Monday, August 31, 2020

Europe When Freedoms Clash

EUROPE

When Freedoms Clash

Protesters hit the streets of European capitals over the weekend to demonstrate against anti-virus restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic even as cases surge around the continent, Agence France-Presse reported.

Around 18,000 people rallied in Berlin to protest the requirement to wear masks and other measures, demanding the resignation of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Police later halted the march because many were not respecting social distancing measures.

A similar “anti-corona” protest occurred in Berlin earlier this month.

In Britain and Switzerland, meanwhile, protesters demanded an “End to medical tyranny,” while also brandishing anti-vaccination and anti-mask signs.

In Paris, police handed out $160 fines to demonstrators that weren’t wearing masks – Paris and other cities recently made masks obligatory in all public places, including outdoors.

The demonstrations come as new confirmed cases are on the rise in Europe, prompting governments to impose tighter rules on wearing masks and other restrictions. European leaders hope that the measures will help avoid another round of the economically devastating lockdowns that were imposed earlier this year.

Mauritius-Oil And Water

MAURITIUS

Oil and Water

The government of Mauritius recently ordered the scuttling of the front section of the MV Wakashio, a Japanese oil tanker that ran aground on the string of islands in the Indian Ocean. The back section is still stuck in the reef it struck on July 25.

The disaster dumped more than 1,000 tons of oil in the water. That’s far less than the 400,000 tons that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deep Water Horizon incident in 2010.

Even so, the ecologically sensitive waters surround the islands, including the Blue Bay Marine Park reserve, are among the world’s best spots for scuba diving, brimming with a rainbow of coral and 70 species of tropical fish. Now, the stunning turquoise waters of a blue lagoon outside a coastal village to the north of the reserve are black and brown, the BBC reported.

Mauritian officials arrested the captain of the ship, a 58-year-old Indian citizen, charging him with “endangering safe navigation.” He might later shed light on why he hit a coral reef. A birthday party had occurred on the day of the accident.

The vessel was reportedly pumped empty before the scuttling. Government critics nonetheless said the decision to submerge the ship might make the pollution worse. “Sinking this vessel would risk several whale species and contaminate the ocean with large quantities of heavy metal toxins, threatening other areas as well, notably the French island of La Réunion,” Greenpeace Africa told the Guardian.

Many citizens of Mauritius feel as if their leaders didn’t act fast enough when the spill occurred, the New York Times wrote. The oil is polluting the lagoons and tropical jungles that usually draw 1.3 million tourists a year. The coronavirus epidemic has already battered the country’s economy.

In truth, the government responded fairly well, the Africa Report said in a piece that examined the emergency closely. Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth did all he could, one could argue, until he issued an emergency order once it was clear local crews couldn’t save the ship. A public inquiry will surely be empaneled to study how the disaster unfolded. It will also likely find that the accident could have been avoided.

Meanwhile, locals continue to scramble to clean up the site, coming together with makeshift tools to gather up oil by hand.

They worry the spill will ruin more than their tourist industry – they fear it may hurt the fragile ecosystem that is vital to the island’s survival: The nearby reefs protect the island from the waves.

Christopher Reddy, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, opined on CNN’s website that coastal environments can be more resilient than disheartened environmentalists believe.

Others like Bloomberg Opinion writer Julian Lee disagree. They worry the oil spill will forever change the last undamaged coral reef off the island, robbing the planet of an ancient patch of untouched wildlife.

W

Sunday, August 30, 2020

The Goebbels Government - Berlin 1945

For All Mankind - Wrenn Schmidt and Jodi Balfour Interview

“For All Mankind” World Premiere With Main Cast Arrivals

Joel Kinnaman and Kelly Gale “For All Mankind” World Premiere

Friday, August 28, 2020

Putin Plays Pragmatic With Belarus

BELARUS

Let’s Fly the White, Red and White

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is not backing down.

The leader of the opposition in the former Soviet republic of Belarus fled to Lithuania after she lost an election to President Alexander Lukashenko on August 9. She feared for her life and the lives of her family after Lukashenko was declared the winner by an unbelievable landslide.

As the New York Times explained, European Union leaders would not recognize the vote.

