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Russian state-run Sputnik reports, "The ceremony of inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in the St. Andrew Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace on Monday." Russian state-run Sputnik adds, "The Russian government will resign following the inauguration and Putin will then have a right to submit a candidacy for the post of prime minister." The Washington Post reports Putin has several "lofty goals," which include such fantasies as "new technologies and artificial intelligence, many of its notoriously poor roads will be improved, and its people will be living significantly longer." No one expects him to fulfill any of these promises but the truly delusional.
From Russian state-run Sputnik and The Washington Post.
The AP reports, "Jury selection is set to begin in Virginia in the trial of a Latvian man accused of running a hacking operation offering malware products and services to cybercriminals. Ruslans Bondars is to go on trial Monday on federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and computer hacking." The AP adds, "Authorities say Bondars and a Russian national, Jurijs Martisevs, ran a malware service that operated for more than a decade and was linked to major cyberattacks against U.S. businesses." The AP notes, "Prosecutors say the alleged coconspirators include a malware developer who operated from Great Falls, Virginia. Martisevs pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy and hacking charges. He faces sentencing in July."
From the AP.
CNN reports, "President Donald Trump seemed to float a new idea about border control during a tax reform roundtable in Ohio. The President was in the midst of criticizing Democrats during a riff about border security when he slipped in the idea that people might 'have to think about closing up the country.'" So that is a threat of martial law. Someone build a wall around our fake Russian bullshit president before he can damage our nation another day! Why does CNN call this "a new idea" instead of old, failing Soviet-backed bullshit of the sort General Wojciech Jaruzelski brought to Poland in 1981? Because that might require actually knowing something!
From CNN.
The Washington Post reports, "In the nine years before he ran for president, Donald Trump's company spent more than $400 million in cash on new properties — including 14 transactions paid for in full, without borrowing from banks — during a buying binge that defied real estate industry practices and Trump's own history as the self-described 'King of Debt.' Trump's vast outlay of cash, tracked through public records and totaled publicly here for the first time, provides a new window into the president's private company". The Washington Post notes, "Trump had access to far more cash than previously known, despite his string of commercial bankruptcies and the Great Recession's hammering of the real estate industry." More importantly, "how did Trump — who had money tied up in golf courses and buildings — raise enough liquid assets to go on this cash buying spree?" The Washington Post adds, "Trump's lavish spending came at a time when his business was leaning largely on one major financial institution for its new loans — Deutsche Bank, which provided $295 million in financing for big projects in Miami and Washington."
From The Washington Post.
The Guardian reports, "Aides to Donald Trump, the US president, hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a 'dirty ops' campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal". What's so deranged about this is the Obama team may have hired some incompetent folks but they chased away anyone with a fleck of dirt on them compared to the Trump trash crowd, which is rolling in mud, like pigs. The Guardian adds, "People in the Trump camp contacted private investigators in May last year to 'get dirt' on Ben Rhodes, who had been one of Barack Obama's top national security advisers, and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant to Obama, as part of an elaborate attempt to discredit the deal. The extraordinary revelations come days before Trump's 12 May deadline to either scrap or continue to abide by the international deal limiting Iran's nuclear programme." Since the deal makes us all a bit safer, you know it has to be scrapped less Trump run out of enemies to rally around before it is his head that rolls. As this is totally tribal and as noted, Trump's trash crowd is so very dirty, "It is also understood that the smear campaign wanted to establish if Rhodes was among those who backed a request by Susan Rice, Obama's final national security adviser, to unmask the identities of Trump transition officials caught up in the surveillance of foreign targets." The Guardian notes, "Both Rhodes and Kahl said they had no idea of the campaign against them. Rhodes said: 'I was not aware, though sadly am not surprised. I would say that digging up dirt on someone for carrying out their professional responsibilities in their positions as White House officials is a chillingly authoritarian thing to do.'" Why was it not enough that Rhodes had no business being in the job he was in as a thirty-something with literally no experience but a couple of short fiction stories published to his name prior to running national security policy out of the White House? Is that not sufficient proof of incompetence? It is different when you are a white male, isn't it?
From The Guardian.
The AP reports, "Investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller have interviewed one of President Donald Trump's closest friends and confidants, California real estate investor Tom Barrack". The AP notes, "Barrack was interviewed as part of the federal investigation of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election," adding, "The specific topics covered in questions from Mueller's team were not immediately clear." The AP adds, "This person said Barrack was interviewed 'months ago' and was asked a few questions about Gates' work on Trump's inaugural committee, which Barrack chaired, and but there were no questions about the money raised by that committee. A second person with knowledge of the Barrack interview said the questioning was broader and did include financial matters about the campaign, the transition and Trump's inauguration in January 2017."
From the AP.
The New York Times reports, "Federal agents working with Mr. Mueller stopped Mr. [Viktor] Vekselberg, a billionaire businessman, at a New York-area airport this year, searched his electronic devices and questioned him". The New York Times notes, "There is no indication that Mr. Mueller suspects Mr. Vekselberg of wrongdoing. But Mr. Vekselberg attended the presidential inauguration last year, and the interest in him suggests that the special counsel has intensified his focus on potential connections between Russian oligarchs and the Trump campaign and inaugural committee," and, "Mr. Vekselberg also attended a December 2015 dinner in Russia where Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump's first national security adviser, was also among the guests and sat beside Mr. Putin. The dinner was hosted by RT". The New York Times adds, "Another potential area of interest for Mr. Mueller is Mr. Vekselberg's business in Cyprus, the Mediterranean nation considered a magnet for Russian money. Mr. Vekselberg has controlled a company that has been the largest single shareholder in the Bank of Cyprus. Around the same time that Mr. Vekselberg was investing in the bank, Mr. Trump's future commerce secretary, Wilbur L. Ross, was its vice chairman." The New York Times notes, "Mr. Vekselberg's ticket to the inauguration came from his cousin and business associate, Andrew Intrater. Mr. Intrater, an American who lives in New York, donated $250,000 to Mr. Trump's inauguration, campaign finance records show. Mr. Mueller's investigators have questioned Mr. Intrater". The New York Times adds, "Mr. Intrater is the chief executive of Columbus Nova, an investment management firm whose biggest client is the Renova Group, Mr. Vekselberg's sprawling conglomerate that operates in the energy sector and elsewhere".
From The New York Times.
POLITICO reports, "A federal judge sharply challenged special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecution team Friday, questioning how its indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on financial charges relates to Mueller's core mandate to investigate alleged 2016 Russian election interference. U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis said Mueller's team seemed to be pursuing the case — which involves bank and tax fraud — in order to 'tighten the screws' on Manafort, in the hope that he will testify against others including President Donald Trump." POLITICO adds, "'I don't see what relation this indictment has with what the special counsel is authorized to investigate,' Ellis said during an hourlong hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. 'You don't really care about Mr. Manafort's bank fraud. … What you really care about is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump or lead to his prosecution or impeachment.'" Why does the judge imagine Manafort was given all this money to launder – because he's so good looking, as Trump believes? POLITICO notes, "Despite the prickly, often-hostile reception Ellis gave prosecutors Friday, he issued no immediate ruling on a defense motion to toss out the case over Mueller's alleged excesses. At times, the judge suggested he may conclude that Mueller's initial jurisdiction when he was appointed last May was effectively expanded at a later point to cover the case he brought against Manafort in Virginia in February." In response to the day's events our fake Russian bullshit president called "the judge 'really something special, I hear,' and 'a respected person,'" adding, "Ellis validated his view that Mueller's goal was to pressure figures like Manafort". For his part, "Manafort's defense attorney, Kevin Downing, urged the judge to toss out the indictment or, at least, to demand more documentation from the Justice Department about how Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided to appoint Mueller last May and what was in the special prosecutor's scope at that time." POLITICO notes, "Mueller's team, who appeared unaccompanied at a hearing in March, were joined Friday by an Alexandria-based public corruption and financial crimes prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye."
From POLITICO.
