the Congress impeach a President without investigating first?'' Translation: ''We don't have any grounds for impeachment. But we want to rummage around trying to find a reason!'' (This is reminiscent of the old Saturday Night Live parody advertisement: ''I want to sue someone, but don't I need a reason?'' Parody lawyer: ''False. We sue people without a reason and harass them to until they settle out of court.'')

People are misreading the Constitution. Congress can remove a president or other officials for treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors. That does not mean that Congress can go searching for reasons yet unknown. The architecture of the Constitution making the Executive Branch the law enforcement side suggests that grounds for impeachment must already be known and established before Congress acts. Congress is not authorized to go hunting for a reason to impeach a president.

The U.S. House can review the already-existing evidence for impeachment, such as in a debate on a vote for impeachment. But they cannot try to unearth grounds for impeachment that they do not already have. Because the House has not voted, they certainly have no power more than the usual.

Jonathon Moseley -- Bio and Archives |

CommentsJonathon Moseley is a Virginia business and criminal defense attorney. Moseley is also a co-host with the ''Conservative Commandos'' radio show, and an active member of the Northern Virginia Tea Party. He studied Physics at Hampshire College, Finance at the University of Florida and law at George Mason University in Virginia. Moseley promoted Reagan?s policies at High Frontier and the Center for Peace in Freedom. He worked at the U.S. Department of Education, including at the Center for Choice in Education.

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 23:22

Founded by the architects of the initial Atlantic framework from which the current rules-based order originated, the Atlantic Council is the keeper of their enduring vision. In that role, the Council acts as a central agent in ensuring the prosperity and security of the free world and continues to steward of a global community of influencers committed to its preservation and values. The Council is the intellectual home, convener of choice, and thought leadership hub for established foreign policy and international security leaders committed to advancing this cause through constructive international leadership by the United States and its allies around the world.

*Indicates Executive Committee Members

*Chairman*President and CEO*Executive Chairman Emeritus*Chairman Emeritus*Executive Vice ChairsVice Chairs*Robert J. Abernethy*Richard Edelman*C. Boyden Gray*Alexander V. Mirtchev*Virginia A. Mulberger*W. DeVier Pierson*John StudzinskiTreasurer*George LundSecretary*Walter B. SlocombeDirectorsSt(C)phane AbrialOdeh AburdeneTodd Achilles*Peter AckermanTimothy D. AdamsBertrand-Marc Allen*Michael AnderssonDavid D. AufhauserColleen BellMatthew Bernstein*Rafic BizriDennis BlairPhilip M. BreedloveReuben E. Brigety IIMyron Brilliant*Esther BrimmerR. Nicholas Burns*Richard R. BurtMichael CalveyJames E. CartwrightJohn E. ChapotonAhmed CharaiMelanie ChenMichael Chertoff*George ChopivskyWesley K. Clark*Helima CroftRalph D. Crosby, Jr.Nelson CunninghamIvo H. Daalder*Ankit N. Desai*Paula J. DobrianskyThomas J. Egan, Jr.*Stuart E. EizenstatThomas R. Eldridge*Alan H. FleischmannJendayi E. FrazerRonald M. FreemanCourtney GeduldigRobert S. GelbardGianni Di GiovanniThomas GlocerJohn B. Goodman*Sherri W. GoodmanMurathan G¼nal*Amir HandjaniKatie HarbathJohn D. Harris IIFrank HaunMichael V. HaydenBrian C. McK. HendersonAnnette HeuserAmos Hochstein*Karl HopkinsRobert HormatsAndrew Hove*Mary L. HowellIan Ihnatowycz Wolfgang IschingerDeborah Lee JamesReuben Jeffery, IIIJoia M. JohnsonStephen R. Kappes*Maria Pica KarpAndre KellenersSean KevelighanHenry A. Kissinger*C. Jeffrey KnittelFranklin D. KramerLaura LaneRichard L. LawsonJan M. LodalDouglas LuteJane Holl LuteWilliam J. LynnWendy W. MakinsMian M. ManshaChris MarlinWilliam MarronGerardo MatoTimothy McBrideJohn M. McHughH.R. McMaster Eric D.K. MelbyFranklin C. Miller*Judith A. MillerSusan MolinariMichael MorellRichard L. MorningstarMary Claire MurphyEdward J. NewberryThomas R. NidesFranco NuscheseJoseph S. NyeHilda Ochoa-BrillembourgAhmet OrenSally A. Painter*Ana Palacio*Kostas PantazopoulosCarlos PascualAlan PellegriniDavid H. PetraeusThomas R. PickeringDaniel B. PonemanDina H. Powell McCormickRobert RangelThomas J. RidgeMichael J. RogersCharles O. RossottiHarry SachinisCurtis Michael ScaparrottiRajiv ShahStephen ShapiroWendy ShermanKris SinghChristopher SmithJames StavridisRichard J.A. SteelePaula SternRobert J. StevensMary StreettNathan D. TibbitsFrances M. TownsendClyde C. TuggleMelanne VerveerCharles F. WaldMichael F. WalshRonald WeiserGeir WestgaardOlin WethingtonMaciej WituckiJenny WoodNeal S. WolinGuang YangMary C. YatesDov S. ZakheimHonorary DirectorsJames A. Baker, IIIAshton B. CarterRobert M. GatesMichael G. MullenLeon E. PanettaWilliam J. PerryColin L. PowellCondoleezza RiceGeorge P. ShultzHorst TeltschikJohn W. WarnerWilliam H. WebsterLifetime DirectorsCarol C. AdelmanMichael AnsariLucy Wilson BensonJulia Chang BlochJohn CraddockBrian DaileyKenneth W. DamLacey Neuhaus DornConrado DornierStanley EbnerChas W. FreemanCarlton W. Fulford, Jr.Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr.John A. GordonBarbara Hackman FranklinMarten H.A. van HeuvenRobert L. HutchingsGeorge A. JoulwanRoger KirkGeraldine S. KunstadterPhilip LaderHenrik LiljegrenJohn D. MacomberJames P. McCarthyGeorge E. MoosePhilip A. OdeenJoseph W. RalstonMarjorie ScardinoWilliam O. SchmiederKiron SkinnerWilliam H. Taft, IVRonald P. VerdicchioEnzo ViscusiCarl E. VuonoJ. Robinson WestR. James WoolseyList as of October 18, 2019

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Archived Version

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 23:28

Adrienne Arsht

Adrienne Arsht, American business leader, and impact philanthropist

Born ( 1942-02-04 ) February 4, 1942 (age 77) ResidenceWashington, D.C., U.S.CitizenshipUnited StatesAlma materMount Holyoke College - (B.A., 1963)Villanova University School of Law - (J.D., 1966)OccupationFounding Chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation, philanthropist, and Chairman Emerita of TotalBank Spouse(s) Myer Feldman (m. 1980; died 2007)Website www.arsht.com Adrienne Arsht (born February 4, 1942) is an American business leader and impact philanthropist. She is widely recognized for her $30 million contribution to Miami-Dade County's Performing Arts Center, now known as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Through her contributions to the arts, Arsht has become well-known within the three cities she calls home, Miami, New York City and Washington, D.C.[1]

Personal life and career [ edit ] Arsht was born to a Jewish family[2][3] in Wilmington, Delaware; the daughter of Samuel Arsht, a Wilmington attorney, and Roxana Cannon Arsht, the first female judge in the State of Delaware.[4] Arsht skipped her senior year at Tower Hill School and went directly to Mount Holyoke College, where she received her bachelor's degree. She then attended the Villanova University School of Law for her J.D.[5] Upon graduation, Arsht became the eleventh woman admitted to the Delaware bar. Her mother was the fifth.[6] She was married to the late Myer Feldman (1914''2007), a former counsel to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.[7]

Arsht began her Delaware law career in 1966 with the firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. In 1969, she moved to New York City and joined the legal department of Trans World Airlines (TWA). She was the first woman to work in the airline industry's Property, Cargo and Government Relations departments. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 1979 where she initially worked with a law firm, then started her own title company before moving to Miami in 1996 to run her family-owned bank, TotalBank.[8]

From 1996 to 2007, Arsht served as Chairman of the Board of TotalBank. In that time, TotalBank grew from four locations to 14 with over $1.4 billion in assets.[9] In November 2007, she sold the bank to Banco Popular Espa±ol for $300 million[10] and was named Chairman Emerita of TotalBank.[11]

Philanthropic work [ edit ] Arsht is widely known for her $30 million contribution to Miami's Performing Arts Center in 2008. This allowed the center to become financially stable. In her honor, the former Carnival Center for the Performing Arts was renamed "The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County", or the Arsht Center for short.[12] She currently serves as Founding Chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation.[13] In Miami, Arsht is also a member of the board and Trustee Emerita of the University of Miami,[14] as well as a board member for the non-profit organization, Amigos For Kids.[15] In January 2009, The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Arsht number 39 on its 2008 America's 50 biggest donors list.[16]

In 2004, Arsht became the first woman to join the Million Dollar Roundtable of United Way of Miami-Dade County.[17] In October 2008, Arsht committed more than $6 million to the University of Miami to support the university-wide Arsht Ethics Programs, assist the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami and support other University of Miami initiatives.[18]

In Washington, D.C., she serves on the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[19] In 2013, she endowed the Adrienne Arsht Latin American Center at The Atlantic Council[20] to focus on the role of South America in the trans-Atlantic world. In 2009, Arsht co-funded the program ''Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative,'' which provided planning assistance and consulting services to struggling arts organizations throughout the United States.[21] She donated $5 million to establish the Adrienne Arsht Musical Theater Fund at the Kennedy Center to support a wide variety of musical theater productions.[22]

Arsht is a member of the board of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts,[23] the Atlantic Council, the Trustees Council of the National Gallery of Art, and Blair House Restoration Fund.[24] She is a member of the Fine Arts Committee of the U.S. State Department, the Council on Foreign Relations,[25] and is former President of the Vice President's Residence Foundation.

In 2004, after the death of her parents, Arsht created the Arsht-Cannon Fund through the Delaware Community Foundation. Since its creation, the Arsht-Cannon Fund has given $4.5 million to non-profit organizations in Delaware, which have been specifically attributed to programs centered on the needs of Hispanic families.[26] In May 2010, under Arsht's direction, the fund pledged $300,000 over three years to bring the Nemours Foundation BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative to Delaware. The program is aimed at improving the reading and writing skills of young children and identifying those with learning disabilities at an early age.[27]

In 2005, Arsht announced a $2 million gift to Goucher College in Maryland, creating the Roxana Cannon Arsht Center for Ethics and Leadership, in honor of her late mother, a Goucher graduate.

In February 2009, Arsht funded the creation of the Best Buddies Delaware chapter to specifically serve Hispanics and African-Americans with mental disabilities.[28]

In October 2012 stage in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center was dedicated to Arsht for her $10 million contribution in support of the transformation of Lincoln Center's facilities and public spaces.

In 2016, Arsht founded the Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience at the Atlantic Council. The center's goal is advancing approaches that promote the abilities of nations, cities, communities, and individuals to respond effectively to disruptions, understand and manage complex interdependent systems, and thrive in today's global environment.

Arsht was the first woman to receive the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence in June, 2017. The award recognizes Ms. Arsht's philanthropy to cultural and nonprofit institutions throughout the United States, as well as leadership in the financial, public, and legal sectors. Arsht was the ninth recipient of the Medal of Excellence. Previous recipients have included Sanford I. Weill, Oscar de la Renta, Robert K. Kraft, Bill Cunningham, Henry T. Segerstrom, Terry J. Lundgren, Richard S. Fuld, Jr., and Kenneth D. Lewis.

In 2019, Arsht, who serves as executive vice chair of the Atlantic Council, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award at the Atlantic Council's annual Distinguished Leadership Awards dinner for her philanthropic work. Arsht has committed $25 million to permanently endow the Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience at the Atlantic Council. Partnered with a $30 million donation from the Rockefeller Foundation, the center will now be named the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.

References [ edit ] ^ "The 2010 Social List: Coming Home - Washington Life Magazine". washingtonlife.com. ^ Washington Post: "Adrienne Arsht has returned to Washington and is giving away millions" By Annie Groer October 20, 2011 | "Adrienne Arsht learned to give back, and to fight back, from her parents, whose American dream story still resonates with their daughter. Both were children of poor Russian Jewish emigres to Wilmington" ^ South Florida Opulence Magazine: "Adrienne Arsht - The Remarkable Woman Behind the Marquee Name" By Jana Soeldner Danger retrieved August 10, 2015 | "Her family was not wealthy while she was growing up, and they lived in a conservative community where Jewish families like hers were not allowed to buy property in some of the better neighborhoods" ^ Delaware Community Foundation Archived June 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine ^ Executive Advisory Board, Cuban-American CPAs Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ^ Delaware Community Foundation Archived June 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine ^ "Myer Feldman, 92, Adviser to President Kennedy, Dies," The New York Times ^ Executive Advisory Board, Cuban-American CPAs Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ^ BNET - The CBS Interactive Business Network ^ Bjork, Christopher (2007-07-11). "Spain's Banco Popular to buy U.S. TotalBank for $300 mln". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009 . Retrieved 2009-12-06 . ^ Freer, Jim (2007-07-11). "TotalBank to be sold to Spanish bank". South Florida Business Journal . Retrieved 2015-03-23 . ^ "Donation prompts Carnival Center renaming". South Florida Business Journal. ^ "Board Members, The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County". arshtcenter.org. ^ Board of Trustees, University of Miami Archived 2015-03-21 at the Wayback Machine ^ "Who We Are - Amigos for Kids". Amigos for Kids. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05 . Retrieved 2011-01-12 . ^ "Who were the top U.S. philanthropists in 2008? Hint: One was from Sarasota". Creative Loafing Tampa. Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. ^ "Haute 100 Miami Update: Adrienne Arsht". Haute Living. July 28, 2010. ^ "Arsht Ethics Initiatives". University of Miami. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16 . Retrieved 2011-01-12 . ^ Kennedy Center Administration Our People: The Board of Trustees ^ Ross Feldman. "About the Center". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 2013-08-31 . Retrieved 2013-08-29 . ^ "Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative". artsincrisis.org. Archived from the original on 2010-10-25 . Retrieved 2011-01-12 . ^ "Adrienne Arsht Gives Kennedy Center $5 Million for Musical Theater". washingtonpost.com. ^ "Board of Directors - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts". aboutlincolncenter.org. ^ "Blair House - The President's Guest House". blairhouse.org. ^ "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. ^ Dawn Fallik (October 2010). "The Biggest Philanthropist You've Never Heard Of". Delaware Today. ^ Nemours (11 May 2010). "Arsht-Cannon Fund Brings Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative to Delaware". Disabled World. ^ Best Buddies Delaware Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine External links [ edit ] Official website The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade CountyThe Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Facebook Page

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Archived Version

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 23:22

Frederick Kempe ("Fred") is president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank and public policy group based in Washington, D.C. He is a journalist, author, columnist and a regular commentator on television and radio both in Europe and the United States. His book BERLIN 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth (Putnam) was released May 10, 2011, and was a New York Times bestseller.