But Tikhanovskaya supported the protesters who took to the streets of the capital of Minsk and Belarusian cities to decry election fraud. “They were shouting for their future, for their wish to live in a free country, against violence, for their rights,” she told the BBC. “We have no right to step back now – if not now, we’ll be slaves and our people understand this and I’m sure we will stand till the end.”

National Public Radio produced a photo essay that suggested another so-called “color revolution” like the ones that upended regimes in Ukraine and elsewhere could be in the offing. The country’s dismal economy and Lukashenko’s dismissal of the coronavirus haven’t helped his standing among ordinary people.

“Belarusians have finally emerged as a nation,” Alesia Rudnik, a researcher at the Minsk-based Center for New Ideas, told Slate.

Lukashenko’s security forces have cracked down on the protest, killing at least two and detaining thousands, Reuters wrote. Police summoned Nobel-winning author Svetlana Alexievich to answer questions about her role in the unrest, too.

His actions have only inflamed tensions and potentially lost him allies as factory workers strike in opposition to violence. He’s installed Russian “specialists” in the country’s state-owned television network to change hearts and minds, added Bloomberg.

The role of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Lukashenko’s fate is interesting. The two countries are closely allied militarily and diplomatically, but in recent years Lukashenko has been making overtures to the West in an attempt to improve his obviously inferior status relative to Putin.

Lukashenko is making the case that US- and EU-backed pro-democracy activists are seeking to overthrow him now and move on to Putin later. But, rather than rescuing Lukashenko, Putin is more likely to strike a deal that’s good for Russia with whoever replaces him, argued international analyst Ian Bremmer in Time. Keeping his options open, Putin has, however, put together a police force that could intervene.

Indeed, while Russian officials have said they are vying for control of the country in a long-running conflict with the West, the Financial Times concluded that Putin would opt for a “controlled succession” in Belarus.

That might be better than no succession at all, but the people should be careful what they wish for.

"Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows"

Governor Gavin Newsom of California has a most-interesting life story. He began life in a very middle-class Northern California family. He went to Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, Stanford, and Berkeley are the three great Bay area colleges.)

His best friend in college was a young man with the last name of Getty. This friend is part of the Southern California Getty family. They are billionaires many times due to the oil and gas industry. The family took quite a liking to Gavin. After he graduated from college, they financed a couple of business ventures for him. At a young age, Gavin became a very wealthy man. He married a very bright young lawyer named Kimberly Guildfoyle.

Gavin ran for mayor of San Francisco and won the election. Kimberly went to work at the San Francisco District Attorney's office. She was assigned a high-profile murder case that got national and international attention. Afterwards, Kimberly got her own television show and was on other television programs. She had to move to New York City to pursue this career. Kimberly and Gavin drifted apart. She ended up in a romantic relationship with, of all people, Donald Trump, Jr. Gavin Newsom went on to be Lieutenant Governor of California for 8 years. He was then elected governor. Gavin remarried and now has a beautiful family with two children.

Gavin admits that he and Kimberly are still in contact and talk from time to time. Elena took note of this and pointed out a little- noticed fact to me. Gavin is a Democrat and Trump is a Republican. They should be political enemies. Yet one never hears Gavin talk bad about Trump. Donald Trump is famous for talking bad about a lot of people. He never talks bad about Gavin Newsom. In fact, any time that California has a disaster like a fire or a flood, Trump rapidly approves relief money to help Gavin. Elena believes that Kimberly acts as a go between to keep a smooth relationship going between the two very-powerful men.

There is a saying in English that applies here as follows:

"Politics makes strange bedfellows."

Mayor Max the golden retriever brings California town together

Thursday, August 27, 2020

The Music of Harbor From the Holocaust

Feeling Guilty After Cooking A Great Meal

Thanks to this pandemic and encouragement from Artemis Westenberg I have become a good cook. I cooked a gourmet lunch yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards I started feeling guilty. I thought about the people lining up at food banks and getting turned away because there was no more food to give out. Many people in the US are frightened, hungry and feeling desperation.

Jodi Balfour on the 'huge responsibility' of playing Jackie Kennedy on '...

Stephanie Ruhle Compares Trump to a Used Car Salesman

Epstein Ordered Model's Friend To F**K Prince Andrew

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

17 Year Old Charged With Two Murders In Kenosha, Wisconsin

Suspect Charged With Murder After 2 Shot Dead At Kenosha Protest

Suspect Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was reportedly arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, 20 miles from Kenosha where the shootings occurred.

