Saturday, October 31, 2015

Trick or Treat?
Want to take the Student Loan exploitation one step further?

Who are taking the jobs away from Americans? As an example in the IT sector?

People with H1B Visas are taking jobs away from Americans in the IT sector because Wall Street complains the USA doesn't educate enough Americans to fill the jobs. 

March 19, 2014
By Michael S. Teitelbaum

...A compelling body of research is now available, (click here) from many leading academic researchers and from respected research organizations such as the National Bureau of Economic Research, the RAND Corporation, and the Urban Institute. No one has been able to find any evidence indicating current widespread labor market shortages or hiring difficulties in science and engineering occupations that require bachelors degrees or higher, although some are forecasting high growth in occupations that require post-high school training but not a bachelors degree. All have concluded that U.S. higher education produces far more science and engineering graduates annually than there are S&E job openings—the only disagreement is whether it is 100 percent or 200 percent more. Were there to be a genuine shortage at present, there would be evidence of employers raising wage offers to attract the scientists and engineers they want. But the evidence points in the other direction: Most studies report that real wages in many—but not all—science and engineering occupations have been flat or slow-growing, and unemployment as high or higher than in many comparably-skilled occupations.... 

The IT industry in the USA have the best of all worlds. They actually have enough technicians with a potential for a shortage in the future. Those technicians, Associate Degrees, earn at least $35,000 to start. 

There is a known surplus of Bachelor prepared computer scientists in the USA. I am confident those scientists with a BS would take a job for $35,000 per year in hopes they can go up the ladder. 

In complete honesty, the IT industry has been hyping their demand for graduates simply to create a better class of job candidates every year. Now, they are spinning their hype to demand nearly 200,000 H1B Visas to pay less salaries and pad their stockholder's returns.

Enough of the lies. Americans that are exceptionally qualified need jobs and there needs to be an investigation to this outrageous claim by the IT industry. 

Microsoft (click here) was among the highest donors to Marco Rubio. That is pure unadulterated corruption. This is definitely quid pro quo. 

All Rubio's donors are Wall Street. 

He reminds me of Scott Brown who was the only one working out in the Senate gym while everyone watched "Morning Joe."

Donors are finance, private equity, IT or infrastructure/construction. There is nothing small business about any of them. 

It is still a quandary why Rubio focused on Columbia for a free trade agreement. It would definitely help any Wall Street financial, private equity firm or major construction company.

He seems to like to deliver quickly on his political donors. 
October 27, 2015
By Neal Woolrich

...However, a new study by JP Morgan Asset Management (click here) argues that in this era of ultra-cheap money the opposite applies, and a rate rise now would actually stimulate the US economy.
"These low interest rates again are sending the wrong signal about where the economy is, the strength of the economy, and what it actually needs," said JP Morgan Asset Management's global market strategist Kerry Craig.
The Fed's Open Market Committee meets this week and again in December, but investors are now betting that the first US rate rise since 2006 will not happen until the middle of 2016.
One of the key concerns about lifting interest rates is that it would also raise the US dollar and make the American economy less competitive.
But JP Morgan Asset Management argues that higher interest rates have already been priced into the exchange rate, and the US dollar could fall once "lift off" occurs, as it has in previous tightening cycles.... 


There may have been several reasons The Fed hasn't raised rates yet. The Fed did vote in favor of this additional buffer to end "Too Big To Fail," but, now it goes to public comment before it is completely passed into regulation.

 October 30, 2015
By Jacob Pramuk 


The Federal Reserve proposed Friday (click here) to require large banks to add another buffer, designed to reduce the "too big to fail" perception of big institutions.
Six of eight key U.S. banks would need to raise an additional $120 billion to meet the requirements, according to Fed officials. The rule aims to reduce the risk of the companies— including Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, State Street and Wells Fargo — derailing markets or needing taxpayer money.
The Fed would expect some large banks to add long-term debt or take other actions to comply. Similar rules would also apply to U.S. subsidiaries of big foreign banks....
...Six of eight banks assessed would not meet requirements, though officials did not specify which. The Fed's board voted in favor of the requirement Friday, and it will be opened to public comment before the central bank can finalize it.
It is among several rules that would aim to cut risk in the banking system.


  CNBC's Mary Thompson and Reuters contributed to this report.

Public Comment can be submitted here: (click here) but, I don't see a posting for this proposed regulation yet.  

I am not certain what tab it would be placed under, "Dodd/Frank" or "Rulemaking Proposals," but, my best guess is rulemaking.

This is Bloomberg's take on Morgans' point of view. 