Biography [ edit ] Born in Utah, Kempe is the son of German immigrants who came to the United States before World War II. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and earned his master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he was a member of the International Fellows program in the School of International Affairs. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and daughter.[1]

Career [ edit ] Kempe spent nearly thirty years with the Wall Street Journal, where he covered the rise of Solidarity in Poland, the ascent and fall of Mikhail Gorbachev in Russia, the wars in Afghanistan and Lebanon, the American invasion of Panama, the reunification of Germany and the collapse of Soviet Communism. He joined the Journal in 1981 in London before opening the paper's Vienna bureau in 1984 and its Berlin bureau in 1990.[citation needed ]

He won national and international prizes while serving in numerous management and reportorial capacities'--editor, associate publisher, columnist and correspondent. He was most recently assistant managing editor, International, and "Thinking Global" columnist. He was previously for seven years the longest serving editor and associate publisher ever of the Wall Street Journal Europe and was European editor for the global Wall Street Journal from 2002 to 2005, also overseeing Middle Eastern reporting.

As managing editor from 1992''1997, he created the Central European Economic Review and co-founded Convergence, a magazine on Europe's digital economy.

In 2007, Kempe became president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council. Under his leadership, the Atlantic Council has quadrupled in size, expanding its staff, work and influence in areas that include international security, business and economics, energy, environment, and global issues of transatlantic interest, including Asia, Africa and Latin America.[2]

For his work to strengthen the transatlantic partnership, he has been decorated by the presidents of Poland, Germany, and by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.[3][4]

Kempe speaks fluent German.[citation needed ]

Kempe has written three books that have been published in several languages: Divorcing the Dictator: America's Bungled Affair with Noriega; Siberian Odyssey: A Voyage into the Russian Soul; and Father/Land: A Personal Search for the New Germany. His fourth, Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev and the World's Most Dangerous Place was released on May 10, 2011 by G.P. Putnam's Sons.[5]

He was until recently a regular columnist for Bloomberg News and Reuters and is a regular CNBC contributor.[6]

In 2010, Kempe was chosen to be the lecturer for the year's installment of the Waldo Family Lecture Series on International Relations at Old Dominion University.

In 2014, he received the University of Utah's distinguished alumni award.[7]

References [ edit ] External links [ edit ] American International Club of GenevaSlate MagazineBrussels Forum biographyAtlantic Council biographyAppearances on C-SPANBooknotes interview with Kempe on Divorcing the Dictator, March 11, 1990.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:13

The ID2020 Alliance is a digital identity program that uses vaccination to insert tiny microchips into people's bodies as part of a ''digital identity program,'' which has already been rolled out for use on the homeless:

Below is the report from Natural News:

Vaccines now being used to harvest biometric identities of everyone; Big Brother merges with Big Pharmaby Ethan Huff

It's all happening, just as we predicted. Big Pharma is officially partnering with the tech industry to pair ''immunization'' with digital biometrics, meaning humans will soon be microchipped, tracked, and ultimately controlled through a global identification matrix.

The ID2020 Alliance, as it's being called, is a digital identity program that aims to ''leverage immunization'' as a means of inserting tiny microchips into people's bodies. In collaboration with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations, also known as GAVI, the government of Bangladesh and various other ''partners in government, academia, and humanitarian relief,'' the ID2020 Alliance hopes to usher in this mark of the beast as a way to keep tabs on every human being living on Earth.

Similar to how cattle are marked with ear tags, this globalist alliance wants all humans to be ''vaccinated'' with digital tracking chips that will create a seamless monitoring system for the New World Order to manage the populations of the world with ease.

''We are implementing a forward-looking approach to digital identity that gives individuals control over their own personal information, while still building off existing systems and programs,'' says Anir Chowdhury, a policy advisor at a2i, the Bangladesh government's ''Access to Information Program.''

''The government of Bangladesh recognizes that the design of digital identity systems carries far-reaching implications for individuals' access to services and livelihoods, and we are eager to pioneer this approach,'' he adds.

For more related news about the coming one world government and its biometrics component, be sure to check out PopulationControl.news.

ID2020 microchips are also being ''vaccinated'' into the bodies of homeless people in Austin, TexasWhile the ID2020 program's testing grounds are primarily in the Third World, the group says it's also now working with governments here in the United States to start microchipping people through vaccination.

In Austin, Texas, for example, the homeless population is now being exploited as a collective guinea pig for ID2020's microchip vaccination program, which the group claims will help to ''empower'' homeless people by supposedly giving them ''control'' over their personal identity data.

''The City of Austin, ID2020, and several other partners are working together with homeless people and the service providers who engage with them to develop a blockchain-enabled digital identity platform called MyPass to empower homeless people with their own identity data,'' writes Chris Burt for BiometricUpdate.com.

ID2020 is also jabbing refugees with its microchip vaccinations through two inaugural pilot programs known as iRespond and Everest. According to reports, iRespond has ''improved continuity of care'' for more than 3,000 refugees receiving drug treatments for chronic illness. Everest, on the other hand, has ''assisted with the provision of access to critical energy subsidies and a range of additional services with secure and user-centric digital identities without relying on a smartphone,'' Burt writes.

All of this is priming the public for an eventual mandate of microchip vaccinations, which will be required for every individual in order to buy and sell goods. Chowdhury openly admitted this in stating that digital identity systems will be necessary for ''individuals' access to services and livelihoods.''

In other words, the Bible is right: A global identification system is in the works that will eventually be required for people to function in society, and ultimately survive. Without these microchips in their bodies, people won't be able to work, let alone eat, and it's all happening right before our very eyes.

Keep in mind that ID2020 is a part of the so-called ''REAL ID,'' which will soon be required for those who wish to travel. REAL ID will also be used as a backdoor method of implementing mandatory vaccination policies for adults.

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 09:08

Homelessness has been a major problem in the USA for a long time. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Homeless Assessment Report of 2018 estimated that about 553,000 people were homeless in the country. Such a situation can remain persistent and render many people jobless as at every job a permanent address is required.

The Other Ones Foundation (OOF) has come forward with ways to help these people with employment and some initial help. OOF is trying to bring these unfortunate people back into the mainstream of society. Their target is to enable these people to be independent and they intend to provide them support, shelter, and nourishment.

OOF is providing employment opportunities where it won't be obligatory for the employees to provide their permanent address. Their work involves participants who engage in large-scale cleaning of the local environment, public art maintenance, subsidized housing improvements, and enrichment of sheltered animals.

A payment of $15 is ensured along with lunch and commuting to and from the workplace. They are also offered case management services that promote them to permanent employment as well as housing. OOF has also provided the homeless with a property, the Golden Road, where they can avail facilities like food, laundry, showers, Internet as well as day sleeping hours.

OOF has helped most of these homeless individuals with around $100,000 in a year. 24 of such employees have moved into stable houses now. According to the Austin City Council Members, this program has grown over seven times than what it was in 2018. It has proved to be a transformational measure guaranteeing shelter to the neediest.

These work crews go to various sites each day, sometimes even during the weekends. Their work includes scrubbing graffiti off walls, cleaning homeless camps, and many such chores.

The foundation's executive director, Chris Baker said that more people are willing to work and he is confident that recent funding is going to help in the scaling up of the number of participants. This initiative not only provided jobs to these people but also gave them a sense of worth, hope , and dignity of self.

The Mayor of Austin, Steve Adler, is urging people working in Public Health and Parks and Recreation to collaborate with this program. OOF is now planning to expand its ventures further. They want to spread to other cities and include many more workers in the process. Such a move needs to expand to eradicate poverty, homelessness, and unemployment from the United States.