By Sara Boboltz

Men scuffle during a protest Tuesday following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in this still image obtained from a social media video.

Police have arrested a suspect in the shooting of three people ― two fatally ― during a third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, county Sheriff David Beth told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The suspect, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, was reportedly arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, and charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday. Police had been searching for him after a man holding a long gun was captured on video shooting several people during the protests and then fleeing the scene.

Protesters clashed with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse after a local white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, multiple times in the back with his children nearby over the weekend.

The third night of demonstrations appeared to turn deadly when heavily armed white vigilantes entered into the mix.

Investigators say they are focusing on a group of men with guns who were lined up outside some businesses a few blocks down the road from the courthouse, Beth told The New York Times. Ostensibly, the vigilantes were there to “protect” businesses from fires that had been set during previous nights of demonstrations.

Some may have been drawn to the city through a Facebook post by a group calling itself the Kenosha Guard, which encouraged “patriots” to “take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs,” The Verge reported.

In one video circulating social media, a person with a long gun is jogging down a main road when he appears to trip, firing off shots at protesters around him before getting up and trotting toward police vehicles (in the video, embedded below, one person falls to the ground after approaching the shooter and does not get up).

It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the gunfire late Tuesday and early Wednesday, including whether more than one person fired rounds.

Law enforcement said officers responded to reports of shots fired at 11:45 p.m. and have not yet released the identities of those killed or injured.

One of the deceased was shot in the head and the other was shot in the chest, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The third gunshot victim is being treated for serious yet non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital.

Earlier Tuesday night, protesters set off fireworks and threw bottles against a newly constructed fence encircling the county courthouse. By 10 p.m., police were pushing for people to disperse and head home, firing off tear gas, the Chicago SunTimes reported. Some of the demonstrators then walked in the direction of the armed vigilantes.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was mobilizing federal authorities and National Guard troops to Kenosha in response to “lawlessness” and violence there.

Video of Blake’s shooting was released Sunday night and immediately recalled the excessive force used by white police officers against George Floyd, a Black man who died after being pinned to the ground by his neck for several minutes. Protests over Floyd’s death took off nationwide and lasted weeks; in some places they have yet to stop.

An attorney for Blake’s family said the 29-year-old was trying to de-escalate a domestic violence situation when he walked away from police and opened the driver’s side door of an SUV, in which his three children ― ages 3, 5 and 8 ― were waiting. In the video, one officer appears to then shoot Blake seven times in his back.

“They shot my son seven times,” Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., said Tuesday. “Seven times like he didn’t matter, but my son matters. He’s a human being and he matters.”

Benjamin Crump, co-counsel to the family, said it would “take a miracle” for Blake to walk again. Doctors say he is paralyzed from the waist down, having suffered injuries to one arm, his kidneys, liver and spinal cord.

The officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

This Is Going To Be The Ugliest Presidential Election IN US History!!!!!!

Body Heat is one of my most beloved films of all time. An inept lawyer falls for a femme fatale. They enter into a conspiracy to kill the woman's husband. The lawyer talks to one of his clients with mafia connections about the murder plot. The client utters these words that have stayed with me for 39 years:

"There are 100 things that can go wrong. You can only think of 50 of them."

    This is my warning about this presidential election. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BIDEN IS A SURE THING TO WIN! IF YOU SUPPORT BIDEN, BE SCARED TO DEATH!!!

       This is going to be the dirtiest and most ruthless campaign of all time. Trump will have the best election rigger in the world-Vladimir Putin helping him in a big way. Massive sums of money will be spent. You are going to see trickery and voter suppression on a massive scale. You are going to see all sorts of games played with the post office,voting places, and other government agencies. The utter arrogance of the Republicans never ceases to amaze me. They're going to win one way or another.

   When all the dust settles I feel that the best Trump can hope for is a repeat of 2016 where he wins in the electoral college with more popular votes going to Biden in a big way. If Trump loses, he will fight to hold onto power for months with all sorts of court actions, etc. His heavily armed supporters will come out in big numbers carrying their assault rifles.

       This is going to get very ugly. Our democracy is at stake now. Get out and vote!!!!

Comment

Old School Ruhle

Werwolf - Hitler's Forgotten Eastern Front Headquarters

Monday, August 24, 2020

Will the MAX fly again?!