October 26, 2015
By Luke Kawa

..."There's roughly $10 trillion (click here) in the banking system that's earning zero," added LaVorgna. "Those people aren't investing in the stock market; they're keeping their money in cash and spending less because when you're in a low-interest-rate environment, you don't buy more, you save more." 
A colleague of LaVorgna's, Deutsche Bank Chief Global Strategist Bankim Chadha, recently put forward the view that lower rates prompt households to save more, and therefore consumer spending is not an effective avenue for stimulus through traditional monetary policy actions.
So higher rates, to a certain point, could prove a boon for consumers—and the same is true for stocks, argues JPMorgan's Kelly. His analysis shows that rising rates from a low level tend to be accompanied by rising stock prices, while hikes from higher levels typically happen in tandem with declines.
"When the Federal Reserve raises rates from low levels it is generally taken as a sign of economic confidence—that the economy no longer needs the Fed’s help—and that rising confidence is generally positive for stocks," the economist wrote.... 

These ideas are well and good, but, all I know is the average American can't get even 2 percent at the teller window for a savings account no matter the requirements.

The American Consumer has become a slave to Wall Street. First the QUARTERLY NET income: 

JP MORGAN CHASE (click here) REPORTS THIRD-QUARTER 2015 NET INCOME OF $6.8 BILLION, OR $1.68 PER SHARE, ON REVENUE OF $23.5 BILLION 15% RETURN ON TANGIBLE COMMON EQUITY 

If an American consumer walks into a Chase bank and sets up a savings account, the return is 0.01 percent annually if you are lucky you might get 0.02 percent. Now I ask you, is there any reason to put money into a very liquid savings account?

Of course, not. But, where is there access to better annual returns?

It is estimated there are 52 million Americans with 401Ks or 401Bs.

Everyone knows the penalties for removing monies early from such a financial instrument. But, these financial instruments are the only method Americans have to accumulate any type of return on their hard earned CASH.

So, does Wall Street enslave the American people? You, betcha. If the banks were providing 5 percent on a regular savings account like it used to be in the USA, who would benefit besides the American consumer?

Small banks. AND. Since 2008 the small local bank has virtually disappeared off the American landscape.

What are the REAL CHANCES of saving for an education or a child's education? 

Students seeking college or university educations are LOCKED OUT of that opportunity unless they borrow money from student loans.

Sharm El Sheikh has a history of violence.

July 16, 2015
By Tom Batchelor

Extra armed guards (click here) have been drafted in to the resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada after 50 Egyptian government troops were slaughtered in the latest escalation of ISIS-linked violence in North Africa.
The security advice for British tourists visiting Egypt follows warnings about the safety of hotspots in Turkey and Tunisia - all hugely-popular with British families during the summer months.
ISIS attacked more than a dozen military bases in the Sinai province on Wednesday, killing Egyptian soldiers in a series of coordinated attacks.
The fighters used a rocket propelled grenade to attack a police station and claimed to have taken parts of Sheikh Zuweid, a town just four hours' drive - or 250 miles - from Sharm El Sheikh....

I think Russia has a very real reason for it's entrance to the battle to end Daesh in the Middle East. Evidently, attacking helpless citizens is a real accomplishment for Daesh.

October 31, 2015

Cairo (AFP) - The Islamic State group's (click here) affiliate in Egypt has claimed it downed the Russian passenger plane that crashed Saturday in the Sinai Peninsula, where the jihadists are waging an insurgency, killing all on board.
"The soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane in Sinai," said the statement circulated on social media.

Daesh isn't defeating a military, it is defeating an airliner of innocent people. What do they expect, obedience to their idea of god? These dead people already worshiped god.

Egyptian officials said the 7-person crew and 214 of the passengers and all of the crew were Russian and that three of the passengers were Ukrainian, RT.com reports. The victims included 17 children, aged 2 to 17, according to Russian authorities.

Friday, October 30, 2015

"We need more love and understanding"

They are scared. I am scared. I am learning more about police technique than I ever wanted to know.  There have been more heinous deaths of African American deaths by police. I wish President Obama would invite representatives of "Black Lives Matter" to a summit at the White House. Perhaps there needs to be a summit with Hispanic citizens and Undocumented as well.

Change has to take place at the community level. Whatever can be done to facilitate that should be done. I think every USA city and town should review laws that create their own financial hardship and jail. There needs to be reviews how well minorities are doing in schools and neighborhoods. Cities and towns need to remove any laws that cause discrimination. There is nothing to say any punitive laws have been intentionally discriminatory or harsh, but, to not conduct a review would be exactly that.

