Looking Backward

A cryptocurrency millionaire is buying up land in Nevada’s desert next to Tesla’s Gigafactory where he plans to build a UTOPIAN village run on Ethereum

“Something inside me tells me this is the answer.”
– Jeffrey Berns (2018)
(quote of the day)

 

Name: 1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua
Hat tip: Doom

 

Thursday, Nov 8th,  2018

Jeff Sessions is out as attorney general Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned on Wednesday, clearly writing that he was only doing so at President Trump’s request. Trump announced on Twitter that Sessions would be replaced by Justice Department Chief of Staff Matthew Whitaker, who will serve as acting attorney general. “We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well,” wrote Trump. “A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.” Due to Sessions’ sometimes rocky relationship with the president, rumors of his ouster were circulating for months. “In my time as attorney general,” Sessions wrote in his resignation letter, “we have restored and upheld the rule of law.” Sessions’ ouster immediately throws the fate of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into doubt. Source: Donald J. Trump, CNN

Police identify suspect who killed at least 12 people in California bar shooting Authorities on Thursday identified the gunman who opened fire and killed at least 12 people at a California bar as 28-year-old Ian David Long. A veteran of the Marine Corps, Long entered the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California at about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday night, using a .45-caliber handgun with an extended magazine on it, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said. A county sheriff’s sergeant, Ron Helus, was among those killed in the mass shooting. The shooter was found dead in the bar, and police say they believe he shot himself. Witnesses have said that the suspect was dressed in all black and wearing glasses. A motive has not been identified. Source: The Associated Press, CNN

Rod Rosenstein no longer overseeing Mueller probe With Attorney General Jeff Sessions pushed out of his post, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will oversee Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign was involved in Russian election meddling in 2016, The Department of Justice confirmed. Sessions had recused himself from the probe, but since Whitaker has not, he will take over. That will push Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein out of the role. Rosenstein has been overseeing the investigation since last year, often drawing criticism from President Trump and other conservatives, including Whitaker, who have said the probe has gone too far. Source: CBS News, NBC News

Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad collides with a Maltese oil tanker in the Hjeltefjorden while returning from NATO military exercises, prompting the evacuation of all 137 crew members. Seven sailors were injured in the collision. (BBC)

The Mossos d’Esquadra announces that on September 19, 2018, they arrested a man planning to assassinate the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez. (BBC)(The New York Times’ ‘)

Terri-Lynn McClintic, a woman convicted in the murderer of 8-year old Tori Stanford of Woodstock, Ontario, is transferred from the Grand Valley Institution for Women to the Edmonton Institution. (CBC CA) (Stratford Beacon Herald)

A riot at a high-security prison in Khujand, Tajikistan, known for holding convicted terrorists, including ISIL members, leaves at least 27 people dead. (Reuters)

 

Wednesday,  Nov 7th,  2018

At least 12 people, including a police sergeant, are killed by a gunman at the Thousand Oaks Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California. Ten others are injured. (BBC)

Jeff Sessions fired as United States Attorney General, with Matthew Whitaker becoming the acting director. (The Guardian)

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issues an apology for the country’s role in turning away the MS St. Louis, a ship carrying over 900 Jewish refugeesfleeing persecution. (BBC) (Washington Post)

An unknown attacker fatally shoots Benjamin Ramos, a Philippines lawyer opposing President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, in Kabankalan. (The New York Times)

Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi, sentenced to death by hanging in 2010 and recently acquitted, is released from prison. Bibi has reportedly boarded a plane; however, its destination was not known. Several countries have offered her asylum. (BBC)

In the mid-term elections of the United States, 95 women attain congressional office, bringing the total number of women in all parts of Congress to a record 118. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar share the distinction of becoming the first Muslim congresswomen, while Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland become the first Native American congresswomen. (USA Today), (NPR), (CNN)

Jared Polis becomes the first openly gay person elected as a governor in the United States. (Time)

This year’s main gambit by the Democrats has been the niggerization of white people. Oh, did I say the wrong word? It happens to describe exactly what has gone on: the effort to make white people the object of contempt and loathing. You don’t have to look further than The New York Times and its hiring of Sarah Jeong as an editorial writer — after she was discovered to be the author of Twitter tweets that declared, “Cancel white people,” and “Oh man, It’s sick how much joy I get from being cruel to old white men,” and “dumbass fucking white people….” I’m wondering: is there any ambiguity there? By the way, a search of The Times website for “by Sarah Jeong” comes up absolutely empty, suggesting that they’ve published nothing written by her since she got hired. There’s a show of confidence in their integrity!

The Monster Mash -JHK – CFN – Oct.29th, 2018

 

The End

You will change your ways and you will make amends
Or we will wipe this place clean

Your time is tick-tick-ticking away

Mission to Mercury

The World Looks the Other Way
by Taki
October 17, 2018

Erdogan needs money, will the Saudis buy him off? Will the footage of the torture and dismembering of Khashoggi be disappeared by the wily Turks? Will The Donald stay quiet and rant against Iran? Kushner persuaded Trump to make Riyadh his first stop as president after a lunch with the crown prince. The Donald is now saying that he does not want to jeopardize lucrative defense contracts with Saudi Arabia. Which means we don’t want to know who ordered a man to be dismembered. American academics will also stay stumm. The Saudis have given Harvard millions and have promised more to come to other places of learning. The Clintons, too, will change the subject, as their foundation has taken in tens of millions. Another quiet man will be my old friend Imran Khan, because he needs 20 billion to keep the country going, and the Saudis need Pakistani troops as they are bogged down in Yemen. It would be easy to feel omnipotent. Everyone needs money—MBS promises a lot, and goes about his business.