Seen Written On A Car Windshield Yesterday Morning

"Mask It Or Casket!"

"You Can Run, But You Just Can't Hide"

60 Minutes is a big news program here on Sunday night. Last night they had a segment about Russian hackers who attacked the Democratic Party during the 2016 election. They interviewed the former head of the FBI department in charge of stopping hackers and bringing them to justice. Quite a number of Russian military officers, intelligence officers, and even academics have been indicted for hacking offenses. I was dazzled by the whole segment. Many of these Russian organizations are super-secret, as you can imagine. The FBI was able to pierce this veil of secrecy. They had the insignias of the various Russian military and intelligence organizations. They found the perpetrators who did the dirty deed and even had beautiful pictures of them in their dress uniforms. The suspects were indicted by a Federal grand jury.

Obviously, the Russians are not going to send these hackers to the US to stand trial. But those indicted now have severe limits on their international travel for the rest of their lives. I have some good Russian friends. They love to travel to Europe and the US. If one of these indicted men showed up at a European Union or US border entry point, they would be detained and held for US authorities. Aha, you think, Russian FSB (intelligence) can give them a passport under a false name. At many border entry points, they take your picture. I would not be surprised if your picture is run through facial recognition software. You know that old saying:

"You can run, but you just can't hide."

Sunday, August 23, 2020

NOT the Cuban Missile Crisis: The Other Secret Nuclear Rockets in Americ...

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Newest SPCE 2020 Business Description in Shocking Detail

Jodi Balfour & Sarah Jones - For All Mankind

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When America's Generals Tried to Nuke North Korea

Worst Case: -50% SPCE due Virgin Galactic Flight Crash

Facebook Braces Itself For Trump To Cast Doubt On Election Results

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/21/technology/facebook-trump-election.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Friday, August 21, 2020

Bad Air Quality In The San Francisco Bay Area

A couple of years ago we had a terrible fire in far Northern California called The Paradise Fire. There were 85 deaths. The smoke got terrible down here in the Bay Area. I bought a Dyson air purifier. It saw a lot of use then. I had to get it working again as we have the worst air quality in the state due to fires all around including Santa Cruz. It helps.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Keeping Razor Blades Sharp

Razor Sharp

The problem with razors is that they tend to get dull after a few shaving sessions, forcing consumers to stock up on them.

But that might be a thing of the past.

That’s because scientists have finally solved the mystery as to why razors have a short lifespan, according to New Scientists.

In a recent study, researchers at MIT placed a device that used razor blades to cut hair inside a scanning electron microscope to get a better glimpse at the shaving process. They also looked into the molecular make-up of the blade to understand how soft materials, such as hair or cheese, dull steel razors and knives – which are harder and stronger.

The team found that the razor blades had tiny chips on their edges that were formed from the process that hardens the steel. These little cracks widened every time a blade cut a hair: The damage caused depended on the angle between the blade and the hair, and whether the hair met the blade at a point where one of the cracks lie.

While it’s difficult to control the angle and position of the hair, scientists suggested the solution is to create new blades that minimize these microscopic cracks.

The researchers are working on a new blade that might even resolve the problem of razor burns.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

A woman captures the sound of her orgasm in Tupperware and barters it. |...

Princes Charles & Andrew Crisis Meeting Over Virginia On BBC Panorama

John Doe Asks Judge To Block Maxwell Defamation Testimony Being Released

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Monday, August 17, 2020

Some Fascinating Revelations On The 1953 Iran Coup

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/iran/2020-08-16/new-film-iran-1953-coup-tells-story-through-documents?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=96913b93-c938-4c6b-b37a-53029e2fb2cd

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Foundation — Teaser | Apple TV+

A Magical Saturday In Pacifica, California

Yesterday was magical here. Elena made the comment:

"This feels like a real beach town."

The sun was out in all its glory. There was not a cloud in the sky. There was no cold wind off the sea. I walked 6.5 miles early in the morning before it got too hot. I was on the deck in the afternoon. The thermometer hit 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Up on the deck I saw a massive number of cars clogging Highway One. Many people had come out to enjoy the glorious day. I hoped that all of them wore masks and practiced social distancing when they went to whatever beach that they were going to. Needless to say, Elena and I both enjoyed Margaritas. We have become good at making them. We can no longer go out for a drink.