All the Democratic candidates for President are sensitive to the issues our minorities face. Perhaps other opposition candidates should be called out for their bias.

October 30, 2015
By Stevens Peoples and Bill Barrow

Atlanta (AP) — Shouting over protesters, (click here) Hillary Rodham Clinton promised black Americans she would address systemic racism, and if elected, follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, the country's first black president.
The Democratic presidential front-runner outlined her plans for criminal justice reform — a key component of her push to court African-American voters — facing what was supposed to be a friendly audience at Clark Atlanta University, a historically black institution. Yet just a few minutes into her remarks she was interrupted by protesters from the Black Lives Matters movement.
They sang and chanted for nearly 12 minutes several feet from the podium as Clinton tried to shout over them. Rep. John Lewis, a hero in the civil rights movement, urged them to stop, as did the musician Usher.
The group of fewer than 10 protesters eventually left the college gymnasium only after the crowd of more than 2,000, most of them young African Americans, forcefully chanted, "Let her talk!"...

Nineteen countries are meeting as a Syrian Summit.

Any coalition government has to guarantee peace and protection of all the people.

October 30, 2015
By Bradley Klapper and George Jahn 

The fate of President Bashar Assad II is at the center of discussions, sources say. (click here)

Vienna — The United States, Russia and other regional and world powers were considering a new plan Friday to set up a ceasefire in Syria within the next four to six months, followed by the formation of a transition government featuring President Bashar Assad and opposition members, officials told The Associated Press.
How long Assad could remain in power under the transition was still unclear.
The Western officials said the United States and its partners supported the timetable as a first phase toward ending the 4½-year civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and uprooted more than 11 million, leading to the growing terrorist threat of the Islamic State and sparking a refugee crisis throughout Europe. They said an agreement hadn’t yet been reached, but that the 19 nations meeting in Vienna were considering the idea.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said that a follow-up meeting was expected as early as next week, with top diplomats possibly returning to Austria’s capital....

...Assad’s fate was at the center of discussions. The U.S., Saudi Arabia and others have tempered their earlier calls for Assad’s immediate ouster and now say he can remain in office for months as part of a transition if he agrees to resign at the end of the process. Russia and Iran are both providing Assad military assistance and say Syria’s leadership shouldn’t be dictated by outside forces....

I have to agree. The West has had more then enough to time display leadership in an alternate government and it has not. Agreed there needs to be a coalition government, but, that means the Shia have someone in leadership that can provide stability to their lives and children.

Syria is highly diverse. It is the most northern country where such diversity completes it's mix. There is not a great deal of diversity in Turkey or Iran and we all know the diversity in Iraq. There is no simple fix for Syria.

What needs to be included in the agreement is the end of any overreach into Lebanon by Assad. He has to bring his people home. The security of the Alawites have to be inside Syria's borders and not in Lebanon between Syria and Israel. Each security issue in Syria has to be addressed within it's own borders.

Hezbollah is a part of the Shi'ite diaspora. They need to stop their autonomy and bring their families into Syria or Iran. If the Shia are to maintain the Crescent it has to live within the rules of peace without a goal for expansionism.

As soon as there is a sustainable ceasefire, global leaders will have to asses how best they can reassure reconstruction in Syria and they have to insure water sources to it's very parched farmland.
October 30, 2015
By Rose Troup Buchanan

Shaker Aamer, (click here) the last British resident detained in Guantanamo, has been reportedly released and is flying back to his wife and four children in London.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed to Sky News Mr Aamer had been released. His plane is believed to be due to land in the UK at around midday today.
Co-director of the We Stand With Shaker campaign Andy Worthington also said he had confirmation from Mr Aamer's lawyer he is due to return.
"We're delighted to hear that his long and unacceptable ordeal has come to an end," he told Press Association....

Thirteen years has gone by and the children will be near adulthood. There is much they have to get used to.

Shaker Aamer was never charged or faced trial. 

The renewed Syrian military has tanks on the ground and they are making significan gains.

The Russian Air Force (click here) has conducted some 1,400 sorties in Syria since the start of Moscow's anti-terror operation. They have eliminated more than 1,600 terrorist targets in one month, the Ministry of Defense said.
Among the destroyed targets are 249 command posts, 51 militants' training camps, 131 ammunition and fuel depots and 786 field bases, Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov of Russia's General Staff said on Friday....

Let me find the You Tube video. It will make you cry. It brought me to near tears. Damascus is nothing but rubble. The United Nations Security Council need to call in The Arab Coalition in regard to departure from their protocol by the USA.

The USA is not the only country that respects differences in ethnicity and protects people from genocide and attack.