 

Monday,  Oct 22, 2018

Saudi agent filmed leaving consulate in Khashoggi’s clothes, Turkey says After Saudi agents killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, one of the 15 Saudi operatives implicated in his death left the consulate in Khashoggi’s clothes, a fake beard, and glasses, CNN reported Monday, citing a senior Turkish official and surveillance video. The Saudi decoy, who Turkey identifies as Mustafa al-Madani, left the consulate with an accomplice by the back door, in an apparent failed ruse to suggest Khashoggi left the consulate alive, CNN says. Turkey says Saudi agents murdered and dismembered Khashoggi, and there’s intense speculation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved. On Sunday, the official Saudi Press Association reported the crown prince called Khashoggi’s eldest son to offer his condolences to the family. Source: CNN

Special counsel reportedly taking closer look at ties between Stone, WikiLeaks Over the last month, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team has been following up on leads regarding Roger Stone and whether he was in communication with WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, during the 2016 presidential election, several people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post on Sunday. Stone, one of President Trump’s longtime advisers, bragged during the campaign about his ability to get in touch with Assange, and predicted future leaks. Now, prosecutors are looking at those comments, as well as private conversations he allegedly had with associates about his connection to Assange, to determine whether he knew in advance that WikiLeaks was going to publish hacked Democratic emails. Stone told the Posthis only connection to WikiLeaks was through former friend Randy Credico; a person familiar with the probe said Credico told Mueller’s grand jury that in 2016, Stone told him he had a secret back channel to WikiLeaks. Source: The Washington Post

Halloween debuts at No. 1 Halloween led the weekend box office, with the latest installment in the slasher film franchise bringing in $77.5 million in North America in its debut, Universal Pictures said Sunday. It was the second biggest horror film opening in history, behind last year’s It. The film also posted the second highest October opening ever behind Venom, which brought in $80.3 million earlier this month. Venom fell from No. 1 to No. 3, while A Star is Born held firm at No. 2. Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, said Halloweenbenefited from the “ridiculously potent combination” of nostalgia for the 1978 original Halloween, the return of the original star Jamie Lee Curtis, and the production prowess of Blumhouse Productions, which was behind the wildly successful Get Out. Source:  The New York Times

Sunday, Oct 21, 2018

King Abdullah II announces Jordan will reclaim two small plots of farmland territory leased to Israel under their 1994 peace treaty.(Reuters)

A NATO spokesperson confirms Brigadier General Jeffrey D. Smiley as the American wounded by gunfire three days earlier during the attack in which Abdul Raziq Achakzai was assassinated.(ABC News)

 

Saturday,  Oct 20, 2018

A spat in a market in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State results in 55 dead. After the brawl, 22 people were arrested. (BBC)

Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji is freed by his captors nine days after being seized by unknown gunmen. (CNN) (Quartz)

After a delay of three years, voters in Afghanistan head to the polls to elect members of the nation’s parliament. The election is marred by violence and suicide attacks which leave over 170 dead or wounded nationwide. (Deutsche Welle)

Because of technical issues in some constituencies, voting was extended until Sunday. Additionally, voting in the Kandahar Province will be delayed by one week following the assassination of police commander Abdul Raziq Achakzai two days prior. (Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump says that the United States will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a 1987 nuclear arms treaty with Russia. (The Guardian)

More than 600,000 people gather at Parliament Square in London as protesters from the People’s Vote campaign call for a second Brexit referendum deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union. (BBC)

The Los Angeles Dodgers return to the World Series after a 5-1 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers in game 7 of the National League Championship Series. (The Los Angeles Times)

 

Friday,  Oct 19, 2018

Former Secret Intelligence Service head John Sawers says that Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammad bin Salman was behind the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (The Guardian)

Saudi Arabia’s general prosecutor claims Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside the Istanbul consulate. (CNBC)

At least 59 people are dead and 100 are injured after a train runs into a Dussehra celebration near Amritsar in India’s northern state of Punjab. (BBC News)

A SH-60 Seahawk helicopter crashes on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, leaving 12 sailors injured. (Los Angeles Times)

Hundreds of Central American migrants taking part in a migrant caravan to the United States clash with riot police on the Guatemala–Mexico border. (BBC)

The United States Justice Department charges 44-year old Elena Khusyaynova of Saint Petersburg with conspiracy to defraud the United States for managing the financing of the social media troll operation that included the Internet Research Agency. (CNN)

Arianespace launches the European Space Agency–Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency probe BepiColombo from Guiana Space Centre as it begins a 7-year journey to Mercury. It is the final mission of the Horizon 2000+ program. (The Guardian)

136 years after beginning construction, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona receives a building permit to complete construction. (CNN)

The End 

 

 

Busted

Friday,  Oct 19, 2018

Turkish foreign minister says Khashoggi murder audio wasn’t shared with U.S. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday that Turkey hasn’t shared with U.S. officials any audio recordings relating to the disappearance and presumed murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. That contradicts an ABC News report Thursday that cited a senior Turkish official saying Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had listened to a recording of Khashoggi’s alleged murder while visiting Turkey on Wednesday, and that Pompeo was also given a transcript. The Saudi-born Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and Turkey says it has audio of Saudi security agents torturing, killing, and dismembering him. The State Department denied Pompeo had listened to the recording or had a transcript of it. Source: ABC News

Red Sox win American League pennant, head to World Series The Boston Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros 4-1 on Thursday, capturing the American League pennant. They are now heading to the World Series, where they will play the winner of the National League Championship Series — either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Milwaukee Brewers. Red Sox pitcher David Price had a playoff career-high of nine strikeouts and six shutout innings. The Red Sox were able to eliminate the Astros, last year’s World Series champions, in five games. The World Series starts Tuesday. Source: CBS Boston

 

Thursday, Oct 18,  2018

Afghan general and Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq Achakzai is assassinated by one of his bodyguards during a high-level meeting inside the governor’s compound with U.S. general Austin S. Miller. Gen. Miller escaped unharmed according to officials while the governor was critically injured. The Taliban claims responsibility. (BBC)

The Federal Aviation Administration states that it will allow U.S. airlines to resume flights at three Ukrainian airports, at Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhia, and over parts of the Black Sea, citing improved safety and security in parts of Ukraine. (Reuters)

Astronomers discover Hyperion, an ancient proto-supercluster that appeared 2.3 billion years after the Big Bang. (CNET)

U.S. intelligence reportedly certain that Saudi Arabia is behind Khashoggi’s death The U.S. intelligence community is increasingly certain that Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were responsible for the disappearance and presumed murder of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The certainty puts officials at odds with President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who have called for patience and assumed innocence until Saudi officials complete an investigation. Trump said that he has asked for audio evidence that Turkish officials say includes the voice of a Saudi forensic specialist, who reportedly told witnesses to listen to music while he dismembered Khashoggi. The recording purportedly proves that Khashoggi was killed minutes after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and that Saudi operatives severed his fingers before later beheading him. Source: The Wall Street Journal