Reuters reports, "Rudy Giuliani, who last month joined President Donald Trump's legal team in the Russia probe, lacks a security clearance and may find it hard to get one to see classified documents because of his work with foreign clients". Reuters adds, "Former New York mayor Giuliani told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that he would apply for top secret clearance, along with another Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow. Trump's outgoing White House lawyer Ty Cobb has a security clearance but no one on his outside legal team has had once since lawyer John Dowd resigned in March." What does it matter anyways? The White House is captured by Russia so anything that goes in the front goes out the back. Reuters notes, "Giuliani's work as a lawyer and security and business consultant during the past 16 years has included assignments on behalf of the government of Mexico City and the Qatari state oil company. Many of his clients have not been publicly disclosed." Wasn't Trump supposed to change this so that only scum of the earth passes muster? Oh, but "The security clearances are typically issued by the U.S. Department of Justice after FBI review," and the war on "law and order" is only just beginning! CBS News adds, "President Trump's newest attorney Rudy Giuliani — who seized the news cycle this week by claiming on national television Mr. Trump 'reimbursed' Michael Cohen for his $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels — addressed a range of foreign policy and domestic topics at the Iran Freedom Convention for Democracy and Human Rights Saturday afternoon, in a free-wheeling style that mirrored Mr. Trump's."
The Washington Examiner reports, "House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes announced Sunday he's going to push Congress this week to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress. This extreme step is a culmination of the frustration the California Republican explained he's felt in dealing with a Justice Department that had stymied his requests for information, during the panel's government surveillance investigation." Do see the next item about how he does not even read the material he so eagerly seeks. The Washington Examiner adds, "A Justice Department official shared the letter sent to Nunes on Thursday with the Washington Examiner, which explained that the decision was made after consulting the White House." The contempt threat is DARKNESS AT NUNES' response to the letter from the Department of Justice, which notes, "Disclosure of responsive information to such requests can risk severe consequences, including potential loss of human lives, damage to relationships with valued international partners, compromise of ongoing criminal investigations, and interfere with intelligence activities". DARKNESS AT NUNES works for Trump and probably Russia too, so none of this is of any concern unless it is his own cowardly life or that of our fake Russian bullshit president's.
From The Washington Examiner.
CNN reports DARKNESS AT NUNES demanded "a fully uncensored version of a highly sensitive document from the Justice Department explaining how the Russia investigation began in 2016," even, "warning Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein," that, "he could face contempt of Congress, or even worse." CNN adds, "Rosenstein finally relented in early April — and granted Nunes and Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina access to the document with only minimal redactions to protect the name of a foreign country and agent, along with all members of the House Intelligence Committee. But when the pair arrived at the Justice Department to review the electronic communication, officials were caught off-guard by his next move. Nunes — sitting with a copy of the document in an unopened folder directly in front of him — opted not to read it". CNN notes, "Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, reviewed a copy and since then nearly a dozen other lawmakers have gone to the Justice Department to read the document". CNN observes, "As Nunes has moved aggressively to publicly sow doubt about the Russia investigation, the moment marked at least the second time that he has demanded sensitive documents from the Justice Department, only to choose not to read them — allowing his staff or Gowdy to pore through the materials instead."
From CNN.
The New York Times reports, "Two top F.B.I. aides who worked alongside the former director James B. Comey as he navigated one of the most politically tumultuous periods in the bureau's history resigned on Friday. One of them, James A. Baker, was one of Mr. Comey's closest confidants." The New York Times notes, "Mr. Baker had been investigated by the Justice Department on suspicion of sharing classified information with reporters. He has not been charged." The New York Times adds, "The other aide, Lisa Page, advised Mr. Comey while serving directly under his deputy, Andrew G. McCabe. She was assailed by conservatives after texts that she had exchanged with the agent overseeing the investigation into links between President Trump's campaign and Russia were made public. In the messages, they expressed anti-Trump views but took aim at Hillary Clinton and other political figures as well." The New York Times notes, "The decisions by Mr. Baker and Ms. Page to leave the bureau were unrelated. Mr. Baker said in a telephone interview that he would be joining the Brookings Institution to write for Lawfare, its blog focused on national security law." Who knows where Page will land as she is a woman and there are fewer golden parachutes for those with lady bits.
From The New York Times.
Russian state-run Sputnik reports, "US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and speak at the Russia-US round table discussion session, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham Russia) Alexis Rodzianko said".
From Russian state-run Sputnik.
Deutsche Welle reports, "Richard Grenell was officially sworn in as the new US ambassador to Germany on Thursday, filling a position that had been vacant for more than a year. US Vice President Mike Pence conducted the swearing-in ceremony and said that Grenell was 'uniquely qualified' for the job. The 51-year-old former aide to United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, Trump's new national security adviser, had endured a long road to his ambassadorial confirmation. He faced stiff opposition from Democrats in the Senate due to his conservative positions." Deutsche Welle adds, "Grenell was finally confirmed by the Senate in a vote along party lines on April 26, which coincided with Angela Merkel's recent trip to the US." Deutsche Welle notes, "Grenell becomes one of the most prominent gay appointees to serve in the Trump administration."
From Deutsche Welle.
ABC News reports, "An ammunition distributor with ties to a recently sanctioned Russian oligarch is listed among the expected exhibitors at the National Rifle Association's Annual Meetings opening in Dallas, Texas on Friday." ABC News adds, "TulAmmo USA is a private company headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, but sells small-arms ammunition manufactured by the Tula Cartridge Works in Tula, Russia, about 120 miles outside of Moscow. The factory, one of Russia's oldest and largest arms plants, is tied to a number of entities and individuals who have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, including Rostec, Russia's state-owned defense conglomerate, and Igor Rotenberg, an oligarch who was recently targeted alongside several other allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin." ABC News notes, "Alexey Solovov, the factory's onetime chairman who was convicted two years ago on fraud charges and given a three-year suspended prison sentence, appears to have also registered five patents for ammunition boxes, packages and clips on TulAmmo USA's behalf between 2014 and 2016," and, "Igor Rotenberg purchased 46.176 percent of the Tula Cartridge Works in February 2017." He got where he is because his daddy Arkady grew up with little Vova and played judo with him.
From ABC News.
The Daily Mail reports, "The Information Commissioner's Office has ordered Cambridge Analytica to hand over all the information it has on an American voter or face criminal action. The watchdog group is backing Professor David Carroll's efforts to obtain his personal data from SCL Group, which includes Cambridge Analytica." The Daily Mail notes, "Mr Carroll is an associate professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City and researches the intersections between advertising and journalism politics data." The Daily Mail adds, "The Enforcement Notice found in favour of Mr Carroll, saying his right to his personal information is protected by the Data Protection Act of 1998. The decision paves the way for 240 million people to request for their data back from Cambridge Analytica under British data protection laws," which are clearly stronger than whatever bullshit we have on the books in the former USA where big tech has run wild as an unknown number of proto-Stasis flourished in Silicon Valley.
From The Daily Mail.
In a reminder of how badly tech bungled 2016 and fucked us all, so nothing to see here, Tech Crunch reports, "Google announced on Friday a new set of policies around how it will verify election advertisers in the U.S. Specifically, any advertiser who want to buy an election ad on Google in the U.S. will now have to go through additional verification to prove they are a citizen or lawful permanent resident, as required by law. This process will involve having to provide a government-issued I.D. and other key information, Google says, and will roll out this week. It will also require that ads include a clear disclosure of who is paying". Note: only in the former USA. Additionally, Tech Crunch notes, "Google says it's building a searchable library for election ads, where anyone can look up this information". The loophole is super simple to get around as, "The move is a first step towards Google making U.S. election advertising on the web, but only addresses ads about candidates running for office – not 'issue ads.'" Plenty of room left for Russia and other foreign adversaries to maneuver!
From Tech Crunch.
Reuters reports, "U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers released details on Friday of a $717 billion annual defense policy bill, including efforts to compete with Russia and China and a measure to temporarily halt weapons sales to Turkey. The House Armed Services Committee is due to debate next week the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes the level of defense spending and sets policies controlling how the funding is used." Reuters notes, "The committee will not release the bill itself until next week, but Republicans, who control the panel, and the minority Democrats, each released summaries." Reuters adds, "On Russia, the proposed NDAA for fiscal year 2019 includes provisions such as imposing new sanctions on Russia's arms industry in response to treaty violations, prohibiting military-to-military cooperation and providing more funding for cyber warfare. But it also includes a rule, backed by President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans, that would allow Trump to end some sanctions imposed on Russia in legislation Congress passed overwhelmingly last summer despite the president's objections." The NDAA gets little attention outside Washington and defense policy circles but it is the big one, as they say.