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 15:57

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of today's post I'd like to spend a few minutes (3:31) exploring some philosophical perspective on "point of view".  The short clip below illustrates the importance of understanding the "dots", in a well presented context, by Alan Watts entitled "It All Makes Sense".  I don't ask much of my readers, but please spend 3:31 of your life listening to this analysis. Feel free to skip any ads that might come up as they are irrelevant. (I guess Alan needs a few bucks...philosophy is apparently no longer the gold mine it once was).  It's critical to understand where the rest of this post is going.  Go ahead, I'll wait, I'm a patient man.Note: If you've followed my work at all, and you don't have the time to read every line of my highly entertaining banter, you'll recall that the really important concepts are highlighted in RED for emphasis.  Good Luck!   The Repo-Acalypse In all probability, if you are reading this post and follow my work, you are also probably well aware of the recent implementation of the FED's brand spanking new overnight ($75 Billion) and 14 day ($45 Billion) Repo program which they've announced October 4th, to continue (at this time) through November 4th.  If you aren't aware of this expanding/accelerating ($75+ Billion of Overnight plus another "up to" $205+ Billion, if fully subscribed, since the multiple 14 Day $35 Billion and $45 Billion Funding rounds will overlap) Monetary Policy announcement you should be.  To put this figure in perspective, this figure ($280 Billion) is roughly equivalent of the combined Shareholder Equity of Goldman Sachs (GS) ($90 Billion) and JP Morgan ($220 Billion)  for YE 2018.....and the US Financial system seems to need this emergency funding to function effectively over the next few weeks.  Ouch!... At the risk of oversimplification, I'll try to put today's material in a format that even technocratic, myopic, closed minded, "data driven" Central Bankers can understand.  The reason the FED needs to make "overnight/short-term money" available to the financial system is that there is suddenly some sort of mysterious hiccup in the financial plumbing where a systemic player (or close to it) suddenly needs money (liquidity).  Hopefully, the FED folks know exactly who it is and how/why it happened.  Here are the specifics as to why this player (or players) must indeed be a "systemic" player/players: 1.) The cost of "Overnight money" spiked to 10% on Sept 17th , indicating that Banks (with spare money/reserves) were unwilling to lend to a particular Entity or Entities under current conditions, so the FED (Through Dealers they are implicitly guaranteeing) are instructed to step in as the lender of last resort. 2.) The Bank(s)/Entity/Entities in question are likely systemic otherwise the FED/FDIC would have simply "done their thing", as they often do, on a Friday night, at close of business, showed up at the problem Bank/Entity's door step and closed it down, only to open, recapitalized, the following Monday under a new banner.  There would be no Repo Facility needed.    3.) The expansion of this Repo facility is likely just buying time for the FED to come up with a game plan on how to resolve/unwind this particular, presumably systemic problem. 4.)  The identity of this Bank/Banks/Entity/Entities is always a closely guarded secret since the disclosure of same would most likely make matters worse, causing a "run" and/or involved counter-parties to make decisions not to play in the sandbox (e.g. Bear Sterns/Lehman/etc.) 5.) There are insiders and government bankers/officials who know exactly who the suspected culprit(s) is/are and there are (hopefully) meetings taking place as I type, to come up with a resolution plan to deal with it.  At least we all hope so.  To continue my "oversimplification theme" there are only two (2) reasons a bank gets into trouble and suddenly needs significant infusions of "overnight money".  The first is a a macro dislocation of some type, i.e.) a bank dedicated/over-weighted in a specific market niche, e.g.) significant lending to an industry or customer base that suddenly experiences severe headwinds or disruptions (Oil, Commodities, Manufacturing Supply Chains, Farming, Commercial Real Estate lending concentrated in a specific bubble-iscious market, etc. all might come to mind) the loans (Bank Assets) go bad and need to be restructured.  Usually, these disruptions take place in, or more likely near, the end of a long recession or down business/debt cycle.  The bank(s) has/have been juggling the books/funds for a while and it all finally comes home to roost.  Given the current length of the expansion and the lack of significant disruption in the US Economy and financial markets, it's unlikely that this is the problem causing the current Repo facility requirement, at least for the time being.So let's focus on the other possible cause for the disruption, which is, a rapid, immediate dislocation/shortage of deposits at a particular large institution (or two/three).  i.e.) a "run" where only a few folks in the know, decide that, perhaps, for whatever reason, they're not doing business with a particular institution and they pull their deposits.  The bank(s) in question would have four choices to continue to meet their immediate obligations when they get the avalanche of withdrawals, wire transfer and SWIFT request(s):1.) Shore up their deposits/cash position through short term borrowing (i.e. Repo Money)2.) Quickly sell assets (often at fire sale prices) to reduce their balance sheet and generate liquidity.3.) Call the loans they've made to "non-systemic" banks.4.) All three.It goes without saying that the lower the particular banks "cash on hand" (asset) when compared to its "deposits" (liability), the quicker the problem rears its ugly head.  The obvious problem here is to balance good-old  "immediate demand for cash" risk versus the earnings hit suffered by not assuming the "stretch for less-liquid yield" risk.  I've long opined that, at least in theory, big-systemic banks with unlimited access to FED liquidity have absolutely no requirement to maintain any cash balances at all (While still complying with the Basel requirements).  Because of the instantly available FED liquidity these behemoths are insulated from "runs" and in fact, although they would vehemently deny it publicly, look forward to these liquidity crunches as an opportunity to expand market share, absorbing their smaller "non-systemic" rivals and picking up distressed assets at bargain prices.  Because of this implicit bail-out guarantee, they are able to invest their "free capital" in any dog-shit, boondoggle, deals they choose as long as they generate significant fees, which is exactly what they've done.  Conversely, "non-systemic banks", without direct FED/liquidity access and "free capital" are forced to maintain higher cash balances, have no/little access to these global-fee-generating-boondoggles, starving them of albeit fleeting/fake earnings.  Because of this structure, non-Systemic banks have become dangerously dependent on the generosity and largess of  the Big "Systemic" banks to lend a helping hand when times get tough.This is, of course, the primary reason that the number of FDIC insured US banks is roughly half (4,605 vs. 8,620) of what it was 20 years ago even while the money supply has increased three fold.  You'd think that more money would spawn more opportunity and expansion in the banking business, but because of the above described pricing and financing preferences, the exact opposite has happened.  Consolidation, in any industry, is the expected result when a government guarantees risk-free capital preferences to certain systemic actors and starves the "little guys" out. (See: Amazon vs. Main Street Retail; Agri-Business vs. the Family Farm; Uber/Lyft vs. Cabbies, etc.) So it goes....          Of course, because of the breadth, depth and resilience of the US Financial system, the sudden, immediate need for secure overnight financing would indeed take a gargantuan, unlikely series of unfortunate events, that nobody could possibly have seen coming, to cause a disruption of such magnitude, requiring, for example, a quickly expanding short term $75 Billion+ FED Repo Facility and a $205 Billion Term Facility, where, if it didn't exist, certain, unnamed, anonymous "non-systemic" banks would be relegated to either paying 10%+ (the observed market rate) for overnight money, or fail to make the required wire transfers that their fleeing depositors may have requested.  Neither path would contribute to the perception of longer term viability for these decision-tree challenged, non-systemic victims of their own ill-advised endeavors.  "Free Markets" can be tough....        US Dollars "Owned" by Foreign Entities Now, let's take at the look at two of my favorite "profusions of dots under the microscope" as Alan Watts described above.  We're going to examine two of my favorite data sets: The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) International Bank Liabilities/Deposits data, and the US Treasury International Capital (TIC) data.Before we get too far into this, let me assure you, what we are about to discuss is a complex topic, that nobody talks about.  It's boring, takes a significant understanding of economics and monetary policy and is generally never going to appear on the front page of the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times.  Nobody cares.  In fact, the only people who truly understand what's happening are Chinese Central Bankers and they don't give interviews.  As you are reading this, if you start to get a headache, stop reading for a few minutes, take a break, maybe fix yourself a stiff drink, or maybe even get some sleep, regroup and carry on.  You'll get through it.  This really is an "urgent and horrifying news story".  The Bank of International Settlements -  US Dollars "Owned" by Foreign Entities Outside of the US Banking System  We will start with the BIS Quarterly report on "Local and Cross-Border Bank Liabilities and Claims".  (Please stop applauding/cheering and focus....I understand this is some of your favorite reading material, but let's get a grip and press on)The BIS is an incredible repository for unintelligible "dots" that nobody seems to look at, primarily because it's dated, published six months in arrears and significant players (i.e. China and the US) don't report "local" data anyway.  China and the US report "Cross Border positions" only.  But like life, when whatever you have to work with isn't exactly what you need/want, you have to make the best of it.  I'm hopeful that our friendly Central Banker decision makers have better, more precise data at their disposal.https://stats.bis.org/statx/srs/table/A5?c=5A&p= So what exactly are these "meaningless dots" we are looking at, trying to make heads or tales of, above?  For the purpose of our analysis today, let's focus on the following (all of the figures are presented in USD equivalents):1.) The table above shows all of the "Money" scattered all over the planet, (bank and some non-bank). "Money" is presented in equivalent US Dollars.  For the purpose of our analysis we will use "liabilities" as a surrogate for bank and non-bank "deposits" and "short term debt instruments" (CD's & demand notes, etc.) or ...."Money" as described "By Instrument" above.2.) We see that per the BIS, Total Global Deposits/Liabilities/(Money) is $99.4 Trillion comprised of  "Local" Liabilities/Money of $69.5 Trillion, "Cross Border" (Off-Shore) Liabilities/(Money) (money held outside of the home country) of $27.3 Trillion and "Un-allocated" Liabilities/Money of $2.7 Trillion.  (Apparently this $2.7 Trillion is "on the books" but the BIS can't tell exactly where it is.  No matter, it's only $2.7 Trillion (15% of US GDP) so we'll treat it as a rounding error....Yeeeshhh3.) If we examine the "Blue Highlighted Figures " we note that US Dollar denominated "Local" Liabilities/(Money) is $3.9 Trillion, "Cross Border" (Off-Shore) US Dollar Liabilities/(Money) is $10.2 Trillion.  $671 Billion is "Un-allocated" (I love rounding errors don't you?  The rough equivalent of Market Cap of the five biggest US Banks is somehow sitting somewhere in the world unaccounted for).  Which in aggregate comprises a total of $14.8 Trillion.  In other words "The World" outside of the United States is somehow getting by on only $14.8 Trillion USDs.4.) The simple math tells us that, since the US and China do not report "Local" Liabilities/(Money), the US Dollar comprises roughly 54% of all "Cross Border" (Off-Shore) money, dwarfing any other currency, with the next closest currency being the Euro at $4.2 Trillion (14%), with the Pound Sterling and the Yen amounting to roughly 3% each.  These four currencies comprise roughly 74% of all "Cross Border" (Off-Shore) Money.5.) Keep in mind that "Cross Border" Money could be foreign ownership of US Dollars residing in either US "Local Banks" or foreign banks or branches domiciled in the US. (This is really important...put this concept in a safe place in your cerebral cortex as we'll be discussing it a little bit more later)6.)Again, as a point of emphasis, we have no idea, at least from BIS public data, what the level of  "Local" US Dollar Deposits looks like in off shore Chinese Banks.7.) The RMB, of course, is not relevant since it has no material "Off-Shore" presence.  Again, China does not disclose "Local" Liabilities/Money, presumably, most of which would most likely be RMB, but again, we have no idea what, if any, are the real US Dollar balances held in/by Chinese depositors in Chinese banks.8.) Even if we did have official deposit/liability figures from the Chinese Government or PBOC they would probably be inaccurate due to the Chinese Communist Party generally being a bunch of lying liars who lie.So now let's take a look at the Off-Shore Money trend over the last few years.So what do the above charts tell us?1.) The first chart shows us that the amount of "Total Dollars held Off-Shore" (Outside the US Banking System) has increased by about $800 Billion since 1/1/17, to $14.8 Trillion.2.) The increase is primarily in China and Hong Kong ($330 Billion), the United Kingdom ($300 Billion) and Cross Border (Off-Shore) deposits/liabilities controlled by US Depositors ($100 Billion).  The remaining $100 Billion is spread around the rest of the world in the following BIS Reporting Countries.3.) Interestingly, there are roughly the same amount of USDs (combined Local and Cross-Border) $2.2 Trillion in the UK as are held as US Cross Border deposits/liabilities.   China Cross Border USD values are nearly as high at $1.9 Trillion.4.) According to the BIS figures, just under half (42% - $6.2 Trillion) of the World's Off-Shore USDs are concentrated in China, Hong Kong, the UK and US Cross Border.  The remainder (58% - $8.6 Trillion) is scattered all over the rest of the planet. 5.) Most importantly, again for emphasis,  the Global USD increase over the last two years was primarily attributable to domiciles outside the United States (88%), with only 12% of the USD increase attributable to US Cross-Border Bank Liabilities/Deposits.  In other words, the Global  inventory of "newly printed" USDs is rapidly being absorbed by foreign ownership.   Treasury International Capital "TIC" Data -  US Dollars "Owned" by Foreign Entities In the US Banking System Now, let's take a look at Foreign holdings of deposits/liabilities "inside" the US Banking System.  Again, the data available is unfortunately "rear view" mirror data, i.e.) It gives a perspective of the size of the potential disruption but it gives us no indication as to current direction or flow.  The most current data available form the Treasury is as of Q2, 6/30/19.  I'm hopeful our FED leadership has better, more current data, but again, I, sadly, I'm unaware of it and/or don't have access to it.😠https://ticdata.treasury.gov/Publish/bliabs_cntry.txthttps://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/tic/Pages/index.aspxhttps://ticdata.treasury.gov/Publish/lb_99996.txtWe see a couple of interesting data points in the chart above.1.) Total Liabilities/Deposits held inside the US Banking system by foreigners has increased $167 Billion in the last year.  Total US Dollar deposits held by foreigners is $5.3 Trillion.2.) Of that $5.3 Trillion, $1.9 Trillion is held by Europeans, $1.6 Trillion is held by Cayman Islanders, $400 Billion is held by Japanese depositors, $200 Billion is held by the Chinese and $1.2 Trillion is held by depositors in the "Rest of the World".3.) I find it interesting that the Cayman Islands, a couple of tiny Caribbean Islands, populated by roughly 60,000 people, has somehow managed to accumulate 20,000 Investment Funds, a presence of 130 Global Banks, the home of nearly every Chinese ADR listed on US Stock Exchanges (roughly 190 listings with a market cap north of $2 Trillion) and US Bank deposits nearly the size of all of Europe.  The only conclusion we can draw, despite the Treasury classification above, is that the deposits are actually "someone elses money" rather than the property of the wonderful citizens of the Cayman Islands.  But I digress...4.) Since we have no way of knowing who actually controls these deposits, it would not be a stretch to think that a significant amount of this liquidity is actually owned/controlled by Chinese entities.5.) Of the $1.9 Trillion European deposits $1.4 Trillion (70%) are held in the UK and Tax Havens (Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland).  Again, because of the anonymity afforded by these financial centers, we again, have no way of knowing who the real owners of these deposits are.  i.e.) How much of these Tax Haven deposits is really controlled by the Chinese Communist Party?6. Since the above described funds are currently in the US Banking System we can also see that foreign ownership of these deposits represents roughly 38% of US Broad Money (M3).7.) When we examine the M3 Chart above we also see that China (RED) is the outlier, more than doubling their domestic money supply when compared to the US, Europe and Japan.  The PBOC has been able to accomplish this "say so" exchange rate since the RMB, again, like so many things Chinese, is a fake currency with a pegged value which has nothing to do with economic reality.  The second largest economy in the world has a closed, inflated currency which nobody uses.  Yup....that's a fantastic idea.  As you historians might recall, the Reichsbank tried the same thing in 1920.  But they didn't have computers/wires/SWIFT so it was easier to spot.  The reason the Mark failed was that they actually tried to use this currency to pay their international bills (WWI Reparations) and the Allies caught on. 8.) Note that the RMB, despite the Chinese economy being the world's second largest, remains a useless, closed currency for both international trade and global investment (at least for now), yet Chinese (all domestic) M3 is more than double the world's other major economies, even though China GDP is roughly half of US GDP. Also remember that the People's Bank of China releases its M3 figures nearly a half year in arrears, again, the presumed Occam's Razor explanation for this is that the figures are suspect/fake, and again, that the Chinese Communists are, for emphasis, "lying liars who lie".Now, let's take a look at the US Broad Money Supply (M3) TIC data in conjunction with the above described Off-Shore Bank Liabilities/Deposits as provided by the BIS, and make an effort to see how it all fits together.  In the Table below I describe the comparative levels of US Dollars in various jurisdictions in four "time snapshots".  I chose YE-2003 (a relatively stable economic time just after the bursting of the dot-com bubble), YE 2007 at the peak of the pre-GFC froth, YE-2008 (The commencement of the Great Financial Crisis) and last, Q2 2019 (The most current data available).  Let's take a peek.Of course I'll be the first to acknowledge that there is absolutely some double counting here since, for example, there is no way that I know of to eliminate certain overlaps in the figures, such as:1.) Some of the foreign Cross-Border BIS Dollars from "Country A" could be domiciled in US Banks as well as other countries banking systems.  We have no way of determining the overlap.2.) US Cross-Border BIS Dollars could be reported as "Local" US Dollar deposits in the particular jurisdiction.  3.) In this analysis, we use "Net" M3 (M3 less USD deposits held by foreigners per TIC) to approximate what should be, if they were disclosed by the BIS, defined US Local Dollars, which are not shown with certainty.4.) We have no way of knowing the extent of "Local" US Dollar deposits in China.  They are not reported in the BIS Data.  I'd suggest that the figure might be substantial.  The TIC data shows us a relatively low balance of $135 Billion (US Dollar deposits owned by Chinese depositors in the US Banking System).  I'd also suggest that the aggregate Dollar deposits that the Chinese Government actually controls might/should be much larger.  i.e.) They've obtained/controlled several hundred billion US Dollars per year derived from continuous trade surpluses, for the last 20 years.  If properly invested, these US Dollars should have compounded to at least $15 Trillion, likely invested in Chinese controlled Western Financial Assets and Real Estate. (I'll attempt to prove this concept a bit farther down the post....please be patient) Remember, and I just want to reemphasize this, the Chinese Communist Party is an amalgamation of lying liars who lie.  (....are you getting this theme yet?)So now that we've discussed what's wrong/inaccurate with/about these numbers, let's discuss what they are telling us since they were consistently compiled over time.1.) The first thing we notice is that Total Global US Dollar Deposits has more than doubled, to $29.571 Trillion since 2003. 2.) Domestic US Dollar deposits, used to support America's "main street" economy  (Dollar Deposits held by US Depositors in the US)  are 32% of total Global US Dollars in circulation.     3.) As the issuer of the World's Reserve Currency, America has assumed the role of currency purveyor to the rest of the world.   (As of June 2019, 69% of US Dollars in circulation were held by foreign entities either in US Banks or Cross-Border in foreign Banks). Again, the Chart above, derived from the previously described BIS/TIC data, illustrates the following very important concepts:1.)  Roughly half of all US Dollar Deposits in circulation are held by foreign entities in foreign Banks. 2.) Roughly 20% of all US Domestic US Bank Deposits reside in accounts owned by foreign entities and individuals. 3.) Only 32% of all US Dollar deposits in circulation, roughly $9.4 Trillion, are owned by US Entities and individuals and held in Domestic US Banks. (The "Green" area on the above chart) The point of the above is that the US dollar, through the FED's relentless, forced, monetary expansion, has somehow morphed from a secure, reliable currency, desperately needed to transact international trade, to a ubiquitous repository for the world's financial asset inflation.  In short, as we will see in the next section, there's a real chance that the FED has lost what used to be de facto control of the dollar.  They just don't know it yet.  They (presumably) have no idea why so many dollars ($29 Trillion+) have made their way into places that, to be blunt, constitute a national security risk, when less than a third of that amount is required to run the US domestic economy.  They are following the CPC "pump and dump" game plan right into the abyss.  They provide dollar liquidity at any and all cost.  The problem, as I see it, is that the FED, and for that matter, the world's Central Bankers, rather than stopping, taking a breath and the time to understand the impact of what their policies are really doing, are blindly dumping money down the QE toilet without bothering to figure out where the sewer line might be leaking or what that overwhelming stench might be.  At some point we're all going to be knee deep in monetary 拉屎.         Where's the Money Lebowski? After decades of $500 Billion (plus/minus) annual global trade surpluses you'd suspect that the Chinese must own not only a significant amount of US Dollar deposits scattered all over the world, but significant financial assets (Stocks, Bonds, Real Estate, etc.) as well, and you'd be correct.  Over the last two decades the West has transferred roughly $11.266 Trillion (in Dollars, Euros, Yen, Sterling, etc.) as a result of these trade surpluses.   Through the miracle of compounding interest, we can estimate that the value of Western Assets (including the Chinese portion of the above described bank deposits) controlled and direct-able by Chinese Communist Party, members and agents is roughly $27.321 Trillion (give or take) if invested at the S&P Total Return as described in the table below.  