 

Wednesday,  Oct 17,  2018

Canada becomes the first G-20 nation to fully legalise cannabis. (Yahoo! Canada)

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip launch two rockets at Israel, one landing in the southern city of Beersheba, causing serious damage to a house but no injuries, and the other landing in the sea. (The Times of Israel)

In response to rocket fire, Israeli Air Force jets attack targets in Gaza including a tunnel crossing into Israel, tunnel digging sites, a factory storing components used for tunnel building and another for the manufacturing of aerial weaponry. (The Washington Post)

Retired United States Marine veteran John Canley receives the Medal of Honor award from U.S. President Donald Trump for his contributions in the Vietnam War. (Fox News)

A double bombing-mass shooting attack leaves 20 dead and 74 others injured in a college in Kerch, Crimea. An 18-year-old student carried out the gun and bomb attack and then committed suicide. The attacker “hated the technical school very much” and had vowed “revenge” on his teacher. (BBC)

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias resigns after discussion with Defence Minister in the framework of the Greece-Macedonia Accord. (Ekathimerini)

 

Tuesday,  Oct 16, 2018

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets in Riyadh with Saudi Arabia King Salman to express concerns about the disappearance of Saudi Arabia journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Fox News)

Senior U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham states that Mohammed bin Salman has murdered Khashoggi and that the country’s crown prince has “got to go”.  (CNBC)

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigns from his post in order to dissolve the National Assembly and force early elections by the end of the year. (RFE/RL)

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) says that a U.S. airstrike has killed around 60 al-Shabaab militants near Harardhere in central Somalia. (BBC)

The death toll of an accidental explosion in Aba, Nigeria, rises to 200. Over 2,000 people protest, claiming that the pipeline explosion was caused by NNPC’s negligence. (Vanguard News)

Two Myanmar Air Force F-7 fighter jets crash into a broadcast tower in Magway, Myanmar, resulting in the deaths of both pilots and an 11-year-old girl, who was killed by falling debris. (New York Times)

The United States Treasury Department announces new sanctions on 22 Iranian corporations and banks. (Bloomberg)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces that his government is considering recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and relocating its embassy accordingly, in line with the United States, drawing local criticism and sparking outrage from members of the opposition. The announcement comes days before a by-election in which the governing party’s candidate is Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel. (BBC)

 

Monday,  Oct 15, 2018

Mounir el-Motassadeq, sentenced to 15 years in prison as a member of the Hamburg cell of the September 11 attackers, was deported from Hamburg, Germany to Morocco. (Reuters)

A ban on rough sleeping in public areas comes into force in Hungary. Despite international criticism of the law, the Hungarian government says it is in the “interests of society as a whole”. (BBC)

American retailer Sears files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after accumulating USD $134 million in debt. (ABC News)

Fracking for shale gas begins in the United Kingdom for the first time since it was suspended in 2011 after being linked to a series of earthquakes. Cuadrilla Resources say they will spend at least three months fracking two horizontal wells in Lancashire. (BBC)

The Russian Orthodox Church announces it will break communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over EoC official plans to recognize the autocephaly of two Ukrainian Orthodox Churches. Moscow says it hopes Constantinople will change its mind to avoid this schism. This marks an important new aspect in the rift between Russia and Ukraine. (The Guardian)

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi sacks Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, blaming him for the current economic crisis and famine in the country. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed is appointed as the new Prime Minister. (Reuters)

The End 

Ozzy Osbourne Cancels Rest of Tour

 

Friday,  Oct 12, 2018

Trump chooses Arab authoritarianism over Jamal Khashoggi

Saudi forensic expert is among 15 named by Turkey in disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Turkey says it has audio, video proving journalist killed in Saudi consulate Turkish security officials have told the United States they have both audio and video recordings that definitively prove missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered last week inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, U.S. and Turkish officials told The Washington Post on Thursday. Khashoggi, a columnist for the Post, went to the consulate on Oct. 2 to get a document he needed for his wedding, and has not been heard from since. One official told the Post on the audio recording, “you can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic,” and another said men can be heard beating Khashoggi. After he was killed, he was reportedly dismembered. Saudi Arabia has denied being involved in Khashoggi’s disappearance. Source: The Washington Post

Hurricane Michael returns to the Atlantic, leaving destruction, death Hurricane Michael moved over the Atlantic Ocean on Friday morning after dumping rain on the mid-Atlantic states. Michael was downgraded to a tropical storm on Thursday after it ripped through Florida Wednesday as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane. At least seven people were reportedly killed in the storm — five in Florida, one each in Georgia and North Carolina — and an estimated 1.5 million customers are without power in five states. Michael was the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in nearly five decades, and the strongest on record to hit the Florida Panhandle. Unseasonably warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico gave the storm a boost as it battered Mexico Beach and Panama City, causing devastating damage to homes and infrastructure. Source:  USA Today

The collapse of a shopping mall under construction in the Mexican city of Monterrey results in at least seven deaths and nine people missing. 15 others are injured. (AP via ABC News America)

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople plans to recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a move welcomed by Ukrainian leaders and denounced as “catastrophic” by the Russian Orthodox Church. (RFE/RL)

Michelle Obama said Barack does one thing at home that drives her crazy

 

Thursday, Oct 11,  2018

Report: Saudi crown prince ordered operation to lure missing journalist U.S. intelligence intercepted Saudi Arabian officials discussing a plan ordered by the crown prince to lure journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the United States back to Saudi Arabia, where he would be detained, U.S. officials told The Washington Post on Wednesday. Khashoggi went missing last week after he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to pick up a document he needed to get married. Turkish officials are adamant that Khashoggi, a columnist for the Post, was killed inside the consulate by a Saudi hit squad. Saudi Arabia has denied any wrongdoing and says Khashoggi left the consulate. A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday urged President Trump to impose sanctions on anyone found to be connected with Khashoggi’s disappearance. Source: The Washington Post

The Turkish newspaper Sabah names the 15-member Saudi Arabian intelligence team allegedly involved in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Reuters)