From Reuters.
Reuters reports, "The Pentagon's cyber warfare unit received an elevated status and a new commander on Friday". Reuters adds, "Army Gen. Paul Nakasone took over leadership of U.S. Cyber Command". Reuters notes, "Cyber Command was elevated on Friday to an independent 'unified command,' a bureaucratic change that for the first time puts it on a par with nine other U.S. warfighting commands." And there is "a new $500 million Integrated Cyber Center on the heavily fortified Fort Meade campus" that "becomes operational in August".
From Reuters.
The Washington Post reports, "The U.S. Navy has reactivated a fleet responsible for overseeing the East Coast and North Atlantic — an escalation of the Pentagon's focus on a resurgent Russia and its expanding military presence. The 2nd Fleet, deactivated in 2011 to preserve funds for new ships, will resume operations in Norfolk on July 1, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson told reporters Friday." The Washington Post adds, "In a separate statement, Richardson invoked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's national-defense strategy as key guidance to reestablish the fleet, which will extend halfway across the Atlantic until it meets the area of responsibility for the Italy-based 6th Fleet." The Washington Post notes, "One concern the 2nd Fleet will immediately address: the threat from a now-modest number of Russian nuclear attack submarines capable of cruising in the depths off the East Coast".
From The Washington Post.
The New York Times reports, "A chemical weapons watchdog amended statements on Friday that its leader had given to The New York Times, in which he estimated that 50 to 100 grams of liquid nerve agent had been used in the March 4 attack on the former Russian spy Sergei V. Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, England." The New York Times adds, "A statement issued by the group, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said the amount should be measured in milligrams rather than grams. The group went on to say that it would not be able to estimate how much of the nerve agent was used in Salisbury." The New York Times notes, "The O.P.C.W., a global body created to oversee the elimination of stockpiles after the end of the Cold War, may add the chemical to the list of weapons it monitors."
From The New York Times.
ABC News reports, "Police have arrested hundreds of protesters at opposition rallies across Russia called on Saturday to protest against Vladimir Putin two days ahead of his inauguration as president for a fourth term," or forever president, whichever expires first. ABC News notes, "Thousands joined the demonstrations in dozens of cities that were called by opposition leader Alexey Navalny as a display of dissent ahead of the inauguration on Monday, gathering under the slogan 'He's not a czar to us' as they protested Putin's extended rule during which he has stifled political opposition." ABC News adds, "Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner who has become Putin's most troublesome political opponent, was detained as he approached a rally in central Moscow, where a few thousand people had gathered at the city's Pushkin Square. Mobile phone video shot at the rally showed Navalny being picked up by riot police and dragged by his arms and legs into a van." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty added later, "Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny says he has been released from custody after he and thousands of other protesters were detained," noting he wrote on Twitter, "They wrote up two protocols on me: organizing a rally and disobeying police, but at half past midnight they chose to release me pending trial".
From ABC News and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Reuters reports, "U.S. oil firm ConocoPhillips has moved to take Caribbean assets of Venezuela's state-run PDVSA to enforce a $2 billion arbitration award over a decade-oil nationalization of its projects in the South American country". Reuters adds, "The U.S. firm targeted facilities on the islands of Curacao, Bonaire and St. Eustatius that accounted for about a quarter of Venezuela's oil exports last year. The three play key roles in processing, storing and blending PDVSA's oil for export."
From Reuters.
The Baltic Times reports, "Amendments to the Law on the Protection of Children's Rights, proposed by MP Karlis Serzants (Greens/Farmers) to ban Latvian children from participating in paramilitary camps in Russia and a few other countries, were passed in the final reading by Saeima," the Latvian parliament. The legislation stipulates that children from Latvia may not participate in military activities or events in other countries, except in Latvia's partner countries – NATO and European Union members. The bill also states that children may participate in such activities that do not pose threat to Latvia's national security." The Baltic Times notes, "As reported, schoolchildren from Latvia's schools have on several occasions participated in paramilitary camps Soyuz in Russia, organized by the Russian association Courage of the Fatherland and Russian military intelligence veterans. The visits of schoolchildren from Latvia to the Soyuz camps in Russia were usually organized by the Soviet-Afghan War veteran Sergejs Ivans. The Security Police indicated a few years ago that the involvement of Latvian youth in military and ideologically-oriented camps in Russia causes 'long-term risk.'"
From The Baltic Times.
Courthouse News Service reports, "Citing its troubles serving the company with a summons, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office on Friday asked a federal judge in Washington to push back the arraignment of a Russian business accused of funding the Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election." Courthouse News Service notes, "Concord Management and Consulting was one of the entities controlled by Russian businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin accused in an indictment in February of helping to fund the troll farms and fake accounts that flooded social media during the 2016 campaign." Courthouse News Service adds, "The defendants were originally to go before the court for their initial appearance and arraignment on March 20, but the Russian government took 'no further steps' to serve them after the United States delivered the summonses, according to a five-page filing Mueller's office submitted on Friday. Then, on April 11, two attorneys with the Washington firm Reed Smith – Eric Dubelier and Katherine Seikaly – entered appearances on behalf of Concord. They did not immediately declare whether they could accept service for the company, but asked Mueller's office for a host of information, including potential witnesses and discovery, according to the filing." Working for the enemy, "Dubelier and Seikaly also requested 'information about more than 70 years of American foreign policy,' including each time the United States has attempted to interfere in foreign elections, according to Friday's filing. Mueller's office sent Concord's summons to the attorneys on April 20 along with a request to clarify whether they could accept a summons on behalf of their client. The attorneys did not answer the question and instead sent the summons back to Mueller's office". For its part Russian state-run Tass reported, "The US District Court for the District of Columbia has decided not to uphold Special Counsel Robert Mueller's request to postpone the May 9 court hearings where charges to 13 Russian citizens and three Russian organizations should be announced, according to the court's document obtained by TASS on Saturday."
From Courthouse News Service and Russian state-run Tass.
The Daily Beast reports, "The Russian fighter was in Chicago, killing time with his entourage in the days before a mixed martial arts bout, when the call came. FBI agents were looking for him. A fearsome heavyweight known as 'The Last Emperor'—and who's beloved by Russian President Vladimir Putin—Fedor Emelianenko had been in America for only five days before the feds appeared at his hotel near O'Hare Airport on Tuesday, April 24." The Daily Beast adds, "A decade before, Emelianenko had headlined an MMA league championed by Donald Trump and his personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. The outfit went bust after only two fights." The Daily Beast notes, "Emelianenko was linked to the future American president as early as 2008, when the Affliction apparel company launched an MMA league in answer to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)." The Daily Beast adds, "In May of that year, at a press conference at Trump Tower, the real estate mogul declared his partnership with Affliction and announced its first pay-per-view fight. Emelianenko would be the star of the July 2008 bout—titled 'Affliction: Banned,' in a nod to the turf war with the UFC. Trump held another presser one month later to announce the signing of Belarusian fighter Andrei Arlovski." The Daily Beast notes, "Cohen was named Affliction Entertainment's chief operating officer in a press release touting 'Banned,' which drew thousands of fans to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and starred a Megadeth performance." The Daily Beast adds, "Trump got involved through mutual business associates".
From The Daily Beast.
POLITICO reports, "Vice President Mike Pence's physician has resigned, the latest fallout from the collapse of Ronny Jackson's nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Jennifer Peña, who like Jackson is a military physician detailed to the White House, was among those who made claims of professional misconduct against Jackson to senators considering his nomination". POLITICO notes, "Peña claimed in memos that Jackson might have violated Karen Pence's patient privacy rights by sharing details of a medical incident involving the second lady with chief of staff John Kelly. The memos were first reported by CNN." POLITICO adds, "The allegations were troubling to many in Pence's office and the White House, who felt that Peña misrepresented the severity of the situation in an effort to harm Jackson," and because she did so while a woman probably – different rules of white men! POLITICO recalls, "Jackson, a Navy rear admiral who served as a physician to President Barack Obama and continued in the West Wing to care for Trump, was nominated in late March to succeed former VA Secretary David Shulkin. Jackson withdrew from consideration on April 26 after Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, released a document summarizing allegations by 23 current and former colleagues that the doctor overprescribed pills, drank on the job and created a hostile work environment."
From POLITICO.