29 October 2015


Foreign Ministry’s plenipotentiary for Human Rights (click here) says Russia is extremely worried by the threat the current Middle East crisis poses for Christianity, adding that the extremists who launch attacks posing as Muslims were discrediting that religion.
“Today’s situation in the Middle East Region is taking a critical shape, without any exaggeration. Radical extremists are conducting mass executions, destroy Christian churches, force people out of their homes and destroy holy sites with millennia-long history,” Konstantin Dolgov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
The ombudsman said Russian authorities were "in the most serious way concerned about the fate of the 2000-long presence of Christianity in the Middle East" and reminded the journalists that since the beginning of the armed conflict in Syria the numbers of Christian population in t.his country dropped from 2.2 million to 1.2 million and that the most important Christian holy sites in this country had been attacked or destroyed....

A familiar ally. The USA is definitely embarking on a path to a unilateral Cold War.

October 29, 2015
By Leda Reynolds

Mr Sarkozy (click here) met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow where he called on the West to stop isolating Russia saying Europe needs to work with it
 The meeting was an unusal diplomatic foray during which the former French premier said it was essential that Europe and Russia presents a united fron to end current tensions, particularly in Syria.
 The meeting was an unusal diplomatic foray during which the former French premier said it was essential that Europe and Russia presents a united fron to end current tensions, particularly in Syria....

Kindly move past the music and dialogue and see the city and the complete devastation. After realizing Damascus is in ruins it can be stated there probably not an inch of Syria that isn't in ruins. It will take enormous amonts of money and time to rebuild this land. Not only that, but, the reason this civil war began was because of DROUGHT. So, water supplies have to be returned first.

The music is nothing new to a war environment. Troops have their preferences.

This is the reporting. The video was recorded by a drone. (click here)

October 24, 2015
 

The USA is not needed in Syria. The military's ego is bruised because Russia entered combat there.

That is all this is. The US military brass are bummed out because Russia gets the action and not THE MARCH OF FREEDOM.

Obama is a major disappointment.  The USA military had more than a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan to carry out "The March of Freedom" and it proved to be completely wrong headed while creating it's own enemy in the Ba'athists and a reconstituted Taliban.

There was a dialogue about Iraq at the time "W" was selling his "March of Freedom" to the American people that would have ended all this and would have averted any invasion into Iraq. The dialogue was to remove Saddam and leave the Iraqi military (Ba'athists) intact while there was new leadership considered by the people and the international community. It was streamrolled by "W" and his neocons.

So, now rather than leaving Iraq and Syria to the people that live there and TRADITIONAL allies in Russia, the USA military has again managed to deceive the American people and are reconstituting their war stance because Russia is doing what they believe they should be doing. 

This reconstitution is stupid. It is equally stupid as the radar balloon. I thought the radar balloon was in all war deployments to provide intelligence to incoming flying machines and missiles. If that was the case, then why are there Russian and USA jets coming across each other in the Middle East. The USA military is the biggest bullshitter on Earth.

October 30, 2015

President Obama (click here) is directing the Pentagon to send special forces into Syria to advise the Syrian opposition in its fight against ISIS, sources confirmed to ABC News.
The change would station U.S. special operations forces on the ground for the first time in Syria in its fight against the Islamic State after thousands of airstrikes in the past year produced mixed results, although their mission is expected to be primarily advisory.
The change "is consistent with strategy to intensify the battle against ISIS,” a White House senior official told ABC News.
A U.S. official says the White House will announce that Obama has authorized somewhere around 50 special operations forces to go into Syria to work with the rebel group known as the Syrian Arab Coalition. These forces will work along the Syrian border and not on the front lines with the rebel groups. They will provide training, assistance and advise just as U.S. troops are doing in Iraq....

Is peace so threatening that every country has to test the USA's limit 24/7?

Knock it off.  If the USA wanted war with Iran it would not have sought a peace treaty. This is such bullshit!

If it isn't a Iranian boat, it's a Russian jet. If it isn't a Russian jet, it is China thinking it can own the world by building faux islands. This is hideous.

All this is doing it increasing the cost of US military operations. It is not proving any weakness in the USA or NATO or alliances in the Pacific. Isn't it time Russia, China and others find a better dialogue on their politics?

One of two Iranian navy warships arrives to dock at Port Sudan in the Red Sea state December 8, 2012. A second visit by Iranian warships to Sudan in little over a month risks widening divisions inside the African country's government and upsetting its Gulf Arab donors

February 8, 2015
By AP 

Tehran, Iran (AP) - A senior Iranian naval commander (click here) says his country has sent several warships to the Atlantic Ocean, close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time.