Again, we know this with certainty, since there are no material RMB deposits or RMB denominated financial assets in any non-Chinese Banking systems anywhere in the world.  This $27.321 Trillion can move freely around the globe between US Dollars, Euros, Sterling, Yen, Hong Kong Dollars, Canadian & Aussie Dollars, Rupees, Pesos, etc. etc. etc.,  but it's never been converted to RMB. This approximately $27.321 Trillion, Chinese money/assets  is still lurking in the Western Financial System somewhere.(Note: The figure could be much greater since the Chinese, as large depositors, have had unlimited access to excellent financial advisers, and leverage, provided gleefully by our friendly US Investment Bankers.  The CPC has most likely beaten the S&P Returns with consistency)  https://oec.world/en/visualize/line/hs92/show/chn/all/all/1995.2017/ Of course, there are many differences between Western democratic and Chinese Communist philosophies.  The most relevant of which, in the context of today's topic is, and that what Westerners universally get wrong involves "property rights".  Westerners believe that the right to own private property is inviolate, separate and immune from state interference in all but specific, predefined circumstances. Authoritarian Chinese Communism, on the other hand operates under a pseudo-privatization model, where the 90 million party members believe and fully understand that they own property only at the party's behest.  They know full well that this "right" can be abrogated and snuffed out in the blink of an eye if they fail to toe the party line and/or somehow fall out of political favor.  For the sake of argument, lets just imagine that there are financial, social and political incentives, as well as onerous "disincentives" (re-education, ostracism and possible mysterious disappearance or "accidents" befalling the party member and/or their loved ones) which party members are made well aware of.Using this management style, it wouldn't be far fetched to believe that the Chinese Communist Party would be fully capable of orchestrating and directing a symphony of 90 million people, investing and managing money exactly the way they are told to.  Under the direction of the CPC this giant hive, comprised of 90 million individual worker bees, has been buzzing away for decades, redeploying their $27.321 Trillion, slave-labor trade surplus to Western bank deposits, financial assets, stocks, bonds, Real Estate and businesses, etc. Western Bankers see tens of thousands of off shore entities, as well as millions of individual depositors and investors, home/condo buyers in targeted cities and job seekers in high tech industries and Western financial centers, all needing loans, bank accounts and fee generating services.  Western Bankers welcome "newly minted" Chinese billionaires with no discernible background or verifiable history showing up on their doorsteps with millions (or even billions) of US Dollars to invest, as well as dubious IPO business plans where, when asked about specifics or details, either decline to respond citing "state secrets" or simply threaten to pull the deal (recruiting another banker to get the job done).  If one banker won't sell out America, the next one will.   The deal, of course, always somehow gets done.Where the West has failed, is that we have blindly (or not) chosen to take all of these transactions at face value, naively treating these individual deals as "Westernized" free-market transactions, believing that the preservation of Western-style property rights and Tax Haven anonymity would prevail and that the rights of the individual Chinese banking customer must therefore also prevail.  In reality we should be treating all of these transactions as if they are all consummated by one, and only one, gigantic bad actor, the Chinese Communist Party. How would Western Governments react if today, a Chinese Government delegation showed up in Washington DC and made an offer to buy lots of Manhattan and Bay Area Real Estate and a third of America's stock and bond markets at a deep discount, also making a relatively forceful demand that we close down and/or recapitalize half of our financial institutions, disrupting the global purchasing power of our currency, as part of the "trade deal"?  I doubt that this proposal would get very far.Unfortunately, it's already happened, we've just failed to collectively see it.....I've written, in a bit more detail in a previous post entitled "A Modest Proposal ", on our need to prevent the inevitable capital flight in order to have any chance of surviving this as a nation.  The point of the exercise is that we need to quickly figure out and take measures to freeze CPC controlled bank accounts and financial assets.  We need to take a page out of the People's Bank of China play book.  We need put an iron-clad wall around US Banks and prevent US Dollars from fleeing.  We need to implement emergency "Hotel California Monetary Policy" for identifiable Chinese Communist Party agents/operatives/entities/assets....in simple terms "they can check out anytime they like....but their money can never leave".   As an alternative, again, taking a page out of the PBOC playbook, we might consider an overnight "split" our currency, similar to the mechanism deployed for CNY vs. the CNH.  (Except the values would remain market driven...both the Offshore Dollar and the On-Shore dollar would float independently)  We would define the US Dollar as the "USDO" or USD residing in US Banks "On-Shore" and "USDF" or USD residing in Off-Shore Banks, controlled by Non-US depositors or in Foreign Banks On-Shore in the States.  The framework would require a separate exchange rate, locking all of these dollars off-shore, making them relatively worthless/frozen until a market rate can be determined/established.  FED policy would obviously focus on the supply of USDO, with the USDF as an afterthought.   Of course, we'd have to do some calculations to determine the impact on the economy and liquidity as well as determine which accounts to freeze, and an expedited process to unfreeze them in the event of an error, but I am sure that the FED and the Big Banks have some pretty sharp economists, IT folks and mathematicians who are up to the task.  I'd also suggest we get this in place after markets close on the next feasible Friday night.  I know it's a lot of work, but it seems to have worked out pretty well for the PBOC.  As an aside, based on the above, we probably wouldn't need all of that Repo money....   We would immediately "win" the trade war by discounting all of the Chinese Controlled USD Assets.  Alternatively, we could continue on the path we're on, learn to speak Mandarin and prepare for "reeducation".  Desperate  times call for desperate  measures.Of course, the good, brave people of Hong Kong understand this style of government all too well, which is why they are fighting for their collective lives.High Value Targets General Billy Mitchell said it best...."The nation who control's the air control's the sea".For those of you who have never heard of General Billy Mitchell, he was the father of America's modern Air Force.  The video clip below shows how he "proved" that lots of rickety little airplanes carrying bombs could actually be used to sink previously thought unsinkable battleships.  Actually, for the purpose of today's discussion, I'd like to modify Billy's statement to "the nation that controls the global financial system, control's the world".Keeping the above in mind, let's take a look at, for no particular reason, other than it's the biggest US gorilla in the global financial jungle, your favorite predatory bank (and mine), our old friend, JP Morgan Chase.Before we begin, it's come to my attention, that, shockingly, some of you don't spend nearly enough time wading through the bales of "big bank" filings on a regular basis.  I'm disheartened by this, but I'll take the time to get you caught up.  As always, I'm here to help.  By way of background, for today's discussion, I also feel it's important to start with JPM's 2018 10K and get a handle on one of my/our favorite topics.  Drum roll......"Tier 1 Capital".....rim shot!Let's start with the basics:  What exactly is the "Tier 1 Capital Ratio?"That one is easy:  The Tier 1 Capital is the ratio is the ratio of "Risk Weighted Assets" divided by "Tier 1 Capital".  For  JPM, the Tier 1 Capital Ratio came in at 13.7.  In other words, JPM's "Fortress like Balance Sheet" has $1 of "Tier 1 Capital" for every $13.7 dollars of  "Risk Weighted Assets".  Awesome!So what is "Tier 1 Capital"?That one is also pretty easy: "Tier 1 Capital" is Shareholder's equity with a few adjustments for intangible assets and preferred stock. (pg. 40)    "Risk-Weighted Assets, on the other hand, is a bit tougher to get a handle on.  Here's the language from the 10-K (pg. 89)RWA: “Risk-weighted assets” :   Basel III establishes two comprehensive approaches for calculating RWA (a Standardized approach and an Advanced approach) which include capital requirements for credit risk, market risk, and in the case of Basel III Advanced, also operational risk. Key differences in the calculation of credit risk RWA between the Standardized and Advanced approaches are that for Basel III Advanced, credit risk RWA is based on risk-sensitive approaches which largely rely on the use of internal credit models and parameters, whereas for Basel III Standardized, credit risk RWA is generally based on supervisory risk-weightings which vary primarily by counterparty type and asset class. Market risk RWA is calculated on a generally consistent basis between Basel III Standardized and Basel III Advanced. I'm not kidding, that's what it ways.  Fortunately, I'm sure there are all sorts of sophisticated calculations buried in the "internal credit models and parameters" which guarantee that there is absolutely no monkeying around with these numbers, which might make it impossible not to hit compliance targets.  Of course, there is also no calculation of the composition of "Risk-Weighted Assets" other than the disclosure of the amount used to calculate the 13.7 Tier 1 Capital Ratio, or $1.529 Trillion on ( pg. 89).  That sure looks safe doesn't it?  I mean, the bank has $1.5 Trillion of liquid assets that can easily/immediately be converted to cash if there's a "run"....isn't that what that means?As an old time, simple minded bookkeeper I prefer a much easier and in my opinion, a more informative ratio.  I refer to it as the "Cash to Deposits" ratio.  As of the 2018 10K, JPM's "Cash to Deposits" ratio was 0.17 ($256B/$1,471B), or 17 cents of cash on hand for every dollar of deposit "liabilities".  Of course "Bank Deposits" are the most current of current liabilities.  "Current" means "I want my money NOW!"   In other words, if 17% of JPMs "demand" deposits are moved/transferred or "demanded" they would run out of cash and would have to "do something" (i.e. borrow Repo money. call loans to non-systemic banks or sell assets overnight/immediately).  In the "good old days" when we actually had a "time value of money" and a normalized yield curve, it made sense for a systemic bank like JPM, knowing the FED is a reliable/immediate backstop, to operate with as little cash on hand as possible (approaching zero) in order to maximize income.  This strategy still makes sense today, but with a yield curve that looks like it got hit by a steamroller going down hill, it's significantly less profitable.  Of course, smaller "non-Systemic" banks that don't have access to immediate/overnight money (e.g. Lehman, Bear, National City, Countrywide, WAMU, Wachovia, etc. etc. ) simply are closed/absorbed if too many of their depositors suddenly "Can't wait until Friday and want their Money NOW!"Now let's take a look at JPM's deposit composition ($1.471 Trillion) and cash on hand ($256 Billion) in relation to the world's supply of dollars.1.) Per the above, we know that the sum total value of the world's bank deposits is $114.2 Trillion (Excluding RMB deposits since RMB deposits aren't reported by either the BIS or TIC).2.) Of the world's $114.2 Trillion in bank deposits, $29.6 Trillion (26%) are denominated in US Dollars.3.) Of these $29.6 Trillion, $20.2 Trillion (68%) are "Owned" by foreign depositors/entities.4.) JPM, is arguably the biggest gorilla in the global jungle, with total deposits that represent a hefty 5% of total US Dollar global deposits, but with "Cash on Hand" of only $278 Billion representing less than 1% of all of the dollars on the planet.    5.) Given that 68% of the world's dollar deposits are controlled by foreign entities: The big question we have to ask is: What amount of JPM's deposits (or for that matter, any of the big bank deposits) are controlled by foreigners, specifically Chinese Communist Party members, agents and operatives and secondly, under what conditions might they want to just wire it off shore to another non-US Bank? The next big question we must ask is: Are there any mechanisms to prevent these deposits from suddenly moving offshore, out of the reach of US Banks?In other words, if I were a bad actor (i.e. the Chinese Communist Party) and I had enough resources (which they probably do), and my goal was to start a liquidity crisis in a particular market or at a particular bank, I'd:1.) Sell a US dollar asset (real estate/stocks/bonds/etc.)2.) Wire the money off shore to the Bank of China, ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Hong Kong, Caymans or Singapore Banks, etc. etc.3.) RepeatThe above figures tell us that, specifically in the case of JP Morgan, if the Chinese Communist Party has a few hundred billion in movable deposits at JPM they could immediately absorb the entire, current FED "emergency" Repo facility.  Poof!The next question we should immediately ask is: What is the level of CPC deposits (and corresponding cash on hand) that Citi, Goldman, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc. have?....and are they at risk of a "Run" as well?  So What Does All of This Have to Do with Repos?  What does it all mean? I wrote the following prophetic paragraphs in a blog post eight months ago in February of this year. Most of what I'd described in the post (Dalio's "The Big Debt Crisis"....the FSB Report and Financial War Games) seems to be coming to fruition.  Deposits are leaving the US Banking System, there's apparent, sudden confusion at the FED, with a rush to replace liquidity, yet as of the other day we continued our commitment to keep selling soy beans and other agricultural products to the Chinese and we delayed tariffs once again.  It looks like the CPC efforts remain "on plan".As a diversion we are apparently following CPC/Russian foreign policy advice, chosing to screw around with Turkey, Syria and the Kurds in yet another "Wag the Dog" distraction.There's a good chance that what we're seeing at the New York FED's Open Market/Repo Desk is the beginning of the inevitable liquidity crisis and asset valuation reset many of us have been expecting for quite a while.  The numbers make it obvious, yet our central bankers seem much more amenable to taking the easy path, continuing to print money until investors decide that perhaps, the US Dollar is no longer the safest of safe havens that they once thought it was.  Everything will become relative once again.  As of this writing, the FED's emergency Repo facility is the first, yet soon to prove inadequate solution to a problem they don't yet understand.  The FED's ad hoc remedy generally dumps money into the system without targeting the specific problem.  Again, rather than pouring money down the toilet, I'd suggest a more surgical approach, figuring out exactly where the money is going, why it's going there and make a relentless effort to stop it from going there.Again, the below described "Inevitable Monetary Journey " chart describes that at some point soon the Chinese Communist Party will be accelerating their "Pump and Dump" and increasing liquidity pressure on US Banks, who will continue to look the FED for short term financing.  The FED will continue to provide funds, failing to understand that they are dealing with a long term structural problem.There is no question, at least in my mind, that the Chinese Communist Party has accumulated more than enough US Dollar and Forex resources to accomplish their dollar devaluation exercise. I'd discussed the evolution of the nominal composition of US Money and Financial Assets a while ago.  Note that under my model, the FED Balance Sheet will expand from the current $3.9 Trillion to $16.4 Trillion, and US Domestic M3 will increase by nearly $4 Trillion by 2023 (God only knows what off-shore dollar deposits will look like, but God doesn't do interviews either) if we stay on this path, attempting to both support nominal asset values and the current, unquenchable global thirst for US Dollars.The table below describes (in comparison to last decades self induced Great Financial Crisis) the movement of major Asset Class Valuations.  We see that US M3 increases $2.2T (15%), The FED Balance Sheet increases by $8.5T (216%) as they go "Tarping", US Equities Decline $10T (33%) US Residential Real Estate declines $6.3T (18%),  As in most estimates/models the timing and adjustment amounts can be questioned, but I would imagine that these valuation adjustments are at least directionally correct, and probably optimistic depending on the rapidity of the "dump".      Given the above, the optimal time frame for the Chinese to begin releasing the RMB into the global financial system, will be bottom of the "NGFC" (The Next Great Financial Crisis).  Obviously, since they caused the carnage, they will be able to call the bottom. Generally, here's how this will go down.  Chinese "investors" will come riding in on a white horse, offering to loan money, buy property, stocks, bonds and financial assets.  Only this time, the offers will be made in RMB rather than US Dollars.  With every other currency on the planet weakening, with the only notable exception being the RMB (because nobody uses it), the CPC will be offering the RMB at an exchange rate of probably somewhere around a managed/fake exchange rate of 6:1.  This awesome plan will be pitched by our friendly US Investment Bankers, presumably coming up with all sorts of exotic RMB products which will finally integrate the RMB into the global financial system.  They will opine that this "opening up of the RMB" plan will be the only way to save the global financial system from ruin (for some hefty fees).  Once again, the arsonists will have transitioned to the role of fire fighter.  From my point of view, this is not the "only" plan.  From my point of view, rather than selling off America a piece at a time for a fake ponzi-scheme currency, we should seize every Chinese held, USD denominated asset, close and revoke the charters of any Chinese Banks and CPC controlled ShellCos doing business in the US, cancel any suspect SWIFT numbers and immediately stop any off shore wire transfers where the final recipient can't be verified in anticipation of the above "splitting" of the USD. As an aside, I would see  nothing wrong with firing every US Banker with the term "International" on his or her business card with a title above "VP" as well as some relentless prosecution and multi-decade jail time for the arsonists, as opposed to relying on them to fix the problem (for hefty fees).  We didn't do this after the GFC and look where it got us. Demand for the Almighty Dollar Nevertheless, today, the US Dollar is the place to be.  Even though we're expanding the money supply at an unprecedented rate, the exchange rate is indeed solid as a rock and in fact, recently appreciating.  Everyone wants dollars......"Dollars, dollars everywhere and all the banks did shrink, dollars dollars everywhere and nor drop to spend" (Plagiarized/adapted and butchered from Samuel Taylor Coleridge "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner ")You'd think it would be unlikely that the dollar might strengthen in the face of declining interest rates, an inverting yield curve and increasingly accommodative, mid-cycle Quantitative Easing (which no one at the FED seems to confirm as QE), but the explanation that the dollar has become the newly designated WMD of the Chinese Communist Party and the resulting demand for same will continue until sufficient damage is done, would seem to be a rational explanation for the strength.  The dollar will keep appreciating until the Chinese no longer want it to, and they decide that they will no longer be hording dollars.  The dollar will stop appreciating when the CPC finally convinces the rest of the world to accept RMB in exchange for the rest of the world's rapidly depreciating, readily available currencies,with the dollar finally succumbing to gravity.    The FED has, apparently unbeknownst to them, abandoned their mandate to use monetary policy to 1.) Provide full employment, and 2.) Maintain price stability.  I'd also argue that we are long past the point where any additional stimulus has any impact whatsoever on the "real", domestic, US economy.  The domestic economy apparently only needs 32% of the US Dollars in circulation to keep chugging along, yet, the FED keeps printing.  The balance of whatever level of stimulus the FED chooses to provide, and it has become overwhelmingly substantial, has been, and will continue to be siphoned off as a store of value for global banks, foreign investors and the Chinese Communist Party, hopeful that the dollar will, for the time being, continue to be a safe alternative to the dog-turd stocks, bonds and currencies of their respective floundering economies.As the FED continues to provide "Nominal Asset Value Supporting Dollars" at a pace heretofore unprecedented, at least since the post WWI Wiemar Republic, these dollars will eventually have to go somewhere (and rapidly devalue).  We've already established that there's no mechanism, and 20.2 Trillion (and growing) reasons, which prevents these dollars from moving into the main street economy where they could actually get "spent".  Foreign investors will be forced to look for safer, better alternatives than US Financial Assets as they continue to hoard deposits.  The previously obvious choice between the rest of the world's financial dog-turds and those slightly less malodorous doggie-doo assets sitting in US Markets will become a bit cloudy.  Once the world loses its appetite for US Dollars, it must begin investing, storing and converting it to "other stuff".  What that "stuff" might be is up for debate, but it's clear that whatever it is will be deeply discounted, as will the assets currently denominated in US Dollars.  Of course, the ultimate end game is that the Chinese Communist Party is betting that RMB assets will finally be a viable global alternative to US Financial and European Financial Assets .  Based on the above, the idea that the RMB could become globally viable at an exchange rate that would not destroy the current/fake value of Chinese Assets is not not nearly as far fetched as I might have thought just a few years ago.  If and when that conversion actually starts to happen, it will also become painfully obvious for America and the rest of the free world.  Let's just hope it doesn't start next week, since it's clear to me that the FED isn't ready for it.Bonus Footage: The New York FED Open Market Ops Desk As an added bonus in today's post, I'm adding some behind the scenes footage from the New York FED Open Market Operations Desk.  It's gotta be hell over there.  "I love the smell of SOFR guidance in the morning.....smells like....victory.......  Someday this war's gonna end son...." Additional Reading https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-fed-adds-82-7-billion-to-financial-system-in-latest-repo-transaction-11570801329FED REPO Operationshttps://apps.newyorkfed.org/markets/autorates/tempBIS - China Q1https://stats.bis.org/statx/srs/table/A5?c=CN&p=BIS - US Q1https://stats.bis.org/statx/srs/table/A5?c=US&p=BIS - All Reporting Entities - Q1https://stats.bis.org/statx/srs/table/A5?c=5A&p=FED - Daily REPO REFERENCE RATEShttps://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/treasury-repo-reference-ratesFED - Repo & Term Operationshttps://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/domestic-market-operations/monetary-policy-implementation/repo-reverse-repo-agreements/repurchase-agreement-operational-detailsCayman Monetary Authority - Listing of Fundshttps://www.cima.ky/upimages/commonfiles/1499783502ListMutualFunds.pdfCEIC - China Importshttps://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/china/total-importsCEIC - Exportshttps://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/china/total-exportsS&P 500 Total Returnhttps://ycharts.com/indicators/sp_500_total_return_annual