CNN reports, "How did the Republican Party — once known as the party of 'law and order' — become a party that could provide space for lawbreakers and extremists, thugs and criminals, hoodlums and hate groups? This astonishing transformation can only be attributed to the presidency of Donald Trump, whose words during the 2016 campaign and during his term in the White House helped make America safe for extremists." CNN adds, "it is remarkable that party leaders have by and large not shown the backbone to condemn them." CNN notes, "A criminal record is no longer a barrier to entry for GOP candidates." CNN adds, "The candidates in question are doubling down on corruption and hate in Trump's party. Even former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI in connection with the Russia investigation — is hitting the campaign trail and stumping for them." Let's take the example of, "Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is running for Senate, after receiving a pardon from Trump for a contempt of court charge for failing to curb his anti-immigrant and anti-Latino racial profiling policies in violation of civil rights. Accused of racism and mistreatment of Latino prisoners, Arpaio failed to investigate over 400 sex crimes — including the molestation of undocumented children — made inmates wear pink underwear, called his tent city for inmates a concentration camp, and established the first chain gangs for juveniles and women. Arpaio, a prominent Birther who questioned President Obama's citizenship, received the blessing of Vice President Mike Pence". Meanwhile, "In West Virginia, Don Blankenship, the former coal mining company head who went to prison for a year on mine safety charges that were brought after a disaster that killed 29 miners, is challenging Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Blankenship claims it was not racist to call Sen. Mitch McConnell's father-in-law a 'wealthy Chinaperson.'" And, "In Staten Island, New York, former FBI agent and Rep. Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion, is making a comeback as a Trump loyalist after serving seven months behind bars." Then there is, "Omar Navarro, who pleaded guilty to placing a tracking device on his wife's car. The extreme right wing, pro-Trump candidate has support from Michael Flynn and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and Navarro says Roger Stone serves as his adviser. And Rep. Greg Gianforte, who pleaded guilty to assault after body slamming a reporter, is running for re-election in Montana." Then there are the anti-Semites Arthur Jones and Paul Nehlen and the homophobe E.W. Jackson.
From CNN.
The AP reports, "President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn canceled a campaign appearance Sunday in Montana for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Troy Downing due to an unspecified 'family emergency.' The cancellation of Sunday's event was announced by Flynn in a video posted by Downing's campaign."
From the AP.
Writing in Bloomberg, James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commader of NATO, notes, "Russia enjoys the largest 'front porch' along the Arctic Ocean. Across the ice are five NATO nations: Canada, Denmark (by virtue of its Greenland territory), Iceland, Norway and the U.S. Two other very close European friends of the alliance, Sweden and Finland, also have territory abutting the Arctic. On the NATO side, there are a variety of views as to how to regard the Arctic. Several years ago, as the alliance's military commander, I was struck by the differing positions among the allies as to NATO's role in the north — from Canada believing it should avoid any militarization to Norway advocating significant NATO patrols and surveillance in the region." Stavridis adds, "Putin has taken an aggressive stance by ramping up the level of forces allocated to the region, adding both land and air units north of the Arctic Circle, while using his large fleet of icebreakers aggressively at sea (Russia has 25-plus while the U.S. today has only a single truly all-year capable vessel)." Stavridis reports, "All of this is complicated by the effects of climate change, which are rapidly melting the icecap. This is opening up important sea lanes of communications (shipping routes) and increasing the flow of both commercial and military ships and aircraft. While it will be a decade or more before shipping truly burgeons in the Arctic, China and Russia are planning and building infrastructure to dominate the trade routes." How to fight? Well Stavridis suggests dialogue, noting, "First, the U.S. should invest in the international institutions that provide forums for dialogue between Russia and the rest of the Arctic nations. At the top of the list is the Arctic Council, a loosely organized but bureaucratically functional international organization with all the Arctic nations". Additionally, "Second, the Pentagon must increase its ability to monitor and operate militarily in Arctic." Lastly, "Third, Washington should seek zones of cooperation with Russia (and eventually China if it becomes a regional player). These could include using 'science diplomacy' to jointly sponsor missions". Put simply, "Americans simply need to pay more attention".
From Bloomberg.
The Daily Beast reports, "the KGB had published a top-secret document for internal circulation about the looming danger of dangles. As this was a Soviet text, it was given a characteristically turgid title: 'Exposure of the Enemy's Set-ups in the Process of Development of Persons Who Are of Interest to Intelligence,'" and it has a copy of the manual. The Daily Beast notes, "this one is still classified in modern Russia owing to its tutorial value to the SVR, Putin's foreign intelligence arm". The Daily Beast adds, "dangles are adroit at playing upon a spy's psychology or personal vices." The Daily Beast continues, "Be mindful that prospective assets claiming to have access to foreign intelligence may provide useful and credible information initially to get you on the hook, but then their stuff quickly exhibits diminishing returns. Avoid charity cases or anyone creating conditions to become dependent on you or proffering quid pro quo. But don't be so cautious or paranoid that you miss out on the real deal when it presents itself." The Daily Beast notes, "The bold and the brave can make excellent spies, but not when they're also careless about operational security. That suggests they have good reason not to fear a host country's counterintelligence service: they're working for it. Finally, the would-be recruit who keeps asking for new assignments without ever completely fulfilling old ones is a likely plant, as is the one who volunteers for 'immoral actions that might compromise him.' No honest target seeks out life-threatening danger unless he or she is an adrenaline junkie or just plain psychotic and therefore of no use anyway. An asset must be convinced to sacrifice." The Daily Beast concludes, "In spy craft as in love, if you suspect you've been had by a player, the best revenge is turn him into the played."
From The Daily Beast.
Bloomberg reports, "Qatar emerged as a major shareholder in Rosneft PJSC on Friday after a $9 billion deal to sell a stake in Russia's state-run oil producer to China's troubled CEFC Energy Co. collapsed." Bloomberg adds, "Qatar Investment Authority stepped in after the sellers — a consortium of QIA itself and mining giant Glencore Plc — told CEFC it wouldn't proceed with the original deal announced in October. A statement issued by Glencore didn't explain why they were canceling the sale, but CEFC has been struggling with debt." Bloomberg notes, "After the new deal, Qatar Investment Authority will own 18.93 percent of Rosneft, making it the third-largest shareholder after the Russian state, which holds 50 percent, and U.K. oil major BP Plc with 19.75 percent."
From Bloomberg.
The Houston Chronicle reports, "The sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2013 have done little to slow the Russian oil sector — so far. Crude production is up and natural gas exports to Europe are increasing. But that might not be the case for much longer." One analyst, Russian economist Tatiana Mitrova at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, believes, "sanctions would start hitting Russia hard in 2020, with production declining 10 percent in the ensuing decade." The Houston Chronicle notes, "Russia needs to develop new prospects in shale fields and in the Arctic Ocean. But with the sanctions in place, it's no longer a matter of executives from the Russian oil companies Rosneft or Lukoil calling in engineers from Houston, as they might have done in the past." Mitrova said, "There is no expertise in Russia," adding, "Rosneft tried to do it in-house. They're realizing you can not replace the global oil service industry." Former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar noted that, "the mere possibility on new sanctions is enough to spook some potential investors in Russian oil projects".
From The Houston Chronicle.
Fox News reports, "In his Common Sense monologue Thursday, 'Your World' host Neil Cavuto criticized President Donald Trump for a series of factually disputed statements and a history of changing the record on things he previously claimed." What the fuck happened to state news? Fox News notes, "Cavuto pointed to the change of tune since Trump first claimed not to recall anything about the payment made by his attorney Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels." Fox News adds, "'How can you drain the swamp if you keep muddying the waters?' Cavuto asked. 'Your own words on lots of stuff give me lots of pause.' 'You said Russia didn't interfere [in the 2016 election] until some Republicans reminded you that they did,' Cavuto said." Additionally, "Cavuto said Trump's claims of an average or above average approval rating this far into his term does not pan out after a study of similar figures for Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush Sr." Fox News concludes, "He also said Trump is correct when he says some in the press are 'out to get' him, but cautioned that many are 'using your own words [against] you.' 'That's your stink,' Cavuto said. 'That's your swamp.'" What kind of –stan is this? One minute it's full throttle, the next it is like the regime is cracking and on the verge of falling!
From Fox News.