Turkish officials say Saudi leaders ordered murder of missing journalist A senior Turkish official told The New York Times on Tuesday that security officials have determined that missing Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday on orders of the royal court. Khashoggi was at the consulate to pick up a document he needed to get married, and was killed within two hours of his arrival, the official said. Turkey says 15 Saudi agents arrived in Instanbul on two charter flights the same day Khashoggi went to the consulate, and left a few hours later. One of those agents was an autopsy expert, the official told the Times, and security officials believe he helped with dismembering Khashoggi’s body. Saudi Arabia denies killing Khashoggi. Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post

Stock markets around the world plunge Stock markets around the world plunged Thursday, following one of the worst point drops in the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s history on Wednesday. The 832-point drop triggered a massive U.S. sell-off, which rippled through Asian markets. Indexes in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taiwan plummeted between 3 and 6 percent, and experts say the rout will continue. President Trump blamed the Federal Reserve’s newly-raised rates for the tumble, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the “correction” in the market was “not particularly surprising.” Analysts say rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China could continue to cause strife; the CBOE Volatility Index, sometimes referred to as the “market fear index,” is at its highest point in about four months. Source: Bloomberg

Alleged Chinese spy charged with stealing U.S. trade secrets A Chinese intelligence officer has been arrested and charged with conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets from a U.S. aerospace company, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. Investigators say the man, Yanjun Xu, was arrested April 1 in Belgium, and was extradited to the U.S. on Tuesday. Court documents say he is an official with China’s Ministry of State Security, who targeted an aviation firm. “This case is not an isolated incident,” John Demers, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s national security division, said. “It is part of an overall economic policy of developing China at American expense.” U.S. officials say this is the first time an alleged Chinese spy has been brought to the United States to face prosecution. Source: NBC News

Soyuz MS-10, carrying a cosmonaut and an astronaut to the International Space Station, is forced to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan after a failure with its Soyuz-FG rocket. (Reuters)

 

Wednesday,  Oct 10,  2018

 ‘Extremely dangerous’ Hurricane Michael makes landfall in Florida Hurricane Michael has made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Its winds hit 155 mph, nearly qualifying it as a Category 5, and experts warn of a dangerous storm surge. Hurricane Michael is moving north at 12 mph, and it will be the “most intense” storm to hit the Florida Panhandle since 1851, FEMA Administrator Brock Long said Wednesday. It is expected to weaken as it moves across the southeastern United States. Source: CBS News

Trump slams Medicare-for-all in USA Today op-ed In a USA Today op-ed published Wednesday, President Trump slams Democrats as “radical socialists” who would bring about a “radical shift in American culture and life” if they win control of Congress. Trump specifically criticizes Medicare-for-all, claiming that this proposal would “inevitably lead to the massive rationing of health care” and would mean seniors would lose access to the doctors they want. Some Democrats propose Medicare-for-all as a way to actually improve benefits for seniors. The president also argues that Democrats want government control of education, private-sector businesses, and “other major sectors of the U.S. economy,” also accusing them of being for “open-borders socialism.” The op-ed is reportedly part of a new effort to characterize Democrats as extremists heading into the November midterms. Source: USA Today

Michael Bloomberg re-registers as a Democrat amid 2020 speculation Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has just re-registered as a Democrat amid speculation of a possible 2020 presidential bid. Bloomberg said on Instagram Wednesday that he did so because “we need Democrats to provide the checks and balance our nation so badly needs.” He didn’t mention a possible run for president, but The New York Times previously reported that he was “actively considering” a 2020 campaign. Bloomberg was previously registered as an independent after being a registered Republican for much of his time in office. Before serving as mayor, Bloomberg was a Democrat. Source:  The New York Times

A Dhaka court sentences 19 people to death, including two former ministers, and sentences Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman to life imprisonment over a 2004 attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. (Al Jazeera)

 

Tuesday,  Oct 9, 2018

 Nikki Haley announces her resignation as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, effective at the end of the year. (NBC News)

American singer Taylor Swift wins four trophies, including Artist of the Year, and holds 23 American Music Awards, beating Whitney Houston. (BBC News)

Former Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti is sentenced to 15 years and 6 months in prison for fraud in a system to clean the polluted Lake Amatitlán. Baldetti still has four pending lawsuits and extradition to the United States. (The Guardian)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un invites Pope Francis to Pyongyang, and said he would be “warmly welcomed” to North Korea. (New York Times)

End

http://takimag.com/article/yes-women-can-lie/#axzz5Tjkz2FRy

http://takimag.com/article/the-era-of-emotional-kitsch/#axzz5Tjkz2FRy

http://takimag.com/article/hoaxing-the-pseudo-academic-nitwits/#axzz5Tjkz2FRy

“Progressive academia’s main thrust seems to be that so long as your heart is in the right place, it doesn’t matter if you’re brain-damaged.”

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-trade-surplus-with-us-swells-to-record-high-2018-10

https://www.businessinsider.com/boston-dynamics-atlas-robot-do-parkour-2018-10

Fireal

 

Thursday, Oct 4,  2018

Key GOP swing votes call FBI’s Kavanaugh investigation ‘thorough’ Brett Kavanaugh’s odds of being confirmed to the Supreme Court improved Thursday, with several key senators expressing no issues with the FBI’s recently concluded background investigation. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called the probe “very thorough.” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) agreed with this assessment. He added that nothing the FBI found corroborates Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation that Kavanaugh groped her and attempted to rape her in high school, an accusation Kavanaugh denies. However, another undecided Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), said Thursday she is not yet sure whether the FBI investigation was thorough. Meanwhile, previously undecided Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said she will vote no, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is reportedly leaning yes. If all 51 Republicans remain united, Kavanaugh will be confirmed when the Senate votes this weekend. Source: The Washington Post, Politico