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 08:54

US president Donald Trump has authorized $4.5 million in aid to the so-called Syrian Civil Defense (SCD), aka ''White Helmets,'' calling their work ''important and highly valued.'' The group's critics point to its terrorist ties.

''Over the course of the 8-year conflict in Syria, the SCD has rescued more than 115,000 people, including many ethnic and religious minorities,'' the White House said, announcing the aid on Tuesday.

However, the source of this figure is the group itself, and it has not been independently verified. Likewise, the organization has only been around since 2014.

Also on rt.com RT tours fortified caves in Syria where terrorists planned assaults, made drones & filmed fake chemical attack videos Washington pledged $5 million in aid to the group at a conference back in March. Last May, the Trump administration had announced it would stop funding the White Helmets, only to backtrack a month later and send the group $6.8 million.

The group's name is highly misleading, as the White Helmets have operated solely in areas controlled by anti-government militants, such as the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, now called HTS. The actual Syrian civil defense is part of the government, and has been subjected to US sanctions as such.

Also on rt.com US announces more support for 'heroic' White Helmets in Syria Currently the White Helmets operate solely in the parts of Idlib province controlled by the militants. Photographs of armed militants with ''White Helmets'' insignia, participating in the Turkish-backed 'Operation Peace Spring' against the Kurds in northern Syria, have appeared on social networks over the past two weeks.

Still, the US continues to encourage ''allies and partners'' to join in its support of the White Helmets, and ''efforts to protect civilians, religious and ethnic minorities, and other innocent victims of the Syrian conflict," according to the White House.

Also on rt.com 'Organ traders, terrorists & looters': Evidence against Syrian White Helmets presented at UN In December 2018, the Russia-based Foundation for the Study of Democracy presented evidence of their investigations in Syria, showing the group to be engaged in staging false chemical and other attacks, harvesting organs of the people they pretended to rescue, and looting the bodies of the fallen, among other things.

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 11:28

Authored by Pepe Escobar via ConsortiumNews.com,

What is happening in Syria, following yet another Russia-brokered deal, is a massive geopolitical game-changer.

I've tried to summarize it in a single paragraph this way:

''It's a quadruple win. The U.S. performs a face saving withdrawal, which Trump can sell as avoiding a conflict with NATO ally Turkey. Turkey has the guarantee '' by the Russians '' that the Syrian Army will be in control of the Turkish-Syrian border. Russia prevents a war escalation and keeps the Russia-Iran-Turkey peace process alive. And Syria will eventually regain control of the entire northeast.''

Syria may be the biggest defeat for the CIA since Vietnam.

Yet that hardly begins to tell the whole story.

Allow me to briefly sketch in broad historical strokes how we got here.

It began with an intuition I felt last month at the tri-border point of Lebanon, Syria and Occupied Palestine; followed by a subsequent series of conversations in Beirut with first-class Lebanese, Syrian, Iranian, Russian, French and Italian analysts; all resting on my travels in Syria since the 1990s; with a mix of selected bibliography in French available at Antoine's in Beirut thrown in.

The VilayetsLet's start in the 19thcentury when Syria consisted of six vilayets '-- Ottoman provinces '-- without counting Mount Lebanon, which had a special status since 1861 to the benefit of Maronite Christians and Jerusalem, which was a sanjak (administrative division) of Istanbul.

The vilayets did not define the extremely complex Syrian identity: for instance, Armenians were the majority in the vilayet of Maras, Kurds in Diyarbakir '' both now part of Turkey in southern Anatolia '' and the vilayets of Aleppo and Damascus were both Sunni Arab.

Nineteenth century Ottoman Syria was the epitome of cosmopolitanism. There were no interior borders or walls. Everything was inter-dependent.

Ethnic groups in the Balkans and Asia Minor, early 20th Century, Historical Atlas, 1911.

Then the Europeans, profiting from World War I, intervened. France got the Syrian-Lebanese littoral, and later the vilayets of Maras and Mosul (today in Iraq). Palestine was separated from Cham (the ''Levant''), to be internationalized. The vilayet of Damascus was cut in half: France got the north, the Brits got the south. Separation between Syria and the mostly Christian Lebanese lands came later.

There was always the complex question of the Syria-Iraq border. Since antiquity, the Euphrates acted as a barrier, for instance between the Cham of the Umayyads and their fierce competitors on the other side of the river, the Mesopotamian Abbasids.

James Barr, in his splendid ''A Line in the Sand,'' notes, correctly, that the Sykes-Picot agreement imposed on the Middle East the European conception of territory: their ''line in the sand'' codified a delimited separation between nation-states. The problem is, there were no nation-states in region in the early 20thcentury.

The birth of Syria as we know it was a work in progress, involving the Europeans, the Hashemite dynasty, nationalist Syrians invested in building a Greater Syria including Lebanon, and the Maronites of Mount Lebanon. An important factor is that few in the region lamented losing dependence on Hashemite Medina, and except the Turks, the loss of the vilayet of Mosul in what became Iraq after World War I.

In 1925, Sunnis became the de facto prominent power in Syria, as the French unified Aleppo and Damascus. During the 1920s France also established the borders of eastern Syria. And the Treaty of Lausanne, in 1923, forced the Turks to give up all Ottoman holdings but didn't keep them out of the game.

Turkish borders according to the Treaty of Lausanne, 1923.

The Turks soon started to encroach on the French mandate, and began blocking the dream of Kurdish autonomy. France in the end gave in: the Turkish-Syrian border would parallel the route of the fabledBagdadbahn '-- the Berlin-Baghdad railway.

In the 1930s France gave in even more: the sanjak of Alexandretta (today's Iskenderun, in Hatay province, Turkey), was finally annexed by Turkey in 1939 when only 40 percent of the population was Turkish.

The annexation led to the exile of tens of thousands of Armenians. It was a tremendous blow for Syrian nationalists. And it was a disaster for Aleppo, which lost its corridor to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish forces under entered Alexandretta on July 5, 1938.

This emergent Syria '-- out of conflicting Turkish, French, British and myriad local interests '--obviously could not, and did not, please any community. Still, the heart of the nation configured what was described as ''useful Syria.'' No less than 60 percent of the nation was '-- and remains '-- practically void.Yet, geopolitically, that translates into ''strategic depth'' '-- the heart of the matter in the current war.To the eastern steppes, Syria was all about Bedouin tribes. To the north, it was all about the Turkish-Kurdish clash. And to the south, the border was a mirage in the desert, only drawn with the advent of Transjordan. Only the western front, with Lebanon, was established, and consolidated after WWII.

From Hafez to BasharStarting in 1963, the Baath party, secular and nationalist, took over Syria, finally consolidating its power in 1970 with Hafez al-Assad, who instead of just relying on his Alawite minority, built a humongous, hyper-centralized state machinery mixed with a police state. The key actors who refused to play the game were the Muslim Brotherhood, all the way to being massacred during the hardcore 1982 Hama repression.

Secularism and a police state: that's how the fragile Syrian mosaic was preserved. But already in the 1970s major fractures were emerging: between major cities and a very poor periphery; between the ''useful'' west and the Bedouin east; between Arabs and Kurds. But the urban elites never repudiated the iron will of Damascus: cronyism, after all, was quite profitable.

Damascus interfered heavily with the Lebanese civil war since 1976 at the invitation of the Arab League as a ''peacekeeping force.'' In Hafez al-Assad's logic, stressing the Arab identity of Lebanon was essential to recover Greater Syria. But Syrian control over Lebanon started to unravel in 2005, after the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, very close to Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) eventually left.

Bashar al-Assad had taken power in 2000. Unlike his father, he bet on the Alawites to run the state machinery, preventing the possibility of a coup but completely alienating himself from the poor, Syrian on the street.

What the West defined as the Arab Spring, began in Syria in March 2011; it was a revolt against the Alawites as much as a revolt against Damascus. Totally instrumentalized by the foreign interests, the revolt sprang up in extremely poor, dejected Sunni peripheries: Deraa in the south, the deserted east, and the suburbs of Damascus and Aleppo.

Protest in Damascus, April 24, 2011. (syriana2011/Flickr)

What was not understood in the West is that this ''beggars banquet'' was not against the Syrian nation, but against a ''regime.'' Jabhat al-Nusra, in a P.R. exercise, even broke its official link with al-Qaeda and changed its denomination to Fatah al-Cham and then Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (''Organization for the Liberation of the Levant''). Only ISIS/Daesh said they were fighting for the end of Sykes-Picot.

By 2014, the perpetually moving battlefield was more or less established: Damascus against both Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS/Daesh, with a wobbly role for the Kurds in the northeast, obsessed in preserving the cantons of Afrin, Kobane and Qamichli.

But the key point is that each katiba (''combat group''), each neighborhood, each village, and in fact each combatant was in-and-out of allegiances non-stop. That yielded a dizzying nebulae of jihadis, criminals, mercenaries, some linked to al-Qaeda, some to Daesh, some trained by the Americans, some just making a quick buck.

For instance Salafis '-- lavishly financed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait '-- especially Jaish al-Islam, even struck alliances with the PYD Kurds in Syria and the jihadis of Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (the remixed, 30,000-strong al-Qaeda in Syria). Meanwhile, the PYD Kurds (an emanation of the Turkish Kurds' PKK, which Ankara consider ''terrorists'') profited from this unholy mess '-- plus a deliberate ambiguity by Damascus '' to try to create their autonomous Rojava.

A demonstration in the city of Afrin in support of the YPG against the Turkish invasion of Afrin, Jan. 19, 2018. (Voice of America Kurdish, Wikimedia Commons)

That Turkish Strategic DepthTurkey was all in. Turbo-charged by the neo-Ottoman politics of former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the logic was to reconquer parts of the Ottoman empire, and get rid of Assad because he had helped PKK Kurdish rebels in Turkey.

Davutoglu's Strategik Derinlik (''Strategic Depth'), published in 2001, had been a smash hit in Turkey, reclaiming the glory of eight centuries of an sprawling empire, compared to puny 911 kilometers of borders fixed by the French and the Kemalists. Bilad al Cham, the Ottoman province congregating Lebanon, historical Palestine, Jordan and Syria, remained a powerful magnet in both the Syrian and Turkish unconscious.

No wonder Turkey's Recep Erdogan was fired up: in 2012 he even boasted he was getting ready to pray in the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, post-regime change, of course. He has been gunning for a safe zone inside the Syrian border '-- actually a Turkish enclave '-- since 2014. To get it, he has used a whole bag of nasty players '-- from militias close to the Muslim Brotherhood to hardcore Turkmen gangs.

With the establishment of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), for the first time Turkey allowed foreign weaponized groups to operate on its own territory. A training camp was set up in 2011 in the sanjakof Alexandretta. The Syrian National Council was also created in Istanbul '' a bunch of non-entities from the diaspora who had not been in Syria for decades.

Ankara enabled a de facto Jihad Highway '-- with people from Central Asia, Caucasus, Maghreb, Pakistan, Xinjiang, all points north in Europe being smuggled back and forth at will. In 2015, Ankara, Riyadh and Doha set up the dreaded Jaish al-Fath (''Army of Conquest''), which included Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda).

At the same time, Ankara maintained an extremely ambiguous relationship with ISIS/Daesh, buying its smuggled oil, treating jihadis in Turkish hospitals, and paying zero attention to jihad intel collected and developed on Turkish territory. For at least five years, the MIT '-- Turkish intelligence '' provided political and logistic background to the Syrian opposition while weaponizing a galaxy of Salafis. After all, Ankara believed that ISIS/Daesh only existed because of the ''evil'' deployed by the Assad regime.

The Russian Factor

Russian President Vladiimir Putin meeting with President of Turkey Recep Erdogan; Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov standing in background, Ankara, Dec. 1, 2014 Ankara. (Kremlin)

The first major game-changer was the spectacular Russian entrance in the summer of 2015. Vladimir Putin had asked the U.S. to join in the fight against the Islamic State as the Soviet Union allied against Hitler, negating the American idea that this was Russia's bid to restore its imperial glory. But the American plan instead, under Barack Obama, was single-minded: betting on a rag-tag Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a mix of Kurds and Sunni Arabs, supported by air power and U.S. Special Forces, north of the Euphrates, to smash ISIS/Daesh all the way to Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.

Raqqa, bombed to rubble by the Pentagon, may have been taken by the SDF, but Deir ez-Zor was taken by Damascus's Syrian Arab Army. The ultimate American aim was to consistently keep the north of the Euphrates under U.S. power, via their proxies, the SDF and the Kurdish PYD/YPG. That American dream is now over, lamented by imperial Democrats and Republicans alike.

The CIA will be after Trump's scalp till Kingdom Come.