The Daily Star reports, "Living life fit for a tsar, the peak of Putin's kingly taste is reportedly this palace on the shores of the Black Sea. Stunning satellite photos captured by Google Maps reveal the extent of the $1billion manor and grounds." Of course, "Putin has outright denied owning the palace". The Daily Star adds, "Ariel photos captured by Google Maps reveal the extent of the decadent complex. Visitors begin their trip to the complex by driving up a long snaking road that cuts through the nearby forests. Travelling past a series of unidentified buildings – those arriving drive up to find a trio of helipads. And behind them is the colossal Italian-style manor house which backs onto a private stretch of coastline." The architecture certainly jives with that of post-Soviet rulers elsewhere. The Daily Star notes, "Russian businessman Sergei Kolesnikov is behind most of the claims about the palace – and he is currently living in exile in Estonia. Environmentalists who visited the site also claim to have been stopped by agents from Russia's secret service". The Daily Star adds, "Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, has strongly dismissed claims of any association between the Russian leader and the palace on the Black Sea." Bullshit.
From The Daily Star.
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new lab will have wings
researchers from the air force and udri will advance technology in a c130 at udri headquarters.read more
researchers from the air force and udri will advance technology in a c130 at udri headquarters.read more
udri will develop a subscale hypersonic flight-test vehicle.view article
advancing power, energy and thermal management for aircraftview article
new titles to better reflect scope of responsibilities, growth of research instituteview article
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udri excels in advanced manufacturing fields such as robotics and automation, manufacturing autonomy, additive manufacturing, manufacturing assistance, and technology integration.view am capabilities
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udri's designs, analyzes, builds, tests, transitions, and sustains innovative and reliable materials, components, and structures for hypersonic vehicles and their operation.view hypersonics capabilities
udri offers expertise in advanced materials research, including ceramics, glasses, and electrical, magnetic and optical materials. we also provide research in new organic polymer-based composites.view materials capabilities
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subset: commoncrawl


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Photo by James A. McBride
Kathleen Spadaro poses for a photo with her family on June 7, the day she graduated from Our Lady of Hope School in Blackwood. Pictured from left are her brother Patrick, sister Molly, mother Robin, Kathleen, father Jerry Sr. and brother Jerry Jr. Kathleen, who has Down syndrome, is planning to attend Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill, in the fall.
Kathleen Spadaro wanted to go to the same school as her older sister and two older brothers, and that presented her parents with a difficult decision.
Should they send her to Our Lady of Hope Regional School in Blackwood, or to a school that routinely enrolls students with Down syndrome?
At Lady of Hope there would be worries about Kathleen learning in a mainstream classroom setting, and about being accepted by other children. And would she have the determination to work as hard as she needed to keep up?
"We decided to try it, and go year by year," said Robin Spadaro, Kathleen's mother, who works part time at the school as a counselor. "She wanted to be here so badly."
Although her parents had occasional periods of doubt, Kathleen never did.
"We would ask Kathleen how she felt about going to a different school and she would always answer, 'Nothing is going to stop me from graduating from my school. Not even you, Mom,'" Robin recalled.
The Spadaros felt reassured they made the right decision when they saw their daughter wearing her light blue cap and gown and accepting her diploma on June 7.
She made the school's Honor Roll (earning As and Bs) every year, and was a straight A student her last marking period, putting her on the Principal's List. In the fall she will attend Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill.
The current trend in education, according to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), is to fully include children with Down syndrome in the social and educational life of the community. Still, the challenges of grammar school are hard enough for any child: they have to learn to leave their parents, sit quietly at a desk, keep up with homework and study for tests, deal with peer pressure – not to mention survive the turmoil of adolescence. For a child with cognitive delays to succeed is no small accomplishment.
"She has had to work 100 times harder than her classmates," said Marcy Robinson, the school's technology teacher.
Kathleen is legally blind without her glasses. She missed class the first six weeks of second grade because she needed open heart surgery. She occasionally has the help of a classroom aide and has an ISP (Individualized Service Plan). (Mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, an ISP is a document that identifies education strategies and goals for a student with a disability.)
When she began school as a kindergartener, Kathleen did not understand the difference between her abilities and those of the average student. That realization, and frustration, came later – along with a drive to be as much like other students as possible. Robin noted, for example, that Kathleen might have fewer homework questions than the rest of the class but she would often push herself to do "what the other kids do."
Kathleen is proud of graduating and aware that some people didn't think she would be able to do it. She said she hopes she can help change their thoughts about people with Down syndrome and what they are able to do. She said she wants people to know that people with disabilities are able to do more than anyone can imagine.
On Kathleen's last day of eighth grade, as the children were cleaning their classroom, ready for summer vacation before taking the next step in their education, Robin expressed her gratitude to the faculty at Our Lady of Hope, and to her older children who have always been supportive of Kathleen over the years.
And of Kathleen, Robin said, "She is amazing if I say so myself."


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Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the leading international event for cities will host in 2018 its eighth edition under the theme Cities To Live In. From November 13 to 15, Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue will gather over 400 speakers and thinkers from fields that range from technology and smart governance to sharing economy and mobility. Among the top speakers for the 2018 edition are Rufus Pollock, economist and founder of Open Knowledge International; Andrew Keen, economist and author of How to fix the Future and The Cult of the Amateur; Víctor Pineda, social development scholar and disability rights advocate; and Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker and economist Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Keynotes of Global Thought Leaders at Smart City Expo World Congress
Jonathan Reichental on the Importance of Smart Cities & Smart Citizens
The importance of smart cities & smart citizens: In our new interview series, smart city leaders comment on the future of smart cities, the role of technology, and the benefits for citizens. In our first interview of the series, we have asked Jonathan Reichental, CIO of Palo Alto, California to share his expertise, thoughts and insights with us on a number of important smart city topics.
Blockchain Technologies: The Next Frontier of Smart Cities - Part 2
As we discussed in our previous article (Blockchain: The Next Frontier of Smart Cities - Part 1), blockchain has the potential to transform our communities, making the places we call home more collaborative, democratic and sustainable places. It is no surprise then, that a whole bunch of cities - from Santiago de Chile, Toronto, Tel Aviv, Oslo, and Milan, to London, and Stockholm - are already developing blockchain-based projects. Dubai is going even further, aiming to become the world's first fully 'blockchain-powered city' by 2020. Lofty ideals aside, as we examined in part 1, blockchain does actually seem to offer some concrete benefits for communities, as we shall see below.
Blockchain: The Next Frontier of Smart Cities - Part 1
Blockchain is a hot topic. Until very recently, it was associated almost exclusively with cryptocurrency - bitcoin, ethereum etc. However, the power of blockchain to revolutionize the way we exchange goods and services, and transform how we govern - above and beyond the cryptocurrency hype - is increasingly being recognized. When it comes to cities, the transformative potential of this technology is enormous. From enabling P2P energy-sharing systems, as in New York's 'Transactive Grid', which allows local residents to generate, buy and sell their own solar energy, to encouraging behavioral change - for instance through SocialCoin's blockchain and AI-based 'social good' currency (see e.g. the Citibeats solution) - and much more - blockchain is offering new opportunities to create more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable communities. As such, blockchain is likely to be an increasingly central enabler of smart city innovation worldwide. In this article, we will explore the potential benefits of blockchain in an urban context.
Submit your Nomination for the ICF 2019 Intelligent Community Awards
Nominations are currently open for the 2019 Intelligent Community Awards organized by our partner Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), based in New York City. There is no cost to submit a nomination. The deadline to nominate a community is September 21, 2018.
Communities qualifying for the Smart21, Top7 or Intelligent Community of the Year become part of a global working group of regions, cities and towns organized by ICF, a group that currently includes over 170 members. They also receive media coverage, investment inquiries and independent validation of their community's progress as they strive to keep their best people "home."