Report: China infiltrated companies, U.S. government with microchip China placed tiny microchips on motherboards that ended up in U.S. government servers, potentially giving a “stealth doorway” to hackers, U.S. officials tell Bloomberg Businessweek in a massive investigation published Thursday. Amazon reportedly first discovered the Chinese-built motherboards, sold by California company Supermicro, contained mysterious, rice-grain-sized chips in 2015. That finding sparked a top-secret, ongoing federal investigation that concluded Chinese subcontractors implanted the chips and that this hardware infestation could be particularly severe, officials told Businessweek. They also said Apple, a bank, and government and military agencies could be susceptible to hacking via the chips. In statements to Businessweek, China claimed to be “a resolute defender of cybersecurity,” Apple and Supermicro denied knowing about the investigation, and Amazon called the report “untrue.” Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Yankees and Red Sox to meet in MLB playoffs for first time since 2004 Major League Baseball’s division series begin Thursday, starting with game one in a best-of-five series between the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers, and another between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. On Friday, the 2017 World Series-winning Houston Astros kick off their series with the Cleveland Indians. And in what is surely the headline series, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet on Friday, the first postseason game between the two rivals since the Red Sox came back from a 3-0 ALCS deficit against the Yankees on their way to winning Boston’s first World Series since 1918. Source: ESPN

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in India for a summit meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (The Times of India)

The International Court of Justice orders the U.S. to lift sanctions against Iran related to the import of humanitarian goods and civil aviation safety. (The Guardian)

A Peruvian court reverses the pardon granted to former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori and orders that Fujimori must be returned to prison. (BBC)

Kepler-1625b, an exoplanet proposed in 2017 to be orbited by an exomoon, the first possible example of a moon orbiting a planet in another stellar system, is confirmed with observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. (Space.com)

 

Wednesday,  Oct 3,  2018

In a public speech in Southaven, Mississippi, U.S. President Donald Trump says that Salman of Saudi Arabia’s power wouldn’t last “for two weeks” without the support of the U.S. military. (Reuters)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sends a “Presidential Alert”, a Wireless Emergency Alerts test message at 2:18 PM EDT (18:18 UTC) to most cell phones in the United States. (Time)

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that the United States terminates the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran after the International Court of Justice used it as a basis to order the U.S. to lift sanctions against Iran related to the import of humanitarian goods and civil aviation safety. (Fox News)

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to George P. Smith, Frances Arnold, and Greg Winter for the design of molecules with a range of uses by means that mimic natural selection. (The New York Times).

FBI could wrap up Kavanaugh investigation Wednesday The FBI indicated Tuesday that it will wrap up its supplemental background investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as early as Wednesday, leading Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to vow, “We’ll have an FBI report this week, and we’ll have a vote this week.” The FBI has finished interviewing several key witnesses named by women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault in the early 1980s, but other potential witnesses have lamented that the FBI has not contacted them. There is also disagreement over what parts of the FBI report will be made public, with McConnell saying it will be available only to senators, and colleagues in both parties insisting at least part of the findings be made public. Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post

Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford during Mississippi rally President Trump defended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday by mocking one of the women who has alleged he assaulted her when they were teenagers. Last week, Christine Blasey Ford, a professor from California, testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a high school party. Trump mocked Ford and the way she answered questions about how she got to the party and the location of the home: “What neighborhood was it in? ‘I don’t know.’ Where’s the house? ‘I don’t know. Upstairs. Downstairs. I don’t know. But I had one beer, that’s the only thing I remember.'” The crowd laughed and cheered. Source: CNN

1 woman, 2 men win Chemistry Nobel for directed evolution of proteins On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to two Americans and one British chemist for research that has “taken control of evolution and used it for purposes that bring the greatest benefit to humankind.” Half of the award and $1 million prize goes to Frances H. Arnold at the California Institute of Technology for conducting “the first directed evolution of enzymes,” the academy said. George P. Smith at the University of Missouri in Columbia and Sir Gregory P. Winter at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge were jointly awarded the other half for using “phage display” to help produce new pharmaceuticals. Arnold is just the fifth woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Source: Nobel Committee

 

Tuesday,  Oct 2, 2018

French RAID and BRI police units raid the headquarters of a Shiite association in Grande-Synthe and the homes of its leaders for “strong support” to “many” terrorist organizations. Assets are frozen and three people remanded in custody. (France-Soir via Koz Post)

The Council of Representatives of Iraq elects Barham Salih as president. Salih then appoints Adil Abdul al-Mahdi as prime minister. (CNN)

The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou, and Donna Strickland for their work using lasers to manipulate microscopic objects. Strickland is the first woman to win this award in 55 years. (The New York Times) (CNN)

The End

expect comms blackout

 

How conspiracy theories spread from the Internet’s darkest corners
QAnon’s “researchers” have figured out how to shape national conversations.

 

Tuesday,  Oct 2, 2018

Iran fires six ballistic missiles from its own territory at ISIL targets near the Euphrates river valley in eastern Syria, in response to the Ahvaz military parade attack. (The Independent)

Trump touts new trade deal with Canada and Mexico President Trump on Monday announced a trade deal with Canada and Mexico, saying the updated agreement would ensure fair treatment for American workers and the manufacturing industry. The deal, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump called the “worst trade deal ever made.” He said that dairy products will now be traded tariff-free with Canada, and that 40 percent of car manufacturing must now be done by “high-wage workers.” Trump asserted that it is a “privilege” for other countries to trade with the U.S., and that the USMCA will reflect that in requiring Canada and Mexico to “treat us fairly.” Source: White House

Kavanaugh reportedly asked friend to defend him before accusation was public Text messages obtained by NBC News suggest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh spoke with at least one Yale classmate about Deborah Ramirez before The New Yorker published Ramirez’s accusation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party freshman year. The texts are between Kerry Berchem and Karen Yarasavage, college friends of Kavanaugh and Ramirez. One of the messages from Yarasavage states that Kavanaugh asked her to go on the record refuting Ramirez’s allegation. During his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony last week, Kavanaugh said under oath the first time he heard of Ramirez’s accusation was when The New Yorker published her account on Sept. 23. Berchem says the FBI has not responded to her offer to hand over the texts. Source: NBC News

Amazon announces $15 minimum wage for all U.S. workers On Tuesday morning, Amazon announced that starting Nov. 1, it will pay all 350,000 of its U.S. employees no less than $15 an hour. The change will affect all full-time and temporary workers at its warehouses, in customer service, and at Whole Foods. “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement. “We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.” The company said in exchange for the wage hike it will stop granting stock options to those workers. Bezos is the world’s wealthiest person. Source: ReCode