Kurdish Dream OverTalk about a cultural misunderstanding. As much as the Syrian Kurds believed U.S. protection amounted to an endorsement of their independence dreams, Americans never seemed to understand that throughout the ''Greater Middle East'' you cannot buy a tribe. At best, you can rent them. And they use you according to their interests. I've seen it from Afghanistan to Iraq's Anbar province.

The Kurdish dream of a contiguous, autonomous territory from Qamichli to Manbij is over. Sunni Arabs living in this perimeter will resist any Kurdish attempt at dominance.

The Syrian PYD was founded in 2005 by PKK militants. In 2011, Syrians from the PKK came from Qandil '' the PKK base in northern Iraq '' to build the YPG militia for the PYD. In predominantly Arab zones, Syrian Kurds are in charge of governing because for them Arabs are seen as a bunch of barbarians, incapable of building their ''democratic, socialist, ecological and multi-communitarian'' society.

Kurdish PKK guerillas In Kirkuk, Iraq. (Kurdishstruggle via Flickr)

One can imagine how conservative Sunni Arab tribal leaders hate their guts. There's no way these tribal leaders will ever support the Kurds against the SAA or the Turkish army; after all these Arab tribal leaders spent a lot of time in Damascus seeking support from Bashar al-Assad. And now the Kurds themselves have accepted that support in the face of the Trukish incursion, greenlighted by Trump.

East of Deir ez-Zor, the PYD/YPG already had to say goodbye to the region that is responsible for 50 percent of Syria's oil production. Damascus and the SAA now have the upper hand. What's left for the PYD/YPG is to resign themselves to Damascus's and Russian protection against Turkey, and the chance of exercising sovereignty in exclusively Kurdish territories.

Ignorance of the WestThe West, with typical Orientalist haughtiness, never understood that Alawites, Christians, Ismailis and Druze in Syria would always privilege Damascus for protection compared to an ''opposition'' monopolized by hardcore Islamists, if not jihadis. The West also did not understand that the government in Damascus, for survival, could always count on formidable Baath party networks plus the dreaded mukhabarat '-- the intel services.

Rebuilding SyriaThe reconstruction of Syria may cost as much as $200 billion. Damascus has already made it very clear that the U.S. and the EU are not welcome. China will be in the forefront, along with Russia and Iran; this will be a project strictly following the Eurasia integration playbook '-- with the Chinese aiming to revive Syria's strategic positioning in the Ancient Silk Road.

As for Erdogan, distrusted by virtually everyone, and a tad less neo-Ottoman than in the recent past, he now seems to have finally understood that Bashar al-Assad ''won't go,'' and he must live with it. Ankara is bound to remain imvolved with Tehran and Moscow, in finding a comprehensive, constitutional solution for the Syrian tragedy through the former ''Astana process'', later developed in Ankara.

The war may not have been totally won, of course. But against all odds, it's clear a unified, sovereign Syrian nation is bound to prevail over every perverted strand of geopolitical molotov cocktails concocted in sinister NATO/GCC labs. History will eventually tell us that, as an example to the whole Global South, this will remain the ultimate game-changer.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:49

World needs some serious discussions on Boobie traps https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-plan-attack-sas-troops-20657520“It’s an ideal weapon for a checkpoint approach.” - Say Islamic state Distract the soldier by the cleavage and explode the bomb when he comes to check it out.ISIS plan to attack SAS troops in Syria with suicide bombs in bras.The fanatics are wiring the garments with plastic explosives in a bid to kill coalition troops.The tactic means women suicide bombers can show their midriffs if searched without revealing the bombs.It is understood one was found in Afrin, northern Syria, in April. It is now believed the bras are being produced by highly skilled operatives.A security source said: “It’s just another example of the inventiveness and determination these people possess to kill.“It’s a close proximity weapon. They are a small, lightweight device but can be lined with enough plastic explosive to kill everything standing within a 10-metre radius.Islamic state fighters escape from jail  https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/sas-troops-almost-blown-up-20636757SAS troops almost blown up after ISIS booby-trap dead children's bodies

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:50

Demonstrators protest outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London on October 21, 2019, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been attending a case management hearing as he fights extradition to the United States.

Isabel Infantes | AFP | Getty Images

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared confused at a London court hearing on Monday, struggling to recall his name and age in his first public appearance in months as he sought to fight his extradition to the United States.

Assange, 48, who spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassy before he was dragged out in April, faces 18 counts in the United States including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted.

On Monday he appeared clean-shaven, without the long beard he had worn at his last public appearance in May, when he was sentenced to 50 weeks jail for skipping bail. He appeared in good health, with his white hair combed back and wearing a navy suit over a light blue sweater and white shirt.

But he mumbled and stuttered for several seconds as he gave his name and date of birth at the start of a preliminary hearing in the case.

When the judge asked him at the end of the hearing if he knew what was happening, he replied "not exactly", complained about the conditions in jail, and said he was unable to "think properly".

"I don't understand how this is equitable," he said. "I can't research anything, I can't access any of my writing. It's very difficult where I am."

Assange is being held in British jail pending the U.S. extradition, having served his sentence for skipping bail.

He fled to the embassy in 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden to face sex crimes accusations. He says the U.S. charges against him are a political attempt to silence journalists and publishers, and the Swedish allegations were part of a plot to catch him. Sweden is reviewing the sex crimes cases.

The former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was among Assange's supporters in the public gallery, while protesters gathered outside court.

Assange's lawyer Mark Summers argued that Assange's extradition hearing, scheduled for February 2020, should be delayed by three months due to the complexity of the case.

"The evidence in this case would test the limits of most lawyers," Summers told the court. He cited the difficulty of communicating with Assange who he said doesn't have a computer in prison. The judge denied the request to delay the hearing.

Australian-born Assange made international headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.

WikiLeaks later angered the United States by publishing caches of leaked military documents and diplomatic cables.

Admirers have hailed Assange as a hero for exposing what they describe as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech. As he entered the dock, people in the public gallery raised their fists in solidarity with him.

His detractors have painted him as a dangerous figure complicit in Russian efforts to undermine the West.

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Tue, 22 Oct 2019 05:41

The telecommunications industry and their experts have accused many scientists who have researched the effects of cell phone radiation of "fear mongering" over the advent of wireless technology's 5G. Since much of our research is publicly-funded, we believe it is our ethical responsibility to inform the public about what the peer-reviewed scientific literature tells us about the health risks from wireless radiation.

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced through a press release that the commission will soon reaffirm the radio frequency radiation (RFR) exposure limits that the FCC adopted in the late 1990s. These limits are based upon a behavioral change in rats exposed to microwave radiation and were designed to protect us from short-term heating risks due to RFR exposure.

Yet, since the FCC adopted these limits based largely on research from the 1980s, the preponderance of peer-reviewed research, more than 500 studies, have found harmful biologic or health effects from exposure to RFR at intensities too low to cause significant heating.

Citing this large body of research, more than 240 scientists who have published peer-reviewed research on the biologic and health effects of nonionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) signed the International EMF Scientist Appeal, which calls for stronger exposure limits. The appeal makes the following assertions:

''Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.''

The scientists who signed this appeal arguably constitute the majority of experts on the effects of nonionizing radiation. They have published more than 2,000 papers and letters on EMF in professional journals.

The FCC's RFR exposure limits regulate the intensity of exposure, taking into account the frequency of the carrier waves, but ignore the signaling properties of the RFR. Along with the patterning and duration of exposures, certain characteristics of the signal (e.g., pulsing, polarization) increase the biologic and health impacts of the exposure. New exposure limits are needed which account for these differential effects. Moreover, these limits should be based on a biological effect, not a change in a laboratory rat's behavior.

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RFR as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" in 2011. Last year, a $30 million study conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) found ''clear evidence'' that two years of exposure to cell phone RFR increased cancer in male rats and damaged DNA in rats and mice of both sexes. The Ramazzini Institute in Italy replicated the key finding of the NTP using a different carrier frequency and much weaker exposure to cell phone radiation over the life of the rats.

Based upon the research published since 2011, including human and animal studies and mechanistic data, the IARC has recently prioritized RFR to be reviewed again in the next five years. Since many EMF scientists believe we now have sufficient evidence to consider RFR as either a probable or known human carcinogen, the IARC will likely upgrade the carcinogenic potential of RFR in the near future.

Nonetheless, without conducting a formal risk assessment or a systematic review of the research on RFR health effects, the FDA recently reaffirmed the FCC's 1996 exposure limits in a letter to the FCC, stating that the agency had ''concluded that no changes to the current standards are warranted at this time,'' and that ''NTP's experimental findings should not be applied to human cell phone usage.'' The letter stated that ''the available scientific evidence to date does not support adverse health effects in humans due to exposures at or under the current limits.''

The latest cellular technology, 5G, will employ millimeter waves for the first time in addition to microwaves that have been in use for older cellular technologies, 2G through 4G. Given limited reach, 5G will require cell antennas every 100 to 200 meters, exposing many people to millimeter wave radiation. 5G also employs new technologies (e.g., active antennas capable of beam-forming; phased arrays; massive inputs and outputs, known as MIMO) which pose unique challenges for measuring exposures.

Millimeter waves are mostly absorbed within a few millimeters of human skin and in the surface layers of the cornea. Short-term exposure can have adverse physiological effects in the peripheral nervous system, the immune system and the cardiovascular system. The research suggests that long-term exposure may pose health risks to the skin (e.g., melanoma), the eyes (e.g., ocular melanoma) and the testes (e.g., sterility).

Since 5G is a new technology, there is no research on health effects, so we are ''flying blind'' to quote a U.S. senator. However, we have considerable evidence about the harmful effects of 2G and 3G. Little is known the effects of exposure to 4G, a 10-year-old technology, because governments have been remiss in funding this research. Meanwhile, we are seeing increases in certain types of head and neck tumors in tumor registries, which may be at least partially attributable to the proliferation of cell phone radiation. These increases are consistent with results from case-control studies of tumor risk in heavy cell phone users.

5G will not replace 4G; it will accompany 4G for the near future and possibly over the long term. If there are synergistic effects from simultaneous exposures to multiple types of RFR, our overall risk of harm from RFR may increase substantially. Cancer is not the only risk as there is considerable evidence that RFR causes neurological disorders and reproductive harm, likely due to oxidative stress.

As a society, should we invest hundreds of billions of dollars deploying 5G, a cellular technology that requires the installation of 800,000 or more new cell antenna sites in the U.S. close to where we live, work and play?

Instead, we should support the recommendations of the 250 scientists and medical doctors who signed the 5G Appeal that calls for an immediate moratorium on the deployment of 5G and demand that our government fund the research needed to adopt biologically based exposure limits that protect our health and safety.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)Joel M. MoskowitzJoel M. Moskowitz, PhD, is director of the Center for Family and Community Health in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been translating and disseminating the research on wireless radiation health effects since 2009 after he and his colleagues published a review paper that found long-term cell phone users were at greater risk of brain tumors. His Electromagnetic Radiation Safety website has had more than two million page views since 2013. He is an unpaid advisor to the International EMF Scientist Appeal and Physicians for Safe Technology.

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Tue, 22 Oct 2019 08:50

Truth is not only stranger than fiction. Truth is also more disturbing than fiction. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the abortion industry, where baby parts are meticulously collected and systemically labeled for immediate, profitable sale.

Not only so, but all this takes place without the knowledge of the mother, who recovers in a waiting room nearby. And, if the reports are accurate, some of the slicing and dicing is done while the baby is still alive.

Did I say that truth is more disturbing than fiction?

For the last 11 years, I have been doing live, daily radio broadcasts five days a week, taking calls, tackling controversies and interviewing guests. And it is exceedingly rare that the words of a guest or caller are so troubling that I am literally moved to tears.

But that is exactly what happened when I interviewed Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal organization that is now defending Sandra Merritt against Planned Parenthood.

Merritt is described as "a courageous pro-life grandmother who exposed Planned Parenthood's horrific trade in baby body parts." Together with David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, Merritt recorded secret videos of Planned Parenthood leaders and workers discussing the sale of baby parts for profit, creating shockwaves for the abortion giant.

Now, as the trial proceeds, shocking, heartrending testimonies are being heard.

On my show, Staver referred to "amazing situations" where Planned Parenthood clinics "were taking babies and intentionally aborting them so they could harvest intact organs, some of which were born alive while the hearts were still beating. Hearts were being removed while they were still alive."

He continued, "Brains were being removed while the hearts were still beating, and we have evidence where they sliced the baby's face in two with a scalpel and then extracted the brain while the baby was still alive."

Who can imagine such things? Who would even envision them in a work of fiction? Yet, according to Staver, these are 100 percent, accurate accounts. And the motivating force behind these allegations is greed.

Let that sink in for a moment.

For good reason Staver spoke of Planned Parenthood's "inhumane, unthinkable, unspeakable acts."

Yet Planned Parenthood was not alone in its savaging of the unborn.

According to Staver, companies like Stem Express had full menus on their website where you could make customized choices when ordering your baby parts.

He explained, "You could actually go on the website and select '... that you wanted a certain heart at a certain gestation at a certain size, intact. Then Stem Express would take that to Planned Parenthood that day. They would fulfill that order from those babies that were brought in, never telling the parent, the mom, what was happening with her child in the room next door."

Staver was not exaggerating when he stated that if he described such procedures without revealing the age of the victim, we would think this was coming from Nazi Germany.

Precisely so.

A recent report on the Liberty Counsel website carried the headline, "Selling Baby Scalps," stating that, "A former board director for the Center for Medical Progress testified during the civil trial in the San Francisco Federal District Court that the scalps of babies provided by the abortion industry are being harvested for research in treating baldness."

Yes, selling baby scalps for treating baldness.

The mind boggles when trying to comprehend such cruel, cold and calculated barbarity. Yet we dare not close our eyes or stick our heads in the sand. All this is happening on our watch.

In my new book, "Jezebel's War with America," I document the clear connection between radical feminism, witchcraft and the militant pro-abortion movement. (Yes, I actually document this.)

I also compare the horrific, ancient practice of child sacrifice with late-term and partial-birth abortion procedures. Perhaps this doesn't sound so extreme to you after hearing some of Staver's testimony.

Ironically, after Pastor Robert Jeffress made a similar comparison during a recent radio interview, referencing Moloch, the ancient god of child sacrifice, leftists responded with sarcastic glee.

One tweeted, "ALL HAIL MOLOCH HIS WILL BE DONE."

Another wrote, "DON'T MESS WITH OUR GOD, MOLOCH."

Yet what they posted in jest is not without truth.

That's because, for many of those on the radical left, abortion is not just a right. It is a rite, a venerated rite, a sacred rite. "Do not mess with our right to abort!"

Not surprisingly, most of the Democratic presidential candidates are veering further to the left when it comes to abortion, to the point that most of the candidates now support bills which, if enacted, would legalize some of the crimes committed by abortionist Kermitt Gosnell.

And all of this leads to a simple question: What are you and I going to do to stop these horrific practices? And how can we offer a message of life and hope to mothers and fathers who want to abort?

Somehow, someway, we must shout to the nation the humanity of that unborn child and the sacredness of life. Then, just as loudly, we must bring to the attention of the nation the barbarity of the actions of Planned Parenthood and their cohorts.

If each of us does our part, through sharing the message, through pro-life activism, through voting and campaigning, through prayer and compassion, the tide can turn.

We owe it to the little ones to take action today.