Building and Planning the Citizen-Centric Smart City - Part 1
Innovating Urban Planning to Foster Community-Focused Development
More than half of the world's population currently live in cities. The UN estimates that by 2050, this figure will have doubled. The "financialization" of housing, among other factors, has led to a situation where many of the world's cities are now defined by a chronic shortage of housing for the least advantaged, and in many cases, for the working and middle classes as well. The local connection between the financial institutions funding housing development and the people buying them has long disappeared, replaced by a new international financial system where real estate is a major asset. Indeed, a recent UN report estimates that the total value of global real estate makes up 60 percent of all global assets, with a value of $217 trillion, three-quarters of which is housing.[1] [2]
So how do we make housing more accessible in cities the world over? The 'smart city' movement presents cities with the opportunity to build and plan 'smarter', developing citizen-centered, tech-enabled living, working and playing spaces that respond to people's changing desires and needs - that are 'future-proof' and 'user-centric'. Whether in Sao Paulo, Brasil, or Todmorden, UK, smart city innovation, and the ideas and funds it brings, should be capitalized upon to drive forward and finance smart development projects that help to relieve the global housing crisis that we are facing. In this week's article, we will focus on some of the ways we can innovate planning in order to 'redistribute' housing stock (both existing and future) to create more equitable, just and sustainable urban communities.
Rising European Stars: Eight Smart Cities to Watch in 2018
The term 'smart city' is everywhere at the moment, but it is still mostly discussed in reference to familiar names - Amsterdam, Barcelona, Toronto, Vienna - the usual suspects. This overlooks the innovative projects and smart city solutions being implemented in less well-known cities across the globe, and suggests that the world's major capitals are the only leaders in this space. In this article we are therefore going to take a brief look at the world's smart cities that we believe deserve more attention in 2018. Some are big, others are small, but, regardless of their size and location, they're all making themselves 'smarter' for the benefit of their citizens:
Why The Smart Home Is Facilitating Smart Communities
As John Friedmann highlights (2011), the household is just as much a socio-political space as the public realm: although it may be deemed 'private', the connections a household has to the outside world very often define its access to political empowerment, knowledge, jobs and, crucially, self-advancement. A home might be termed an 'in-between', or liminal, space: a place of family, domesticity and the everyday that is also the nucleus of its inhabitants' connections to the outside world. As a zone which is supposedly hyperconnected (both internally and externally) the smart home should theoretically enhance its inhabitants' connections to the wider community. As such, the smart home can be seen as a facilitator of community engagement, and in turn, civic involvement in smart city community initiatives.
The Need to Redefine the Smart Home and its Link to Smart Cities
If the smart city is one that is hyperconnected, energy and cost-efficient, and sustainable, aiming to improve the lives of all by leveraging existing resources and infrastructure, then the smart home should theoretically be a microcosm of this. Like many emerging concepts in the smart cities sector, including the very 'smart city' itself, most official definitions of the 'smart home' tend to center around new technologies:
How to ensure that your smart city strategy is inclusive
Many proponents of the smart city claim that it is by nature inclusive. However, like all other aspects of urban design and development, smart city initiatives frequently fail to fully prioritize inclusivity, often perpetuating the very issues that they aim to solve. As Gil Peñalosa, world-renowned urban designer, noted in a recent panel discussion on 'The Invisible Smart City': "we currently design our cities as though everyone is 30 and active", leading to biased, inaccessible urban design that excludes what he calls the 'silent majority'. Going one step further than this, Yves Raibaud, acclaimed sociologist and urban geographer, argues that cities are designed 'by and for men' (par et pour les hommes) - notably 'western', privileged men. This evidently leaves much to be desired in terms of diversity, and in turn inclusivity. Children, older people, women, ethnic minorities, the disabled, the mentally and physically ill, and people with low household incomes (and those who meet at the intersecting points between these groups) are frequently excluded by and from urban design, unable to fully enjoy or participate in civic urban life or the processes that shape it.
The smart city as an inclusive city: seven steps to tackling digital exclusion
Although the quantity of people using technology in their everyday lives is constantly rising, a relatively high percentage of the world's population remains digitally disengaged or even technologically illiterate. In the European Union alone, nearly a third of people don't use the internet on a daily basis; only half of all Europeans aged 16 - 74 use social networks or e-government services, and in some European countries up to 25% of people don't have access to a computer from home.
As smart cities render our world more and more digital, and Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) play an increasingly important role in our daily lives, the 'digital exclusion' of certain population groups - notably those from low-income backgrounds, the elderly, and the disabled - is morphing into total societal exclusion.
Smart City Benefits: How Smart Cities save Governments, Businesses and Citizens Money
Around the world, cities are growing. Already, roughly 180,000 people move into cities every day. By 2015, the UN estimates that there will be 22 metropolitan areas with populations of more than 10 million people. Growing urban populations mean more costs for cities - from increasing energy use, to overstrained public services - but they also provide a stimulus for innovation. After all, we can't infinitely expand outwards and upwards. Instead, we need to find ways to be more 'efficiently urban': in other words, we need to be smarter with how we use our resources, time and capital.


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In Italy, the renowned Catholic television host and commentator, Antonio Socci, has publicly accused Cardinal Bertone of concealing a text containing the words of the Virgin Mary in the famous "Third Secret" of Fatima.
Bertone's "interpretation" of the Third Secret has been ridiculed in the Italian press. Socci calls it "lame," and demonstrates in his book The Fourth Secret of Fatima that Bertone must be hiding something. In response, Bertone has attacked Socci on national television, radio and in his own book, The Last Secret of Fatima, which is to be published in the United States on May 6.
Attorney and journalist Christopher A. Ferrara, in his book The Secret Still Hidden, picks up where Socci leaves off. Ferrara---a civil rights lawyer who has been involved in a number of high profile cases (including the Theresa Schiavo litigation)---has written his own extensive and meticulously documented exposé of the Cardinal's cover-up.
The Secret Still Hidden is thoroughly factual and reads like a legal thriller. In it Ferrara builds an overwhelming case that reaches the same conclusion Socci did: Cardinal Bertone is covering up a text of the Virgin's words pertaining to the Third Secret---a text that warns of disasters for the Catholic Church and for everyone in the whole world.
The Secret Still Hidden, by Christopher A Ferrara is available from the Fatima Shoppe.
Little attention has been paid to an appeal made by five Cardinals in February. The prelates wrote to all Catholic bishops asking them to call on Pope Benedict XVI to proclaim as dogma that the Blessed Virgin Mary is "the Spiritual Mother of all humanity, the Co-redemptrix with Jesus the Redeemer, Mediatrix of all graces with Jesus the one Mediator, and Advocate with Jesus Christ on behalf of the human race."
Putting their names to the appeal were Cardinals Toppo (Ranchi, India); Luis Aponte Martinez (Puerto Rico); Varkey Vithayathil (India); Ricardo Vidal (Philippines); and Ernesto Corripio Ahumada (Mexico). According to Catholic World News, the Cardinals said they hoped to "start an in-depth worldwide dialogue on Mary's role in salvation for our time."
In issuing their appeal, the Cardinals seem to have placed themselves in opposition to the powers that be in the Church, such as Cardinals Bertone and Kasper, who wring their hands in fear that the proclamation of a new and extremely powerful Marian dogma could "complicate" ecumenical discussions, particularly with the Protestants. On the contrary, the Cardinals affirm that "a clear presentation" of Catholic beliefs could be a "service of clarification to other religious traditions."
In other words, the five Cardinals are -- thanks be to God -- standing up for the traditional Catholic Faith, in the face of those who would relegate Our Lady to a status less exalted than the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God deserves.
Regrettably, the five Cardinals steered clear of making the connection between the role of Mary as Mediatrix and the Message of Fatima. The role of the Blessed Virgin as Mediatrix is at the heart of the Fatima Message. Our Lady of Fatima told us, "Only I can help you." This is neither pious exaggeration nor devotional excess.
Father Joseph de Sainte-Marie, O.C.D., has analyzed the universal mediation of Our Lady in the light of revelation and Catholic theology. According to this learned priest, the Fatima apparitions and the promised triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are fully in accord with Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium.
Read "The Heart of the Fatima Message", by Father Joseph de Sainte-Marie, O.C.D., excerpted from World Enslavement or Peace,
World Enslavement or Peace, by Father Nicholas Gruner is available from the Fatima Shoppe,
Hear Father Nicholas Gruner speak on "Mediatrix of All Graces" on Fatima on Demand or get your own audiotape of his talk.
The will and mettle of the Catholic Church is being tested not just in China (see The Fatima Network: March 2008) but in the other Asian giant, India. Hundreds of priests visiting the Fatima Center's Only Way to World Peace conference in Chennai confirmed that the Church in their country must address the issues of anti-Christian violence and the victimization of women in Indian society.