Physics Nobel Prize awarded for laser breakthroughs On Tuesday morning, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics to three scientists “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics.” American Arthur Ashkin was awarded half of the Nobel for inventing “optical tweezers and their application to biological systems,” while Gérard Mourou of France and Canadian Donna Strickland were jointly awarded the other half “for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.” Mourou and Strickland created a technique called chirped pulse amplication (CPA), paving the way “toward the shortest and most intense laser pulses created by humankind.” Source: Nobel Committee

At least 1347 people are now known to have died in the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami. (BBC)

 

Monday,  Oct 1, 2018

North Korea and South Korea begin removing landmines and other explosives from the Korean Demilitarized Zone. (CBS News)

Mauricio Vila Dosal takes office as Governor of the Mexican state of Yucatán. (Diario de Yucatán)

The discovery of a third Sednoid, 2015 TG₃₈₇, is announced. The 200–600-kilometre (120–370 mi) wide asteroid never approaches less than 65 astronomical units from the Sun, more than twice Neptune’s distance. (Nature)

The End

 

 

Nice_White_Lady_https://youtu.be/ZVF-nirSq5s

“I believe shim”

Imaginary Monsters and the Uses of Chaos
Clusterfuck Nation

“I believe her” is the new totalitarian rallying cry, conveniently disposing of any obligation to establish the facts of any ambiguous matter.

[…]

The spirit of the kangaroo court has since graduated into business and politics where it has proven especially useful for settling scores and advancing careers and agendas dishonestly. Coercion has replaced persuasion. Coercion is at the heart of totalitarian politics. Do what you’re told, or else. Believe what we say, or else. (Or else lose your reputation, your livelihood, your friends….) This plays neatly into the dynamics of human mob psychology. When the totalitarians set up for business, few individuals dare to depart from the party line. It’s the perfect medium for cultivating mendacious ideologies.

[…]

For the moment, America has opted for a grand circus of sexual hysteria. It’s really an easy, lazy choice because sex is full of easily manipulated tensions and ambiguities prone to melodramatic misrepresentation.

 

Under the terms of a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Elon Musk and Tesla, Inc. agree to pay $20 million each to financial regulators, and Musk is expected to resign as chairman, but will remain as chief executive. (Market Watch) (HuffPost)

A USMC F-35 jet crashes in coastal South Carolina making this the first crash of the U.S. military’s newest and most expensively developed aircraft. (CBS News)

The government of Pakistan is “rethinking” its dependence on China for the loans it needs to complete its Peshawar to Karachi rail project. This is part of a broader pushback on the ambitions of China’s Belt and Road Initiative throughout the region. (Reuters) (SCMP)

 Monday,  Oct 1, 2018

U.S., Canada reach deal to update NAFTA, change its name The United States and Canada, with only hours to spare, reached a deal that keeps Canada part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the U.S. and Mexico. Negotiations lasted throughout the weekend, as the White House had imposed a deadline of midnight Sunday. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said the accord, which will be renamed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), will result in “freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in our region.” The agreement gives the United States more access to the Canadian dairy market and safeguards Canada should the Trump administration impose tariffs on automobiles. In August, the U.S. and Mexico reached a bilateral deal. Source: CBS News

Murky scope of FBI Kavanaugh probe leads to new partisan battle “FBI agents are experts at interviewing people,” former FBI Director James Comey said in a New York Times op-ed, and “unless limited in some way by the Trump administration, they can speak to scores of people in a few days” in their week-long investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But there are contrasting indications of what parameters the White House has placed on the FBI’s reopened background check, and reports that FBI agents can interview only four people have drawn complaints from Democrats and demands for clarification. Trump tweeted he wants FBI agents “to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion,” but FBI agents reportedly can’t investigate widespread allegations from former Kavanaugh classmates that he lied under oath about his drinking and yearbook entries, among other topics. Source: NBC News, The New York Times

Sunday, Sept 30, 2018

At least 844 people are now known to have died in the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami. (CNN)

Thirty-one people in Iran die after drinking tainted homemade alcohol, and a further 173 are hospitalized. (Star Tribune)

A referendum is held in the Republic of Macedonia on whether to change the country’s name in order to join NATO and the EU. (Reuters)

More than 90% of votes are in favor of the change, however, the voter turnout is only 36%. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev vows to continue to push forward with the change despite the invalid result. (Reuters)

 

Saturday,  Sept 29, 2018

The FBI reaches out to Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to publicly accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, as part of the investigations into allegations against Kavanaugh. (CBS News)

The New York Supreme Court allows a $45 million loan lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein to resume after pausing it for bankruptcy proceedings for the Weinstein Company to complete. (The Wrap)

A Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (also known as a “Medicane”) strikes Greece near Kalamata, causing power outages and gale force winds near the capital Athens. In the storm’s formative stages, heavy rains killed four people in Tunisia. (Weather Underground), (The Weather Channel)

 

 

Friday,  Sept 28, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump orders an FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (The New York Times)

Six Palestinians, including a 12-year-old, are killed by IDF fire in Gaza border clashes. (Haaretz)

It is announced that the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a bridge planned to span the Canada–United States border between Detroit and Windsor, will open in late 2024. The project is expected to cost $5.7 billion and create 2500 jobs. (CTV News Windsor) (Tri-City News)

Facebook uncovers a security flaw, impacting 50 million user accounts which may have been compromised. (The Guardian) (Reuters)

http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/the-fog-of-bad-faith/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/kevin-oleary-dont-buy-a-car-do-this-instead/ar-BBNCvLl?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-elon-musk-sued-by-sec-what-wall-street-says-2018-9-1027574751

 

Senate Judiciary Committee to vote on Kavanaugh after contentious hearing The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote Friday morning to recommend or reject Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. If he’s backed by the Republican majority, the entire Senate will vote on his confirmation Tuesday. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of the GOP members of the committee who was thought to be a swing vote, announced Friday morning that he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh. On Thursday, Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school, testified that she is “100 percent” sure it was Kavanaugh who forcibly groped her at a house party in the 1980s. Kavanaugh angrily and unequivocally denied Ford’s allegations. “I never sexually assaulted anyone,” he said in a tearful opening statement. Source: Los Angeles Times, The Week