The commander of Iran's Northern Navy Fleet, Admiral Afshin Rezayee Haddad, is quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying Saturday that the vessels have already begun the journey to the Atlantic Ocean via waters near South Africa.
Iranian officials said last month that the fleet consisted of a destroyer and a logistic helicopter carrier, which will be on a three-month mission....

A new nuclear submarine for Russia.

September 30, 2015
By

Crew members are seen aboard a Russian submarine during celebrations of Navy Day in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, July 26, 2015.

Russia’s (click here) newest nuclear-powered submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, arrived in the far eastern Kamchatka region Wednesday, carrying Bulava nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, the Russian state news service Tass reported. The submarine, now a part of Moscow's nuclear deterrent, arrives at its new port during a time of rapid Russian military modernization and renewed rivalry with the United States and NATO. 
The submarine, which is in the new Borei-class, made the journey from the Northern Fleet to the port of Vilyuchinsk in the farthest reaches of the country. It will join the Pacific Fleet, where its primary job will be to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence patrols in the Pacific Ocean, according to Tass....

Urkaine's recovery after the peace treaty of Minsk II is going forward. The IMF has granted Ukraine funding past any default of debt with Russia. Russia needs to work with Ukraine to structure it's debt repayment. Ukraine is still recovering from a large deficit with Russia and that recovery has to go forward in order for Ukraine to pay Russia. So, the best way forward for Russia is to work with Ukraine leadership for debt repayment. Russia should end the chronic issue of debt default with Ukraine.

Oct 30, 2015

Russian Finance Minister AntonSiluanov (click here) said on Friday that Russia was worried that reforms to the International Monetary Fund's lending rules were being forced through in the context of the "very politicised" question of Ukraine's debt restructuring.
Siluanov also told journalists that Ukraine had refused to consider any alternatives apart from equating Ukraine's debt to Russia with debt before private creditors.
The IMF is expected to soon discuss reforms to lending rules that may allow continued support for Ukraine if it misses payments on a $3 billion debt to Russia, while keeping up pressure on the countries to break the impasse. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Darya Korsunskaya; Writing Alexander Winning; Editing by Maria Kiselyova)

The IMF's interest is securing the solvency of Ukraine's government. The IMF never acts in political ways, that is not it's mission.

To state the IMF is attempting to restructure the government of Ukraine is not accurate. Ukraine restructured its government to return to the 2004 Constitution since the unrest first broke out. The restructuring of Ukraine's government began long before the IMF came into view.

Russia needs to realize Ukraine is a peaceful country and wants peace with it's neighbors. There is no animosity on the international level with Ukraine. It wants to be a trading partner with Russia as well as The West.

There is a recent example of that outreach by Ukraine.

October 29, 2015

Visiting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (click here) and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov have vowed to boost bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including energy ties.
After talks in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, on October 29, Poroshenko called Turkmen-Ukrainian relations "historic and strategic" and expressed his confidence that ties between the two former Soviet countries will continue to develop.
Poroshenko added that he expects Berdymukhammedov to come to Kyiv on an official visit in the first half of 2016.
Berdymukhammedov said his country "is ready to boost energy deliveries" to Ukraine, also stressing the importance of developing Kyiv-Ashgabat cooperation in the energy and transportation sectors.
Turkmenistan owns the world's fourth-biggest reserves of natural gas.
Ukraine has faced problems with natural-gas deliveries from Russia amid a souring of relations over the Kremlin's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and the ongoing conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian armed forces in eastern Ukraine.

Based on reporting by UNIAN and Interfax 

While Ukraine's focus on The West while seeking debt relief through the IMF may be of concern to Russia, there is nothing to say Ukraine was seeking to abandon any friendly relationship with every country in the region. This trip by President Petro Poroshenko should prove to Russia that Ukraine is interested in peace and prosperity with all countries that want to extent an interest in trade. There is no threat to Russia by Ukraine.

There never was a threat from Ukraine of Russia even during the early days of the unrest. The rebels have nothing to fear. Ukraine is not interested in removing it's history nor does it have a desire to limit it's future. 

I realize the military build up at Ukraine's border by Russia is to reassure the rebels to bring about a sincere peace, there should be a recognition that Ukraine will be obligated to all it's citizens to prove equally it has a responsibility to have a strong defense at that border. Russia needs to consider reducing it's presence along the Ukraine border and perhaps in matching demilitarization by Ukraine. 