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 14:46

What's four times more nutritious than cow's milk and could be key in feeding our ever-expanding population? Chances are, your guess was not cockroach milk. But that's exactly the food that an international team of scientists is banking on to become the new superfood.

A team from the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in India has sequenced a protein crystal from the gut of Diploptera punctata (Pacific Beetle Cockroach), the only known cockroach to give birth to live young. To feed its offspring, the roach also produces a milk-like substance with protein crystals which have three times the energy of buffalo milk.

Before you start imagining how you can milk a cockroach, the scientists have dismissed such an option and are instead sequencing the genes responsible for the production of milk protein crystals.

"The crystals are like a complete food - they have proteins, fats and sugars. If you look into the protein sequences, they have all the essential amino acids," said one scientist from the team, Sanchari Banerjee, to the Times of India.

What's also fascinating, the milk crystals release proteins not all at once but in accordance with the speed of digestion.

The leader of the project, Subramanian Ramaswamy, confirmed that:

"It's time-released food if you need food that is calorifically high, that is time released and food that is complete. This is it."

This calorie-rich food will be especially helpful to those who struggle to get the necessary amount of calories per day. The roach milk can be a quick source of necessary nutrition, with Ramaswamy calling it ''a fantastic protein supplement".

Cockroaches decorated with Romanian (R) and French flags run at the cockroaches racing course built by Berlin-based Russian painter Nikolai Makarov in his studio in Berlin, on June 10, 2016 ahead of the start of the Euro 2016. (Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

Whether enough people around the world can get around the obvious gross-out factor that comes from any combination of cockroaches and food is largely dependent on how this kind of milk will be made.

As the scientists completed the sequencing, they are moving on to producing the crystal in much larger quantities. In particular, they are looking to focus on how create the food without resorting to milking cockroaches or otherwise pulling the crystals from their guts.

Here's where you can read the full paper, with the exciting title: ''Structure of a heterogeneous, glycosylated, lipid-bound, in vivo-grown protein crystal at atomic resolution from the viviparous cockroach Diploptera punctata."

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:57

Nothing is more hip and cool than being microchipped like a dog and having your social credit score physically embedded within you! Think of how awesome it will be for our ruling elite you to have your ID, wallet and social credit score on you for surveillance purposes the sake of convenience! NBC News writes:Imagine carrying just about everything you need beneath the surface of your hand - your wallet, keys and ID, all in a microchip. That's reality in Sweden, as some early-adopters implant the tiny devices beneath their skin.Imagine being tagged with the Mark of the Beast and needing to act as a subservient pleb of our technocratic ruling elite just to buy and sell.NBC News highlights one clueless looking Swede-feminist saying after getting chipped, "I thought it would be fun, right?" No doubt getting turned away at the door while entering an Amazon Whole Foods for being a thought criminal because you bought a banned book off Amazon will be a blast!Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab and Minds.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:52

WASHINGTON '-- A review launched by Attorney General William Barr into the origins of the Russia investigation has expanded significantly amid concerns about whether the probe has any legal or factual basis, multiple current and former officials told NBC News.

The prosecutor conducting the review, Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, has expressed his intent to interview a number of current and former intelligence officials involved in examining Russia's effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including former CIA Director John Brennan and former director of national intelligence James Clapper, Brennan told NBC News.

Durham has also requested to talk to CIA analysts involved in the intelligence assessment of Russia's activities, prompting some of them to hire lawyers, according to three former CIA officials familiar with the matter. And there is tension between the CIA and the Justice Department over what classified documents Durham can examine, two people familiar with the matter said.

John Durham speaks to reporters on the steps of U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn on April 25, 2006. Bob Child / AP fileWith Barr's approval, Durham has expanded his staff and the timeframe under scrutiny, according to a law enforcement official directly familiar with the matter. And he is now looking into conduct past Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017, a Trump administration official said.

Although the probe did not begin as a criminal investigation, Justice Department officials won't comment on whether it has morphed into one.

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When White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney sought Thursday to justify President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine, he called the Durham review "an ongoing investigation by our Department of Justice into the 2016 election."

Mulvaney added: "So you're saying the president of the United States, the chief law enforcement person, cannot ask somebody to cooperate with an ongoing public investigation into wrongdoing?" Mulvaney said.

The FBI began investigating Russian election interference in July 2016. The firing of FBI Director James Comey led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel in May 2017. Ultimately, Mueller did not establish that the Trump campaign coordinated with the Russian election interference effort, although he documented dozens of what critics say were inappropriate contacts between Trump aides and Russians.

Republicans have suggested the investigation stemmed from a plot by members of the Obama Administration and career intelligence officials in what they call the "Deep State," to undermine Trump.

Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general, has conducted an investigation into the FBI's actions in launching the Russia probe.

But Barr has said he believes an IG inquiry is not sufficient to answer the questions he has about how the investigation began. In doing so, he made comments suggesting Durham had authority only a criminal investigation could provide.

In a May 31 interview with CBS News, Barr said Horowitz "doesn't have the power to compel testimony, he doesn't have the power really to investigate beyond the current cast of characters at the Department of Justice. His ability to get information from former officials or from other agencies outside the department is very limited."

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Barr also said in the interview that the purpose of the Durham review is to make sure there was not inappropriate surveillance of the Trump campaign.

"I had a lot of questions about what was going on," he said. "Some of the facts that I've learned don't hang together with the official explanations of what happened."

He declined to elaborate.

President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr attend the 38th Annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Capitol Hill on May 15, 2019. Carlos Barria / Reuters fileIf Durham is conducting a criminal investigation, it's not clear what allegations of wrongdoing are being examined. The Justice Department has not detailed any, and a spokeswoman declined to comment for this story.

"I don't know what the legal basis for this is," Brennan said, calling the probe "bizarre."

Greg Brower, former assistant FBI director for congressional affairs and a former U.S. Attorney, said it's not normal for a U.S. Attorney to conduct an investigation without an FBI referral of criminal allegations. That's the role of inspector generals, he said.

"It's unusual to the point that it looks to be political and it's a bad thing for DOJ to appear to be doing something for political reasons," Brower said, adding that it appears that "for political purposes, the White House wants to be able to say through the election cycle that all of this is being investigated."

Justice Department officials have said that Durham has found something significant, and that critics should be careful.

Skeptics who have been trying to track Durham's movements say he has yet to interview key figures, including former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, former FBI agent Peter Stzrok and former FBI general counsel James Baker.

"Nobody who knows anything has been interviewed," said a person in touch with those former officials.

The New York Times on Saturday reported that Durham and his team appeared to be hunting for signs of anti-Trump bias among former FBI officials and were focused on the actions of Strzok, who was removed from the investigation after Mueller learned of texts he wrote criticizing Trump.

But Durham has been busy on other fronts. He traveled with Barr to the United Kingdom and Italy in an effort to examine the contributions of foreign countries to the Russia probe. A Justice Department spokeswoman said the list of countries being examined includes Ukraine, but she declined to say whether Durham is investigating "corruption related to the DNC server," as Mulvaney put it in his Thursday news conference.

Mulvaney appeared to be referencing a conspiracy theory, mentioned by President Trump in his July phone call with the Ukrainian president, that a Democratic National Committee computer server hacked by Russian intelligence agents is actually in Ukraine.

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney addresses reporters during a news briefing at the White House on Oct. 17, 2019. Leah Millis / ReutersUnder that discredited theory, Ukraine, not Russia, hacked the Democrats in 2016. To believe that, one would have to doubt the unanimous assessment of the intelligence community and the findings of Congressional intelligence committees who have examined the classified evidence, including Republican Trump supporters.

President Trump's first homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, said on ABC last month that he was frustrated about the president's embrace of that falsehood.

"It's not only a conspiracy, it is completely debunked," Bossert said. "And at this point I am deeply frustrated with what he and the legal team is doing and repeating that debunked theory to the president. It sticks in his mind when he hears it over and over again and for clarity here ... let me just again repeat that it has no validity."

He continued: "United States government reached its conclusion on attributing to Russia the DNC hack in 2016 before it even communicated it to the FBI, long before the FBI ever knocked on the door at the DNC. So a server inside the DNC was not relevant to our determination to the attribution. It was made up front and beforehand."

A Western intelligence official familiar with what Durham has been asking of foreign officials says his inquiries track closely with the questions raised about the Russia investigation in right-wing media.

Many of those questions spring from accusations made by George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign aide who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. He declined to comment Friday.

Contrite in the courtroom, Papadopoulos emerged from prison on the attack against what he calls a Deep State conspiracy to set him up in an effort to get Trump.

Papadopoulos claims in his book that the professor who told him the Russians had Democratic emails '' Joseph Mifsud, identified by the FBI as a Russian intelligence asset '' was in fact working for Western intelligence.

He has made similar allegations against Australian diplomat Alexander Downer, who relayed the story about the emails to the FBI; and about a Cambridge professor, Stefan Halper, whom Papadopoulos says grilled him about what he knew about the Russians.

The New York Times and the Washington Post have reported that Halper is a US government informant, and Durham appears to be investigating whether the spy agency or the FBI broke any rules in how the matter and other aspects of the case were handled.

The Senate intelligence committee examined the allegations about Downer, Mifsud and Halper, as part of its bipartisan investigation into the intelligence community's assessment that Russia was responsible for attacking the 2016 election, and found nothing to substantiate any wrongdoing, a committee aide said.

"I'm very comfortable with everything I was involved in," Brennan said.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:41

At Hillary Clinton's latest campaign stop in Oregon, the former first lady again refused to endorse any of the current Democrats running in the 2020 presidential primary, but she did highlight her experience with impeachment and essentially described herself as the ideal candidate to take on Trump in 2020.

Clinton and daughter Chelsea were at Portland's Revolution Hall on Saturday to promote their new book about ''gutsy women'' when the moderator, local author Cheryl Strayed, brought up 2020, KGW8 reports.

>>

''All that matters is that we win,'' Clinton told Strayed. ''I hate to be so, you know, simplistic about it. We have to nominate (cough) '... the best '...

''You!'' someone shouted from the audience, drawing a big smile and laugh from Clinton.

She didn't disavow the idea.

''Oh, my. Well, thank you,'' Clinton said. ''I just feel so strongly that, look, I just want to say a little bit more about this, because what's going on now with the impeachment inquiry is not a choice it was an obligation under the Constitution.''

The 71-year-old twice failed presidential candidate explained that it's a ''big challenge'' to run a presidential campaign amid the political chaos in Washington, D.C., then laid out her experience in such a ''really complicated political environment.''

Clinton touted her involvement building the case for impeachment against former President Richard Nixon and lectured about the founding fathers including constitutional protections against a president ''who would try to curry favor with foreign powers.'' Clinton contends impeachment may eventually sway Republicans in the House against Trump, and ''if enough vote against him'' it could spark a Republican rebellion in the Senate, as well.

''I say all of that because it's hard to know who's going to be the best candidate to beat this president, assuming this president is still running,'' she said. ''I mean this is a really complicated political environment.''

There's lots of great Democrats running for president, Clinton claimed, ''but at the end of the day, there are a lot of forecasters who are saying, 'look, if the economy stays in good shape and he's not impeached, or he's impeached but not convicted, it's going to be very, very hard' (to defeat Trump) because of all the advantages he will have on '... suppression and everything else.''

The former secretary of state suggested Democrats ''see who emerges'' from the primary, but made it clear ''we have to vet them '... because believe me they make up stuff about you.''

Clinton just last week alleged Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is a ''Russian asset'' planted to sabotage the party.

''You got to be in a position where the public and the press don't fall for that again,'' Clinton said, referring to fake news in the 2016 election. ''So we need to vet our candidates by pushing them hard, that's part of the process, so we see how people withstand what will be a brutal attack on them from the right, and the Russians and all their allies.

''So that's what we should be looking for,'' she said, concluding her backhanded self-promotion.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:42

YouTube The Facebook founder was shook Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was given a grilling by congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) at a hearing about cryptocurrency last night.

AOC took a hold of the agenda though and decided to pick apart the flaws in Facebook's fact-checking and content filtering processes as well as their connections to an organisation which she says has ties to white supremacy. Zuckerberg looks increasingly shook in videos of the testimony, which have gone viral. Here we break down the (six hour!) hearing into five of its best moments:

THE MOMENT ZUCKERBERG BECAME A TINY LITTLE BOYZuckerberg is not a child. He runs one of the world's most valuable companies and has a net worth of $69 billion. But AOC made him look like a tiny little snivelling boy who has just wet his pants in front of the entire class, except he's not in a classroom now, he's in the chamber of the United States Congress pissing himself in front of the whole world.

Pressing him on how Facebook handles political campaign ads, AOC asks: ''Do you see a potential problem here, with a complete lack of fact-checking on political advertisements?'' This comment immediately turned Zuckerberg into a five-year-old boy being told off because all he could reply with was: ''Well Congresswoman, I think lying is bad.'' Yes, you lied about needing the toilet and now you are drenched in a murky brown piss made entirely from whiteclaw and plain dry toast.

I could watch AOC smoke Zuck all day. pic.twitter.com/nNQnUrO9xY

'-- ðŸ...‡ð'•'ð'•...ð'••ð'•£ð'•–ð'•ª ð'•¥ð'•'ð'•ªð'•'ð'• ð'•£ ð'•'ð'• ð'•£ð'•–ð'••ðŸ•¸ (@udreytaylorward) October 23, 2019 WHEN THE BIGGEST NERD ON THE PLANET FORGOT WHAT YES AND NO MEANTWhen AOC pushes Zuckerberg on Facebook's handling of potential political disinformation '' ''So you won't take down lies or you will take down lies? It's a just pretty simple yes or no'' '' he decides to just say other unrelated things: ''Congresswoman, in a democracy, I believe people should be able to see for themselves what politicians that they may or may not vote for are saying so they can judge their character for themselves.''

He did add that it depends on what context the posts are in, for example, adverts are handled differently to normal 'posts', but his politician speak is primarily bullshit so who really knows anymore.

WHEN HIS NARC BRAIN MALFUNCTIONEDIt feels almost disingenuous to mark this out as a singular 'moment' as it's basically happening continuously throughout the roasting, and yet I'm doing it. AOC's questioning does start five hours deep into the congressional testimony (which truly looks like some kind of Kafkaesque horror) and you can expect anyone's mental capacity to have faded at least partially by that point, but Zuckerberg is world nerd number one, second only maybe to nerd-bro Elon Musk or nerd-god Bill Gates, so he's got no excuse really.

When AOC asked if she would be able to run fake political ads on Facebook, Zuckerberg basically just said that he had no idea. ''I don't know the answer to that off the top of my head.'' AOC butts in: ''So you don't know if I'll be able to do that?'' to which Zuckerberg replies ''I think probably'', essentially admitting that you can run misleading and false political ads on his platform. Cool!

Zuckerberg's blank stare and AOC's ''thank you'' at the end is A1 content. She dug into that ass. I love to see it 🥰 https://t.co/LykQX0GSf8

'-- Olisa (@Oliiisssaaa) October 24, 2019 WHEN HE PRETENDED HE DIDN'T REMEMBER WHEN HE BECAME AWARE OF CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICADespite it being potentially Facebook's darkest hour and re-aligning our assumptions of what democracy looks like in a world dominated by social media, Zuckerberg claimed that he wasn't sure of when he first became aware of data harvesters Cambridge Analytica.