SEC accuses Elon Musk of misleading investors, hammering Tesla shares The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday sued Tesla founder Elon Musk on charges of misleading investors when he suggested he would take his company private. The SEC is seeking to bar Musk from serving as an officer of a public company. Musk tweeted in August that he had “funding secured” to take Tesla private at $420 per share, which the SEC called a “false and misleading” statement. “In truth and in fact, Musk had not even discussed, much less confirmed, key deal terms, including price, with any potential funding source,” the lawsuit read. News of the lawsuit sent Tesla shares plummeting 10 percent. The SEC said Musk “did not inform Nasdaq that he intended to make this public announcement, as Nasdaq rules required.” Source: Bloomberg

 

 Thursday, Sept 27,  2018

Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, testifies before the Senate. (New York Post)

Kavanaugh testifies to the Senate following the testimony of Ford. Kavanaugh denies the sexual assault claim and calls it part of a “calculated and orchestrated political hit” designed to keep him off the Supreme Court. (AOL)

The Supreme Court of India strikes down a law criminalizing adultery as unconstitutional, stating it treated women as property of their husbands. (BBC)

Eric Reid returns to the NFL, signing a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. (WRAL) (CBS Sports)

The End

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-elon-musk-settles-with-sec-2018-10-1027578552

https://www.businessinsider.com/hudson-yards-tour-of-most-expensive-development-in-us-history-2018-9

https://www.businessinsider.com/timeline-shows-exactly-how-the-las-vegas-massacre-unfolded-2018-9

https://www.businessinsider.com/prosecutor-who-questioned-christine-blasey-ford-says-kavanaugh-case-weak-2018-10

https://www.businessinsider.com/fan-bingbing-disappeared-for-3-months-clues-2018-10

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/weed-stocks-tilray-subsidiary-gets-sales-license-health-canada-2018-10-1027579140

https://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-infused-beverages-600-million-market-2022-2018-9

Disseminated Primatemaia

“Have you ever noticed that basically everything you are supposed to believe in these days — feminism, diversity, etc. — turns out in practice to just be another way for hot babes, rich guys, super salesmen, cunning financiers, telegenic self-promoters, and charismatic politicians to get even more money and power?” –Steve Sailer

The Marine Corps has ditched the 120mm mortar — here’s what might replace it

Thursday, Sept 27,  2018

Trump calls Kavanaugh accusations ‘a big fat con job’ President Trump held an 80-minute press conference Wednesday evening, where he accused Democrats of being behind the allegations of sexual assault made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. This is a “big fat con job,” Trump said, adding that “they go into a room and I guarantee you, they laugh like hell at what they’ve pulled off on you and the public.” Three women have now accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and one of them, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, along with Kavanaugh. Trump has himself been accused by at least 10 women of sexual misconduct, and he said these charges, which he described as “false,” have “absolutely” made him sympathetic toward Kavanaugh. Source: The Week

80,000 Americans died of the flu last winter Last winter, about 80,000 people in the United States died of the flu and its complications, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. This was the highest death toll in at least 40 years. Experts said it was such a deadly season because it was driven by a strain of the flu that typically sends more people to the hospital and particularly hits children and the elderly hard, and the vaccine did not work very well against that strain. The CDC said in recent years, between 12,000 and 56,000 people have died annually from the flu and its complications, including pneumonia, stroke, and heart attack. Source: The Associated Press

 

Wednesday,  Sept 26,  2018

A third woman accuses US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Her lawyer submitted her sworn statement to the Senate’s judiciary committee. (The Wall Street Journal)

Investigative website Bellingcat releases information identifying one of the suspects involved in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal as Anatoliy Chepiga, a decorated Colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate. (The Guardian)

NASA’s Opportunity rover is spotted on satellite imagery three months after it went silent during a Martian dust storm. (CBS News)

A ceasefire has ended heavy fighting in Tripoli that has killed over 100 people in a month from different militias. (Fox News)

Gunmen storm a prison in Cameroon, releasing up to 80 prisoners. (IOL)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that a Turkish court will decide the fate of American pastor Andrew Brunson. (Reuters)

American boxer Victor Ortiz is arrested for allegedly raping a woman in March, and is expected to be charged with three felonies. (EOnline)

More Below The Fold

09.20.2018

California regulators open another investigation into Tesla’s factory after getting a report that an employee had part of a finger amputated during a workplace accident

SpaceX announces that Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa will be the first commercial passenger to orbit the Moon on their BFR rocket in 2023. (Sky News)

Bob Lutz predicts conspiracy theorists will soon be asking ‘Who killed Tesla?’

https://www.rt.com/usa/439065-handmaids-tale-halloween-costume/

Thursday, Sept 20,  2018

Moon says Kim Jong Un wants 2nd Trump summit as soon as possible North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants a second summit with President Trump as soon as possible. That’s the message from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who returned from North Korea Thursday after a three-day summit with Kim. Moon said he will personally deliver a private message from Kim to Trump next week in New York and also discuss a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim also wants U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit Pyongyang for nuclear talks, Moon said. Pompeo welcomed the announcement and said he had invited North Korea’s foreign minister to meet in New York next week to further a goal to complete denuclearization of North Korea by January 2021. Experts said Moon oversold the utility of Kim’s promises. Source: Reuters

Amazon considering opening 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021 Amazon is reportedly considering opening 3,000 new AmazonGo cashierless stores over the next few years. The plan would mark a costly expansion and major threat to convenience-store chains like 7-Eleven, as well as sandwich shops like Subway, Panera Bread, and other quick-service food options. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been experimenting with small cashierless stores since 2016, with some early versions offering limited selections of salads, sandwiches, and snacks, as well as small selections of groceries, like conventional convenience stores. Adding 3,000 of the stores would make AmazonGo one of the largest U.S. chains. Bloomberg said Amazon is considering opening 10 locations this year, 50 more in 2019, and the rest by 2021. Source: Bloomberg

 Wednesday,  Sept 19,  2018

The death toll from the recent spike in ethnic violence in Ethiopia rises to 58. Thousands are still protesting against the killings in the capital Addis Ababa. (Yahoo News)

Islamabad High Court suspends the NAB accountability court sentences and orders the release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar Awan. However, the convictions remain standing. (Al-Jazeera)