Female feticide (abortion) and infanticide (killing of infant babies) are still widespread practices in India. As soon as a fetus has been determined to be a girl, she is killed in her mother's womb. Unscrupulous doctors use modern technology, e.g. ultrasound, to find out the sex of the unborn child, after which an abortion may be procured very cheaply, no questions asked. After the birth of a baby girl, she may be fed poisonous plants or drowned to simulate an accident.
In the large South-Asian communities of Canada and the USA, mothers-to-be have an ultrasound, find out they are expecting a baby girl, and then arrange a "therapeutic abortion" through agencies such as Planned Parenthood.
India and the whole world need the period of peace that was promised to us by Our Lady of Fatima. That peace includes not just freedom from war, but freedom from the evils of abortion and infanticide and other errors of Russia which have now spread throughout the world. The false ecumenism of Cardinals Bertone and Kasper will not bring peace. Only Our Lady can help us!
For more on India and why it is important in Catholic evangelical work, read "Why India?" in The Fatima Crusader, No. 50,
"Church Endorses 'Family Day', Moratorium on Abortion, Proposed by Secular Leftists" and "Selective Abortion of Girls Turning Asia into 'Masculine Continent'" may be found in the February, 2008 Fatima Network e-newsletter.
Representatives of the Holy See sat down with Muslim ideologues in Rome last month to work out what Father Samir Khalil Samir, S.J. called "a few guidelines for dialogue between Christians and Muslims". They carefully avoided talking about theology alone, but attempted to discuss "the concrete problems of the two communities" -- a very polite way of referring to terrorism, the persecution of the Church in Muslim countries, and the insistence of Muslims on their "rights" in what might be called "Christian countries".
This latest attempt by the Vatican to "make nice" with the Muslims follows the public relations fiasco surrounding Benedict XVI's lecture of September, 2006 in Regensburg, Germany, which was widely criticized by much of the Muslim world as "hate speech". The Pope, they said, is feeding the growing "Islamophobia" in the West.
In October, 2006, 138 Muslims sent an initial response to the Regensburg address. A second letter to the Pope, sent last fall, was signed by 138 Muslim scholars. What they want, the letters say, is "to find common ground of collaboration [our emphasis] between Christians and Muslims".
In light of the ongoing campaign against Christian nations and Christian ideals, the notion of "collaboration" seems rather bizarre. However, led by none other than the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican agreed to "open the way to possible collaboration in various areas". The March meeting in Rome was supposed to establish the procedures and subject matter of this dialogue.
According to Father Samir, all the work and goodwill being shown by the Vatican could well be for nothing. "It seems to me," he writes, "that the Muslim personalities who are in contact with the Pope want to dodge fundamental and concrete questions, like human rights, reciprocity, violence, etc., to ensconce themselves in an improbable theological dialogue 'on the soul and God'".
Father Samir points out that the letter of the 138 is dangerously silent on the problems of the international community with the Muslim community, or within the Muslim community itself. There is widespread extremism and radicalism among a significant segment of Muslims. "Those who do not think as we do are our enemies!"
"Jihad" is not a Christian word, but it is a word which every Christian knows now, because of numerous threats from numerous Muslim leaders. How odd that the Church, which long ago abandoned Crusades to drive the Muslims out of the Holy Land, should now seek to collaborate with Her present-day persecutors. Yet the reply of Cardinal Bertone expresses "deep appreciation" for the "positive spirit" that inspired the letter of the 138, and for the appeal for joint action to promote peace in the world.
The Muslims proposed limiting the dialogue to matters of theology. But the problem is that Islam blends the theological with the political, and even with the military. The 138 scholars say they will discuss only theology. Father Samir says this distinction cannot be made. The human and social consequences of theological positions cannot be avoided.
Meanwhile, in March, the body of Catholic Iraqi Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho was discovered. He had been kidnapped and subsequently murdered by radical Islamic terrorists. So much for dialogue.
"Benedict XVI's Improbable Dialogue With 138 Muslim Scholars", by Father Samir Khalil Samir, S.J. appeared in AsiaNews,
"A Revealing Interview on 'Dialogue' With the Muslims", by Christopher A. Ferrara,
"Fasting With the Muslims?", by Christopher A. Ferrara,
Quo Vadis Petre?, by Atila Sinke Guimarães, explains how the new ecumenism is contrary to traditional Catholic teaching and demonstrates the practical failure of ecumenism acknowledged by its participants (Protestants, Muslims, Jews, etc.) Available from Catholic Books Online.
In March thousands of protesters inside and outside China took to the streets to protest the 1951 occupation of Tibet by the Chinese Communists, and the subsequent colonization of that country by the Han Chinese. There were riots in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and demonstrations elsewhere, even in Beijing. The Communists ordered paramilitary police and soldiers to crush the demonstrations, in actions reminiscent of the infamous Tiananmen Massacre of 1989. Hundreds of Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, were killed and thousands arrested.
In an interview with the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, veteran Vatican analyst Marco Politi criticized Pope Benedict XVI for failing to speak out against the Chinese repression and ethnic cleansing. He said the Vatican's silence on the bloodshed in Tibet reflects "the calculated desire of Church diplomats to avoid a direct conflict with the Chinese government."
Who might these "Church diplomats" be? Step forward, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. As Vatican Secretary of State, he is responsible for diplomacy and relations between the Vatican and other states. He is also the successor to Cardinals Sodano and Casaroli, the implementers of the dreadful policy of Ostpolitik, whose evil fruits are to be seen everywhere as the errors of Russia spread throughout the world, just as Our Lady of Fatima predicted.
Mr. Politi suggested that Vatican diplomats may be pursuing a policy of "quiet diplomacy" on the Tibet issue. But they are in a poor position because of their bending towards Beijing in unofficial talks aimed at re-establishing diplomatic relations which were ruptured following the Communist revolution and establishment of the schismatic and heretical Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The key issue in those talks is religious freedom -- the same vital issue that underlies the ongoing crisis in Tibet.
Adapted from an article in Catholic World News,
"Catholic Church in China: Persecution and Confusion", by Joseph M.C. Kung,
"Latest Vatican Pronouncement on China: Statement of Support or Start of a Sellout?", by James Bannister,
"China-Vatican Relations, Smoke and Mirrors Over the Olympics", by Bernardo Cervellera.
"Putin Regime Prepares to Muzzle Criticism...of Putin", by Christopher A. Ferrara,
"Go Italy!", by Christopher A. Ferrara,
"Gorbachev a Christian? Of Course Not.", by Christopher A. Ferrara,
"Pope Benedict Under Attack - Part III: Homolka's Outrages", by Christopher A. Ferrara.
Keeping Our Lady's websites online and updated costs many thousands of dollars each year. We rely totally on the prayers and freewill offerings of people of faith like you. Won't you please help us send Our Lady's Fatima Message to millions of souls through the power of the Internet? Click here to help keep Our Lady online. Please do it now!


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A serious UK
skills shortage.
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research has warned that there is a serious UK skills shortage.
The research shows that the UK skills system is in urgent need of reform and the workforce needs to be prepared for the challenges of Brexit, the impact of Artificial Intelligence and automation and the continued impact of globalisation.
Specifically, there is a serious shortage of digital skills required by employers today. The impact of the shortfall across the UK is huge and action is urgently needed to reach, attract and develop a wider, more diverse pool of talent.
The issue in numbers
The skills gap currently costs the UK economy £63bn per year in lost income
The issue in numbers
There are nearly 1 million young people not in education, employment or training. (NEET)
The issue in numbers
12.6m adults lack basic digital skills.
The issue in numbers
72% of Financial Services CEOs see the limited availability of some skills as a threat to growth.
Targeting the barriers
to the skills crisis
In 2018 we created She Can Be... which aimed to open up untapped talent blocked by barriers relating to gender at a time when 10 girls to every 1 boy believed that discrimination will hold them back in their careers. (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors 2016).
Target the skills gap.
Discover more about the one day event
She Can Be...
It's difficult to attract young women to work in the City without an initiative like She Can Be...
Neena was surprised by how many young women were interested in working in the City and the participants on the day had no idea how many young women like them work in Liberty Specialty Markets - so perceptions were changed on both sides.
It's created a community of young women who can support each other's ambitions, as well as being supported by the participating firms.