Russia should realize it's substantial presence along Ukraine is making NATO nervous. Russia needs to demilitarize Ukraine's border. It will serve as a reassurance to the peace process both the rebels and Russia was a part. There is a need for reassurance and deescalation of tensions. I think Russia knows this and needs to begin to plot it's actions accordingly. 

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Get them out of there. They aren't safe. Iranians are moving into Iraq. The refugees need to be moved ASAP.

Move them to the USA. First more them into the billion dollar US embassy and then send them to the USA for asylum. This is a disgrace to the USA.

These refugees do not have options anymore. They need a place to call home and Iraq or any other place in the region cannot provide safety. They need to be moved out of the region. They need asylum.

October 29. 2015 Baghdad (AP) — A barrage of rockets (click here) slammed late Thursday into a former military base near the Baghdad International Airport that houses an Iranian refugee group, killing three Iraqi soldiers, officials said. The Iranian exiles said at least 20 of their people died in the attack.
Iraqi police said 16 rockets hit Camp Liberty, a former U.S. base that now houses the exiled Iranian opposition group known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. They said at least 16 soldiers guarding the camp were also wounded while the Iranian group, known as MEK, said dozens of Iranian refugees were wounded as well.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The statement from Mujahedeen-e-Khalq said that "due to darkness of the night, the exact number of dead and wounded has not been established."...
It is interesting the candidates for the Republican nomination are taking up the issue of their debates outside the RNC.

I congratulate them.

There is a gentleman among them with plenty of places to hold those debates. He could set up debates nearly anywhere in the country within reasonable notice. In the world, for that matter.

If Donald Trump is going to take his peers seriously and offer places for their own managed debates it will be nothing short of heroic. 

I look forward to the outcome. I am sure there will be plenty of press coverage.

Remember Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?

October 29, 2015
By Jennifer Pagliaro

Toronto councillor Rob Ford speaks to reporters Thursday after meeting with doctors at Mt. Sinai hospital 

Councillor Rob Ford (click here) says he is “99 per cent sure” his cancer has returned as he prepares to start chemotherapy again next week.
“We’re praying that it’s benign but you’ve got to deal with the realistic part of things and 99 per cent sure that it’s malignant,” said an emotional Ford outside Mt. Sinai Hospital on Thursday afternoon about a new tumour pushing on his bladder. “We’ve got to start this whole process over again.”
Ford said they are still awaiting results of a biopsy to confirm whether the new growth is malignant.
After two rounds of chemotherapy, Ford said he hopes the tumour will be operable by the end of December.
“That’s my Christmas gift,” he said. “I’m optimistic, but I’m a realist too. If this has spread once, where else has it gone?”
Doug Ford earlier told reporters: “The tumour is consistent with the previous tumour,” referring to the pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer, his brother was diagnosed with last year....

Who is next?

Oh, yeah, let's build a pipeline. How is the railroad car availability these days? We so much need new pipelines. NOT!

This is the time for existing pipelines to be refurbished and refitted and there will never be a need for a new one again.

October 29, 2015

Bismarck, ND — Two more energy companies (click here) operating in North Dakota’s Bakken oil patch have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the midst of slumping crude prices.
Tulsa-based Samson Resources and Denver-based American Eagle Energy plan to sell off Bakken assets to pay debts, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Samson filed for bankruptcy in mid-September, hoping to clear out more than $3.25 billion in debt. Company spokesman Brian Maddox said Samson hasn’t yet succeeded in selling acreage.

Under a restructuring agreement, lenders own all the reorganized company’s equity in exchange for at least $450 million of new capital.

“The steps we are taking will allow our company to maximize future opportunities and compete more effectively with significantly less debt on our balance sheet,” Samson CEO Randy Limbacher said in a statement. “We fully expect to operate our business as usual throughout this process and to emerge as a financially stronger company.”...

Local economies need to pay attention. E85 is eight five percent ethanol and fifteen percent petroleum. It is time for local economies to look out for their local dealerships and those convenience stores to bring new fuels to their town.


October 29, 2015

Des Moines, Iowa — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (click here) says it is spending $100 million to help install nearly 5,000 additional ethanol fuel pumps in 21 states.
The agency said Wednesday that matching grants bring the total public-private investment to $210 million to increase the availability of the corn-based fuel.

The USDA says a typical gas pump delivers 10 percent ethanol, but the grants will help install pumps that offer higher blends of ethanol for more recently made vehicles.
The largest grants are going to Texas, $17 million for 763 pumps, and Florida, nearly $16 million for 892 pumps.
Iowa, the nation’s top corn-producing state, will see $5 million.