"What year and month did you personally become first aware of Cambridge Analytica?" AOC questioned. ''Uh, I'm not sure the exact time, but it was probably around March 2018 but I could be wrong though'' replies Zuckerberg. She then asked when he first discussed it with his board member Peter Teal, only to be met with a ''uh, I don't know.'' AOC digs in: ''You don't know? This was the largest data scandal with respect to your company that had catastrophic effects on the 2016 election. You don't know?''

WHEN HIS FACE TURNED ICE COLDMost alarming though are Zuckerberg's responses to questions regarding an organisation that Facebook has approved as one of its independent fact-checkers. ''Can you explain why you've named The Daily Collar, a publication well-documented with ties to white supremacists as an official fact-checker for Facebook?'' AOC asks, as Zuckerberg's face turns ghostly pale.

''Sure, we actually don't appoint the independent fact-checkers, they go through an independent organisation called the independent fact-checking network that has a rigorous standard for who they allow to serve as a fact checker.'' Zuckerberg replies.

Watch the full marathon hearing below if you have a spare 6 hours:

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:34

''There might be a reason that she'd be the best person, not only to beat Donald Trump, but to govern after Donald Trump.''On Wednesday's broadcast of the Fox News Channel's ''Tucker Carlson Tonight,'' former Clinton adviser Philippe Reines stated that it is ''unlikely'' former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2020, but ''there might be a reason that she'd be the best person, not only to beat Donald Trump, but to govern after Donald Trump.''

Reines began by saying that Hillary hasn't completely ruled out running in 2020, but later added that Hillary running is ''unlikely'' and he has greater odds of winning the Powerball than Hillary running in 2020.

He added, ''Well, look, this is a huge if, but if she were to jump in, for whatever reason, and the party has moved someplace that she hasn't, then she won't get the votes. That's the point of the primary. '... I don't know. She's not running because she has any anxiety about the Democratic field. She really likes a lot of the people running. She knows them well. She thought about some of them for her vice presidency. But, there might be a reason that she'd be the best person, not only to beat Donald Trump, but to govern after Donald Trump.''

CNN Whistleblower joins Alex Jones live in the studio to go through his motivation and recalls the pivotal moments in his decision to come forward.

By the way, our Everything Must Go Emergency Sale is now live! Get 70% off Survival Shield X-3 and an additional 50% off other products with free shipping and double Patriot Points!`;}}catch (error) {console.error(error);}})();

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:12

Speculation is growing that Hillary Clinton will make a last-minute entry into the 2020 presidential race after reports published Tuesday said members of the Democratic establishment doubted any of the party's current top candidates can beat President Trump next November.

But those Democrats already running said Clinton is doing more harm than good for the party by taking aim at Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, in recent remarks.

HILLARY CLINTON BACKS OUT OF DC EVENT ALSO SET TO INCLUDE TULSI GABBARD, KIRSTJEN NIELSEN: REPORT

Clinton in recent weeks has privately stated she would enter the 2020 presidential race if she were certain she could win, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The story, titled ''Anxious Democratic Establishment Asks, 'Is There Anybody Else?','' said about a half-dozen Democratic donors gathered in New York City questioned whether former front-runner Joe Biden could stand strong against Trump, citing Biden's lackluster debate performance in Ohio last week.

They also raised concerns about Biden's fundraising struggles and his need to defend his family's business dealings in Ukraine amid the ongoing Trump impeachment inquiry.

They also said Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders were likely too liberal to win the general election.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported that Clinton was considering a 2020 rematch against Trump after the State Department concluded this week there was "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information" regarding Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

The same State Department report, however, found dozens of individuals were at fault for mishandling classified information and found hundreds of security violations during her 2009-2013 tenure.

STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON CLINTON EMAILS FINDS HUNDREDS OF VIOLATIONS, DOZENS OF INDIVIDUALS AT FAULT

Clinton, the first woman to win a major party presidential nomination '' and the national popular vote leader with almost 3 million more votes than Trump '' remains a popular figure in her party, even after enduring criticism for losing key Midwestern states in 2016. For Republicans, she's a perennial target '-- currently in the Mississippi governor's race, where Democratic nominee Jim Hood, a longtime attorney general, is being attacked for acknowledging he voted for her over Trump.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM

Clinton's supporters within the Democratic establishment have also passed around an op-ed published earlier this month in the San Francisco Chronicle by former Mayor Willie Brown titled: ''Who should run against Trump? How about Hillary Clinton?'' The Washington Post reported.

Both the Post and the Times reported that Clinton was not the only possible last-minute candidate on Democrats' minds. Also being considered were: former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Disney chief executive Bob Iger, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and former first lady Michelle Obama.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:12

Christine Lagarde: The "60 Minutes" interview - CBS News Republican Impeachment Protests Whistleblower To Testify Publicly? Full Text: Diplomat's Ukraine Statement Mental Health Stigma Zuckerberg Testifies Bruce Springsteen News US World Politics Entertainment Health MoneyWatch Technology Science Crime Sports Top Republicans demand Democrats call whistleblower to testify publicly Ethics Committee to investigate lawmaker's relationship with aide Calif. wildfire fanned by 70 mph winds leaps out of control Bruce Springsteen still finds performing therapeutic Trump says he was kidding about building a wall in Colorado NYPD cop fired in Eric Garner's death wants his job back U.S. chides Turkey for "heading in the wrong direction" in Syria Rose McGowan suit alleges Harvey Weinstein sought to silence her No charges against corrections officer who drove into protesters Stop The Stigma WATCH: Stop The Stigma '-- A "CBS This Morning" Special Lady Gaga's mom on witnessing her daughter's "turn" in mental health Karamo opens up about mental health: "Set daily emotional goals" Most Americans think there is stigma associated with mental illness '-- CBS News Poll Alanis Morissette on her third bout of postpartum depression Families fight insurers for life-saving care for loved ones with mental illness A year after suicide, Avicii's father opens up about "brave" son Why we need more conversations surrounding mental health Shows CBS This Morning CBS Evening News 60 Minutes Face The Nation Sunday Morning 48 Hours CBSN Originals NCIS: The Cases They Can't Forget Live Latest headlines CBSN Boston CBSN New York CBSN Los Angeles CBS Sports HQ ET Live LIVE More Latest Video Photos Podcasts In Depth Local Log In Alerts Mobile RSS Shop Search Search: Live

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:08

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:03

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Thu, 24 Oct 2019 05:59

Pixelbay / Joe Rogan Experience

Former Intelligence Community officer and whistleblower Edward Snowden explained to Joe Rogan the intricate '' yet blatant '' tactics used by cell phones to spy on their users.

Smartphones can be found on nearly every person you come across, and every device communicates with cell phone towers, apps, services and more in order for ''bulk collection'' to harvest as much data as it can.

Snowden explained how the lucrative business of data collection has made it a norm for users' personal life stories to be recorded and managed by companies in order to influence or track smart device owners.

Every phone is constantly connected''Every smartphone, every phone at all, is constantly connected to the nearest cellular tower,'' he says. ''Every phone, even when the screen is off'... is screaming in the air saying, 'Here I am, Here I am.'''

When a phone transmits their ''scream'' to a tower, the tower then records your device's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) and IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) that ''are two globally unique identifiers that only exist anywhere in the world in one place.''

Since we take phones to work, school, a friend's house, etc., these locations are collected to essentially map out one's life and "it doesn't matter if you're doing anything wrong or you're the most ordinary person... because that's how mass surveillance works."

''The movements of your phone are the movements of you as a person,'' Snowden said.

(Timestamp at 1:43 for mobile users)

Data stored is money earnedOne might ask themselves why it's even important to record this data. According to Snowden, it's not.

Read more: Polish streamer goes viral after embarrassing skateboard failBut companies still collect all the information from people in case it becomes useful later on '' for example to find out which products someone is more likely to buy, or sell the data to a ''partner'' for their own purposes.

For the most part, people aren't aware how much information is being shared among other entities until a user gets an email from an unfamiliar company saying their data was compromised.

via UCHealth

Phones connect us to each other, but those interactions seem to get recorded connection by connection.

The problem intensifies by magnitudes when considering all the apps people have on their phones that ''communicate'' with each other, but users aren't aware of it.

''There is an industry that is built on keeping (connections that a device makes without the user's knowledge) invisible,'' Snowden said. ''What we need to do is make the activities of our devices more visible and understandable to the average person, and then give them control over it.''

Read more: Formula 1 to stream Mexican Grand Prix on Twitch for freeThis is possible because the complicated Terms of Service people agree on to send memes to a friend over an app can also make it so that the extra data collected from the user doesn't belong to them as soon as it's gathered.

''(Companies) have built a legal paradigm that presumes records collected about us do not belong to us'...'' he explains. ''The scandal isn't how they're breaking a law. The scandal is that they don't have to break a law.''

While it's bizarre to imagine all of these connections being made by simple devices and apps, it all derives from how cell phones are used to spy on their users, according to Snowden.

''These records are about you, it's not data that's being exploited, it's people that are being exploited,'' he said. ''It's not data that's being manipulated, it's you that's being manipulated."

NEW from Dexerto: Thorin's latest CS:GO World Rankings:

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 22:37

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:55

End Times broadcaster, rabid anti-Semite, and ardent conspiracy theorist Rick Wiles warned on his ''TruNews'' program last night that if President Donald Trump is removed from office, Trump supporters who ''know how to fight'' will hunt down Democratic legislators and kill them.

''If they take him out, there is going to be violence in America,'' Wiles said. ''There are people in this country'--veterans, cowboys, mountain men, guys that know how to fight'--and they're going to make a decision that the people that did this to Donald Trump are not going to get away with it and they're going to hunt them down.''

''I'm serious,'' he continued. ''If these people in Washington think that they are going to get away with it, it's not going to happen. The Trump supporters are going to hunt them down. It's going to happen and this country is going to be plunged into darkness and they brought it upon themselves because they won't back off.''

Wiles said that Democrats have ''waged war'' against Trump voters for three years in an effort to undo the 2016 election and Trump supporters ''are fed up with it and they know that if they get away with this, there is no country left.''

''They are going to go on a rampage and you're not going to be able to put it back in the bottle,'' Wiles said.

''Once the blood starts flowing, it's nearly impossible to stop,'' added co-host Edward Szall.

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:25

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:21

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 16:55

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Wed, 23 Oct 2019 16:02

Podcasts Relic Radio Show The Horror Strange Tales Science Fiction Case Closed Relic Radio Thrillers A Legacy Of Laughs Orson Welles Recent Info About Contact Wiki Search Subscribe Stream Donate Podcasts Relic Radio Show The Horror Strange Tales Science Fiction Case Closed Relic Radio Thrillers A Legacy Of Laughs Orson Welles Recent Info About Contact Wiki Search Subscribe Stream Donate Search for:

View Larger Image https://archive.org/download/rr12020/SciFi590.mp3This week on Relic Radio Science Fiction, an episode from Mindwebs featuring Harrison Bergeron, and The Haunted Spacesuit.

Download SciFi590

RelicRadio 2019-10-21T11:04:27-04:00 October 21st, 2019 |Categories:

Relic Radio Science Fiction | Tags: mindwebs | 0 Comments Related PostsOut Of The Sky by The Hall Of Fantasy October 14th, 2019 | 2 Comments The Other Now by Tales Of Tomorrow October 7th, 2019 | 0 Comments Mars Is Heaven by Escape September 30th, 2019 | 0 Comments The Seventh Order by X Minus One September 23rd, 2019 | 0 Comments The Big Freeze by Theater Five September 16th, 2019 | 2 Comments Leave a ReplyCancel replyThis site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 22:49

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 22:44

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 15:29

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 07:05

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Mon, 21 Oct 2019 07:04

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 23:16

Thursday night, by the light of an oil lamp, I tuned my trusty Sony portable shortwave to 6,165 kHz. At 2:00 UTC, I was rewarded with a rich, full signal from Radio Netherlands Worldwide's transmission site in Bonaire. Here in this off-grid cabin, on sixty rural acres, I bask in the freedom from electrical noise that might otherwise interfere with my shortwave radio listening'--at least in this respect, this is the perfect DXpedition cabin.

The signal coming out of Bonaire, however, would have overcome any interference: Radio Netherlands, my dear friend of some 32 years, had opened a special frequency for those of us in eastern North America'...in order to say their good-byes to the airwaves.

I can only describe the experience of listening as radio bliss'...pure radio bliss'...marred only by the bittersweet realization that these were RNW's final days on the air. The experience harkened back to the day when the big broadcasters had booming signals directed toward us.

But, alas. All too brief.

The broadcast was simply entitled Farewell and Thank You. You can hear it just as I heard it'--through my recording''here (actual broadcast starts at 1:15):

Then, all day Friday, for nearly 24 hours straight, RNW bid good-bye and farewell to various parts of the world via shortwave, satellite and the internet. I was lucky enough to catch two more broadcasts.

This time of day (19:00 UTC), however, I needed bigger ears than the Sony could provide. I was listening to broadcasts targeting west and east Africa, not North America. Having already charged my laptop battery, I plugged in the Bonito Radiojet (an SDR that I'm currently reviewing) and, just before 1900 UTC, directed her towards 17,605 kHz. Though my Sony found the signal barely audible, the RadioJet produced beautiful fidelity.

This RNW broadcast, entitled The First 50 Years, took listeners through the highlights and history of the Dutch radio service. Here's the recording I made with the RadioJet:

A final sign-off

RNW headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands (photo coutesty: RNW)

At 20:00 UTC, RNW broadcast their very final show'--a repeat of Farewell and Thank You (above) appropriately targeting Africa once more. I tuned the dial to 11615 kHz and listened again to the full broadcast. This time, however, as the program drew to its close, the broadcast crew added a personal message.

Jonathan Groubert, the talented host of The State We're In, broadcasted live from Hilversum's Studio 4 for a deeply touching adieu. Tears were shed, and I'm not ashamed to confess that I, too, listened through a haze of them as these capable and dedicated journalists, whom I've grown to trust, signed off the RNW airwaves for the last time.

But listen for yourself:

Jonathan Marks, RNW's host of MediaNetwork, also featured in the farewell broadcast, recorded the final sign-off from within Studio 4. You can listen to this and read the description on his excellent website.

Dank je wel, Radio Nederland

RNW''my dear radio friends'--I'm going to miss you. Your personalities''and the collective personality of RNW itself''your award-winning content, news, reporting, and your integrity stood out amongst all those Cold War broadcasters I listened to growing up'--who, as you so well put it, were merely mouthpieces for their respective governments.

Radio Nederland, I loved your broadcasting because you were fearless: you marched to the beat of your own drummer, were not afraid to turn a critical eye even upon yourself, and as a result''in a world of sham journalism, of compromise and hypocrisy'--you earned my trust. You had nothing to hide, and you had so many stories to tell.

RNW: I listened.

I wish you (and your intrepid creators) the very best in all that you do. I trust your new incarnation(s), whatever form they take, will do much good in this world which so sorely needs it, and sincerely believe that your integrity will live on.

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 21:28

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 21:27

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 21:23

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 21:23

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 15:56

House Democrats on Friday followed through on their threat to issue a subpoena to the White House for documents related to President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic candidate for president.

Administration officials refused to comply with repeated requests for the materials Democrats have demanded as part of their ongoing impeachment inquiry. The subpoena marks the third one issued by House Democrats since the impeachment inquiry formally launched last week; the other subpoenas targeted the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

Read the full subpoena letter below.

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 14:54

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Sun, 20 Oct 2019 14:53

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