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, is arrested in connection with the allegation that RM2.6 billion (US$681 million when first reported three years ago) went into his personal bank accounts. New charges are, once approved, due to be filed tomorrow. (The Wall Street Journal)

An arrest warrant is issued in Texas for 3D-printed gun rights activist and Defense Distributed owner Cody Wilson in connection with the sexual assault of a child. Wilson was last known to be in Taiwan. (ABC News)

NASA discovers its first exoplanet via the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite space telescope. Pi Mensae c, a small Earth-like exoplanet, is located nearly 60 light-years away from Earth. (Gizmodo)

Astronomers discover an exoplanet located in the 40 Eridani star system mentioned in the Star Trek series where the planet Vulcan is located. (Forbes)

 

Tuesday,  Sept 18, 2018

News emerges that the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft with fourteen people on board, missing since Monday over the Mediterranean Sea, was shot down. Russia accuses Israel of not giving enough warning before launching its attacks, causing Syria to shoot the plane down. (BBC) (ABC News)

China adds US$60 billion of US products to its import tariff list in retaliation to the United States’ recent tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese imported goods. (Reuters)

The death toll rises to 35. Also, about 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs were killed in flooding from Hurricane Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market. (CBS News) (Washington Examiner)

A total of 21 people, mostly foreign workers, are confirmed dead due to the drinking of tainted alcohol in Malaysia. (France24)

21 people are killed and 25 others are injured in a collision between a passenger bus and a trailer carrying flammable materials in Isfahan, Iran (Xinhua)

The sixth floor of the Hotel Ritz in Madrid, Spain, collapses resulting in the death of one person while 12 others are injured. (BBC)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greets South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang for their third summit meeting in 2018, as both countries look to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. (CNN)

North Korea says it will dismantle its Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center if the U.S. takes reciprocal measures. North and South Korea say they will seek a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. (NBC News)

South Africa legalizes the recreational use of cannabis. (BBC)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel removes Hans-Georg Maaßen from the position of President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution after his remarks downplaying anti-migrant violence. (AP)

Monday,  Sept 17, 2018

A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance plane with 14 servicemen on board disappears from radar over the Mediterranean Sea during the missile attack on Syria’s Latakia Governorate. A U.S. official claims the Syrian Army inadvertently shot it down while attempting to intercept missiles, while Russia detected a missile launch from a French FREMM multipurpose frigate. (CNN) (Reuters) (BBC)

Several missiles are launched from the sea at the coastal city of Latakia, some of which are destroyed by air defence systems. It is not immediately clear who was behind the attack. (Reuters)

Russia and Turkey announce a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib Governorate and rule out any military operations. (The Independent)

The Taliban launches multiple attacks on security checkpoints in Afghanistan, killing at least 27 members of the security forces. Twenty-two Taliban members are also killed and 16 others are injured. (news.com.au)

The United States announces a 10% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to start on September 24, increasing to 25% by the end of the year, and threatens tariffs on an additional $267 billion worth of imports if China retaliates. (Reuters)

The Jamaican Cabinet announces a total ban on the importation, manufacture, distribution and use of single-use plastic bags, effective January 1, 2019. (Jamaica Observer)

The death toll rises to at least 32, as flooding continues to inundate North Carolina. (BBC)

Over 100 people are killed in floods after Nigeria’s two major rivers burst their banks. (BBC)

JunoCam captures an image of Jupiter’s “brown barge”, a cyclone-like shape that has weather patterns in Jupiter’s atmosphere. (UPI)

The End

Slo News Day

Friday,  Sept 14, 2018

The Mariia Butina fiasco

 

Defeat the Deep State – or lose your freedom
by Justin Raimondo
September 13, 2018

 

Washington Quietly Increases Lethal Weapons to Ukraine
Critics who say Trump is being “soft on Russia” should be paying attention to this.
By TED GALEN CARPENTER • September 10, 2018

 

Manafort reportedly cutting plea deal with Mueller Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, has made a tentative plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, people familiar with the matter told ABC News on Thursday. In August, Manafort was found guilty of tax and bank fraud, and is scheduled to start a second trial later this month in Washington, D.C., accused of money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent, and witness tampering. Manafort and his senior defense attorneys spent more than four hours meeting with special prosecutors on Thursday, ABC News reports, and the deal is expected to be announced Friday in court. Three people familiar with the matter said it is unclear if Manafort has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, or if this is a guilty plea to avoid trial. Source: ABC News

Thursday, Sept 13,  2018

The heads of Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG will attend the third Inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang next week. (UPI)

At least 40 homes are damaged or destroyed in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover, as at least 39 gas explosions level houses. Residents are being evacuated to neighboring towns. (Fox News)

Seven tourists are injured after a section of cliff breaks away above Shipwreck Beach at Navagio, on the Greek island of Zakynthos, creating a minor tsunami that capsizes several small boats in the cove. (BBC)

French President Emmanuel Macron announces the recognition that the French state systematically tortured during the 1950s—60s Algerian War of Independence and calls to open archives concerning those who disappeared, such as activist Maurice Audin. (The Washington Post)

Report: U.S. holding a record number of migrant kids in detention There are 12,800 migrant children detained in the United States, and the federal shelter system is close to capacity, The New York Times reports. This is a record number, and up from 2,400 kids in custody in May 2017. While the Trump administration did separate thousands of children from their parents at the southern border in an attempt to discourage others from entering the country, most of the minors now in custody crossed the border without a parent. Data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services was shared with members of Congress, who passed it along to the Times, and those figures show that fewer kids are being released to live with relatives, family friends, and other sponsors. That’s likely because sponsors now must be fingerprinted, and most are undocumented. Source: The New York Times

The European Central Bank maintains its policy to halve monetary stimulus after September and end it in December 2018. However, the ECB perceives “uncertainties related to rising protectionism” as the main concern for the global economy. (Daily Journal)

The death toll from yesterday’s suicide attack on protesters in eastern Afghanistan rises to 68. (Al Jazeera)

The French railway company SNCF announces prototypes for driverless passenger and freight trains by 2023. (Phys.org)

The End 

 

Holocaust Denial Triumphant
by David Cole
September 11, 2018

Ron Unz Annoys David Cole (A Tragedy in Three Acts)