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Michael D. Cohen and The Trump "Tell All" Book Disloyal

https://www.salon.com/2020/08/15/watch-rachel-maddow-narrates-salacious-excerpts-from-michael-cohens-new-book-disloyal_partner/

Friday, August 14, 2020

This is How Chamath Made $1 Billion in SPCE

Kamala Harris's Indian Roots

INDIA

Prodigal Daughter

Indians hailed the choice of Democratic Senator Kamala Harris as US presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, expressing pride that one of their own would be chosen for the presidential ticket, NPR reported.

Harris, who has an Indian mother from Tamil Nadu, became the first person of South Asian descent to appear on a US presidential ticket, a move praised by Indian officials and citizens.

“It is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu especially,” tweeted Thiru O. Panneerselvam, deputy chief minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Still, some were less than pleased over her nomination due to Harris’ stance on Kashmir. Last year, India removed the special autonomy for the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir putting the region under the central government’s direct control.

“[Kashmiris] are not alone. We are all watching,” Harris said as a presidential candidate during the Democratic primaries in September.

Nevertheless, her uncle Gopalan Balachandran – who lives in India – said that he hopes his niece would “do her best” to strengthen the US-India relationship after November’s elections, NBC News reported.

News For August 14, 2020

ISRAEL

The Real Deal

Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic deal Thursday that will normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries and will take Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank off the table, Reuters reported.

The deal, to be known as the Abraham Accords, was sealed in a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and US President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, Israel will suspend its plan to annex areas of the West Bank, a move initially supported by Washington but severely criticized by the international community as threatening stability in the region.

The three nations issued a joint statement saying the unprecedented deal “will advance peace in the Middle East region.” While hailed by some in the region, the move was condemned by Iran as “dangerous and illegitimate,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

Israel and the UAE will meet in the next few weeks to sign bilateral agreements and exchange ambassadors. The agreement, meanwhile, is considered a foreign policy success for Trump as he seeks reelection in November.

INDIA

Prodigal Daughter

Harris, who has an Indian mother from Tamil Nadu, became the first person of South Asian descent to appear on a US presidential ticket, a move praised by Indian officials and citizens.

“It is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu especially,” tweeted Thiru O. Panneerselvam, deputy chief minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“[Kashmiris] are not alone. We are all watching,” Harris said as a presidential candidate during the Democratic primaries in September.

LEBANON

Keeping the Peace… Sort Of

Lebanese lawmakers approved a state of emergency Thursday that will give the army sweeping powers even as civil rights groups worry that the measure will lead to a crackdown on protesters who want the country’s elite swept away, Al Jazeera reported.

Thursday’s move will allow the army to curb free speech, free assembly and freedom of the press while also allowing it to detain anyone deemed a security threat. Activists fear the military will crack down on mass demonstrators who are trying to bring down the political class. While protests began late last year, they resumed in force after explosions at the port on Aug. 5 that killed 200 and injured more than 6,000.

In the past week, security forces have been caught using excessive force against protesters: More than 700 people have been injured during the anti-establishment rallies.

Karim Nammour of the Legal Agenda civil rights group argued that the state of emergency was imposed by the ruling elite out of fear of public reprisal.

“The ruling regime knows that it is weak and unpopular on the streets, and they are afraid because the fingers are pointed at them…,” he said.

DISCOVERIES

The New Touch

Singaporean scientists have developed an electronic skin to recreate a sense of touch that is similar to a human’s natural ability, according to Reuters.

Known as Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin (ACES), the fake skin is made up of a network of sensors connected to a tiny chip. The novel device can distinguish 30 different textures. The artificial intelligence algorithm allows it to learn quickly.

Researcher Benjamin Tee said that the idea for the skin came after watching “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”: In the movie, the main character, Luke Skywalker, loses his hand in a lightsaber duel, which is then replaced by a robotic one that can experience the sense of touch.

Tee explained that the “smart skin” is actually better than biological hands and detects Braille letters with more than 90 percent accuracy.

“Humans need to slide to feel texture,” he said. “But in this case, with just a single touch, (it) is able to detect textures of different roughness.” Tee and his team hope that the skin can be used in future prosthetics to recreate a sense of touch that feels pain, temperature and texture.

“When you lose your sense of touch, you essentially become numb… and prosthetic users face that problem,” said Tee.

Click here to see the new touch.