Here is a place to start for contact information. US Senators or a House Representative should be able to find information regarding this change in fuel pump. When alternative fuels are available it will promote more sales of "Flex Fuel Vehicles." (click here)


Hobby Lobby Owners, the Greens, may be facing some real questions about their legal dealings in biblical artifacts.

The story starts with the idea Christians needed their own bible museum in Washington, DC. But, the story doesn't end there. I could not care less if there is a bible museum in Washington, DC. This is not about hate or discrimination, it is about a wealthy family that may be facing real problems with their chosen hobby.

September 4, 2015
By Noah Charney

...Now, (click here) though, the Good Book is coming to town in a big way. The Museum of the Bible — backed by the evangelical owners of the craft store Hobby Lobby, who famously took their objections to contraception and Obamacare to the Supreme Court — is set to open in 2017, just off the Mall. The proximity of the museum to the world-class Smithsonian and the Capitol has raised eyebrows. How will it fit in among the venerable institutions lining the Mall? How will it function ...

...Some academics and curators also worry about the origins of its collection — the more than 40,000 biblical artifacts were amassed in a remarkably short time by Hobby Lobby President Steve Green....

Green admits there is doubt about his collection of artifacts and where they came from. If they are coming from Iraq such as this tablet, there were thieves that raided the museums shortly after the USA invasion.

October 29, 2015
By Brianna Bailey


Oklahoma City — Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. (click here) says it is cooperating with a federal investigation involving ancient clay tablets from Iraq for the planned Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
The Oklahoma City-based company confirmed there was an ongoing investigation after online news outlet The Daily Beast published an article Tuesday about an alleged claim surrounding the clay tablets. The article was written by Bible scholars Candida Moss, professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame, and Joel Baden, professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale University.
“Hobby Lobby is cooperating with the investigation related to certain biblical artifacts,” Hobby Lobby said in a statement. “The Museum of the Bible is a separate not-for-profit entity made possible, in part, by the generous charitable contributions of the Green family.”
According to the Daily Beast story, Hobby Lobby CEO Steve Green said in an interview that the Green family’s extensive collection of biblical artifacts may include items of dubious provenance. Moss and Baden have a forthcoming article to be published in the Atlantic on the federal investigation that includes the interview with Green.

If he admits there are issues with the artifacts, who the heck is he willingly dealing with?

There is a real issue and where any stolen artifacts should be stored. Currently there is war. Where is anyone going to find a safe place to keep such artifacts? Additionally, any stolen artifacts could actually serve as a measure of protection considering how Daesh is willing to destroy anything in it's path.

Reality Check!

This balloon costing billions of dollars can be shot down by State Troopers with shotguns. This balloon is suppose to protect the country from invasion and attack. Really?

It is pure stupidity and not a defense for the country.

October 29, 2015
Ian Duncan and Sean Welsh

By remaining blimp at Aberdeen Proving Ground (click here) grounded indefinitely after one of the two football field-sized military surveillance aerostats detached from its mooring Wednesday and traveled hundreds of miles north.
NORAD spokesman Michael Kucharek said a technical recovery team is on the ground in Pennsylvania to handle the retrieval of the runaway blimp, which deflated and landed in a wooded area Wednesday afternoon.
Capt. Matt Villa, an Army planning officer who is on the scene, said the balloon's tail has come off and crews had to cut parts of its tether that had tangled in powerlines. About 60 military personnel are involved in the recovery effort, working alongside a team of contractors and local authorities, he said.
"We're focused on safety at this point," Villa said. "There is an investigation that is ongoing."...
Mayor Bill de Blasio is marking New York City's recovery (click here) from the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy nearly three years ago.

De Blasio and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro appeared Tuesday in Breezy Point, a Queens neighborhood damaged by the storm.

The mayor touted progress of the city's Build it Back program, which is rebuilding storm-damaged homes.

De Blasio said that when he took office in 2014, the program had not started construction on any houses.

He said there's now been work done at 1,877 homes and approximately 5,300 people have received reimbursement checks.

The storm, which hit October 29, 2012, was the worst natural disaster in the city's history.


From "Slate" an article from 2013. (click here) It gives a perspective to the damage. 

If Paul Ryan couldn't find funding for the continuation of the LWCF as budget chair, he isn't going to as Speaker.

The new Speaker Ryan gave a very nice speech and he even means it, but, the US House isn't going to change. He won't be using Regular Order and the function will continue to flounder. 

To prove the anti-American legislature that exists in the Congress, a vital Act needed to be reaffirmed and funded, the Land and Water Conservation Fund expired September 30th.

Known to many as the LWCF is vital to tourism throughout the country.

October 28, 2015
by Senator Angus King

Maine is blessed with countless natural wonders (click here) – it’s part of what makes our state so special. We are fortunate to live among such vast beauty and abundant resources, and it is our responsibility as environmental stewards to see that the land is responsibly managed so future generations can also appreciate what we enjoy today.

That’s why I am committed to reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a visionary partnership program that provides matching funds to states and local communities for acquisition, development, and conservation of parks and open spaces. Since the program was created by Congress 50 years ago, projects in Maine have received more than $172 million to help maintain and expand places such as Acadia National Park and the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site – support that has helped these areas increase accessibility to visitors and enhance their positive impact on the local economy.

Moreover, the fund also supports local recreational efforts that benefit Maine communities. While the LWCF is often known for its efforts to help maintain lands for our existing national parks, a significant portion of LWCF funds are also allocated to states and municipalities to support a wide-range of projects – from our many beautiful state parks and lands to local basketball courts and neighborhood swing-sets. In fact, I met earlier this year with local park officials from Bath, Bangor and Skowhegan who – thanks in part to support from LWCF funding – are able to run summer programs for kids, offer recreational opportunities, and partner with school lunch programs. So not only does this fund protect and preserve our most treasured national sites, but it also helps provide safe spaces for children to eat meals and play....

Previous to September 30th, there was not a newspaper in the country that carried the message to renew the LWCF. Coast to coast the Act was anticipated to pass. The Act wasn't even given a vote. It is retreating into the shadows and our lands are not supported to preserve it's beauty to support tourism.

That tourism includes hunting, skiing, hiking, fishing and photography including birding. These issues are normally considered Democratic bills and they are simply disregarded with this Congress while the country begins to have it's tourism industry degrade.

2014 proved to be yet another successful year (click here)
for the Travel & Tourism sector off the back of a modestly stronger economic backdrop. World GDP growth increased from 2.3% in 2013 to 2.4% in 2014. The direct GDP contribution of Travel & Tourism grew by 3.5%, up from 3.4% in 2013...

In 2014, the USA tourism industry grew 3.5 percent adding to the GDP of the country. (click here)

This funding has a direct effect on citizens' lives, jobs, income and local small business. 
Oh, women matter in the US House when they take CLERK (Teller) positions.

Three of the Four Tellers tallying the Speaker Vote are women. That is very different than panels regarding women's health that appear before committees, except of course, the issue is ending Planned Parenthood.

It is okay for women to be workers. It makes them look useful.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Shaun Walker

A crew of six Russian women (click here) have been locked away in a mock spaceship as part of an eight-day experiment to simulate conditions for a potential mission to the moon in 2029.
The experiment, the first of its kind to feature an all-female crew, is designed to “test the psychology and physiology of the female organism,” the space institute organising it said. The participants will be let out next Thursday.
Sergei Ponomarev, the scientific director of Moon-2015, said: “It will be interesting to see how well they get on with each other, and how well they are able to perform tasks. We believe women might not only be no worse than men at performing certain tasks in space, but actually better.”...


The USA can't even come close. There aren't enough women at NASA to make a complete crew for the ISS. 

And the Russian women are for a mission to the moon, not the ISS.

...Sergei Ponomarev, the scientific director of Moon-2015, said: “It will be interesting to see how well they get on with each other, and how well they are able to perform tasks. We believe women might not only be no worse than men at performing certain tasks in space, but actually better.”...


Russia is going forward with a manned Moon flight in 2029. There is a measured focus about Mars. That is why the USA is pushing the space program. I'll say this though; Russia was a signator to and ratified the Kyoto Protocol and did it's level best to mitigate carbon dioxide. The USA doesn't even try. 

And the USA doesn't try because of the corruption in government with unquestioned support of the petroleum industry. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. The US Congress can begin to build CREDIBILITY by eliminating petroleum support payments that are to be re-purposed into NASA.

And don't give me a bunch of bulloney about fuel needs of NASA. It is well known the USA military has worked very hard to move their fuel uses 50/50 with grain sources of fuel.
I have to add something. If Donald Trump did not bring up the issue of the H1B Visa illustrated by the cartoon of Rubio and Zukerberg I would not be writing this.

That is two for two. Immigration and now H1B Visas. I think he has something to add to the national dialogue regarding our disappearing Middle Class and the chronic return of criminal illegals. Americans are dead. That should mean something. The criminal element in the undocumented have to be dealt with. 

I haven't been paying attention to Republican politics. It is easy to see why Donald Trump runs on his own steam, he'd never be offered donations. Rubio is a very good example of corruption in our politics. The IT Cartel would never give Donald Trump a dime.