Making inroads
- The beginnings
of change
- 95% 95% felt confident in their abilities after the event, compared to 43% before.
- 96% 96% of young women participants felt empowered to make decisions about their future careers after the event, compared to 59% before.
- 86% 86% of young women participants felt they had a good understanding of the different City careers available after the event, compared with 24% before.
Policies to
encourage women
This programme has spring-boarded and contributed to conversations about policies to encourage more women to apply to work with them, and importantly, want to stay within the organisation.
The firm is looking at wider geographical areas for recruitment, making sure that women are represented on all recruitment panels, and changed their maternity and paternity policies.
There's more work to do, but She Can Be... has given them a forum with other firms where those ideas can be shaped and grow.
I was so inspired and humbled by the young women I met. If we can inspire just one of them, I've done my job well.
Will you help?
Inspire the next generation of young women.
Related links
Next Steps
With your support, we can make an unprecedented change to help one million people thrive.
Your donation will make a lifetime of difference
- She Can Be One unique day in which young women and the City collaborate to inspire future talent.
- Corporate Partnerships Join the Lord Mayor's Appeal as a Corporate Partner and together we will work to create 'A Better City for All'.


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Monday, January 3, 2011
Jainism: India's Lesser-Known Religion
Although Jainism has only about six million adherents and until recently was relatively unknown outside of India, it currently has successful growing immigrant communities in North America, Western Europe, the Far East, Australia, and elsewhere. Prescribing a path of non-violence towards all living beings, Jainism is said to have been a great influence on Mohandas Gandhi. Sharing ideas found in Hinduism, the idea of samsara, the wheel of birth, death and rebirth, is the locus of the gradual process whereby the self learns to remove itself from bondage to the material world until nothing remains except the purity of the jiva, the individual's soul. Read more . . .


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Forgive me if I'm telling you what you already know, but asana is but a fraction of this thing we call yoga. (For the record, expensive stretchy pants and impossible body and beauty standards are zero part of it, but that's for another day.) The first two limbs of yoga, according to Patanjali, the Raja Yoga MacDaddy of them all, are the yamas and niyamas. These two breakdown into smaller tenets, and function as a social and individual code of ethics of sorts. Chief among them is ahimsa, or nonviolence.
So sure, you can walk into any yoga class in America and hear someone prattling on about ahimsa as they caution students on misformed chaturangas or overdoing it in a backbend sequence. But violence is sneaky, and practicing nonviolence involves more than just modifying postures and working intelligently with sensation.
When I covet the backbend, the handbag, or the body of the person next to me, I stumble on ahimsa.
When I get mad at my flat feet every time I fall out of utthita hasta padangusthasana, I stumble on ahimsa.
When I give the driver next to me side eye for driving while on the phone, I stumble on ahimsa.
When I interrupt a colleague--again--I stumble on ahimsa.
When I wish myself thinner, or smarter, more determined or disciplined, I stumble stumble stumble on ahimsa. When I judge another woman or berate another man, when I am impatient, dispassionate, unforgiving, self-pitying or numb: I trip over ahimsa and flat on my face.
Don't be fooled by the mediocre metaphor here. I don't mean that nonviolence is an obstacle; more that it's a garment that's too big. Rather than wearing it gracefully, it hangs off me, ill-fitting, and the way I wear it (or fail to) causes me to stumble.
Right? Violence is everywhere, and it's as easy to perpetrate against the self as against others. Let's say nothing about how easy it is to speak ill of myself, to cluck my tongue in derision at some flaw I notice in the mirror, or to berate some stranger or celebrity for actions I find troubling.
So why bother if it's so tough? Why not just give into the impulse in me to throw shoes at people, to stiff rude service staff, to curse at drivers, to refuse to forgive? Well, for one thing, the tradition says not to. B.K.S. Iyengar writes about ahimsa and the other yamas that they are "called 'mighty universal vows', as they are not confined to class, place, time or concept of duty. They should be followed unconditionally by everyone, and by students of yoga in particular, irrespective of origin and situation..." He makes allowances for situations jobs-- Arjuna was a soldier, after all--but there's not a lot of gray area: practice nonviolence because the practice of nonviolence is the study of yoga. Nobody gets a pass.
Beyond the doctrine as motivation, much like doing Side Angle Pose, when I do it, as hard as it is, it feels good. Choosing to be gentle and compassionate with myself and others feels way better than choosing to be angry and mean-spirited. This doesn't mean I don't get angry, nor does it mean that I don't hurt. But if I believe (and I do) in the connectedness of all beings, then violence toward another is as toxic to me as it is to them. My freedom is connected to yours, as is my peace and prosperity. We gotta do right by one another, even if we don't like it.
So I'm trying. The Universe provides me lots of chances to try, and try again, to practice nonviolence. It still isn't any easier, but I feel more how important it is every day.


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It's that time of year again, when critics, reviewers, amateur enthusiasts of all things aural -- hell, every basement blogger and his tone deaf brother -- pull tiny muscles in their large heads compiling and posting for public consumption their lists of Top Albums of the Year. Ah, be still your beating heart...
A female friend once pointed out that these oftentimes inane lists are (strangely, suspiciously) almost always the domain of men. "It's a real guy thing," she said. And I'm fairly certain that wasn't a compliment considering she expounded by suggesting that spending precious time attempting to rank what is in essence unrankable -- how can one even suggest that one work of art is actually better than another? -- is anal, compulsive. A real sickness.
Inexplicably, women seem to have no need or, more remarkably, no desire to even attempt to rank the oftentimes unrankable (unless figure skaters or contestants on Dancing With The Stars are involved). They seem quite content to just listen to music and not even contemplate what album should be sagaciously declared the year's best. And similarly content not caring about who happens to be topping what list. I know this for a fact because I asked the many females in my world if they knew who ruled Rolling Stone's roost (or Spin, or NME, or Pitchfork, or whatever), and the answer I received most often was: "How did you get my phone number?" Followed closely by, "Who cares?"
Who cares? My word, I care. That's who!
Honestly, I'll tell you who really cares. Sports guys care, and I'm one of them. And why do we care? Because, we are the worst. We are the most anal, the most compulsive, the sickest seekers of some sort of hierarchy in all things, as established by... us. We demand demarcation. We want to know. We need to know. We won't leave a bar or a dinner party until it's decided, definitively, which means we're there until someone turns out the lights, or the sun comes up, or the booze runs out, debating, say: Top 10 Lefty Relievers Ever. Five Best Goalies to Ever Wear the Blue & White. Did I mention that this is a sickness?
Eventually, of course, we run out of sports topics to demarcate to death, so we turn our musings to music. I cannot tell you why so many sports journalists are music nuts. But they are. And they tend to not be paddling their dinghies down music's mainstream. Check out any indie or alternative concert at any oddball hole-in-the-wall venue and you'll find them, front and centre, generally not acting their age -- all the guys who write-up sports stories, or put their ballsy baritones into jock broadcasts, or light-up the nightly sportscasts with their wit and wisdom. And all probably inventing more infernal lists as they jabber amongst themselves between sets of alt-rockers Capitalist Pigs Eat Paste & Die!
Top 10 Songs By The Jayhawks, Original Lineup. Or how about this gem, an old post by the A.V. Club breaking down Ten Great Songs Nearly Ruined By Saxaphone. Yeah, that one actually happened.
You know, I'm pretty sure that deep down most of us get it. We know that these lists are purely subjective and sans all science. And that our pathological postings on pecking order are no more definitive than anyone else's lousy list, no matter how obviously undiscerning and stupid their tastes. Now, as we zoom toward the close of 2013, as the lists just keep on piling up -- hey, how about a list of the Top 10 Album Lists? -- we surely become acutely aware that the world does not really need another curious cataloguing of the Top Albums of 2013.
Yeah, whatever.
It's been a banner year for new music. Here's my list (Editor's note: this list is indeed definitive and makes all other lists look like Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers -- that is, pale Pretenders):
1. Okkervil River, The Silver Gymnasium
2. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
3. The National, Trouble Will Find Me
4. Parquet Courts, Light Up Gold
5. The Avett Brothers, Magpie & The Dandelion
6. Sam Phillips, Push Any Button
7. Jake Bugg, Shangri La
8. The Head & The Heart, Let's Be Still
9. Paul McCartney, New
10. Cayucas, Big Foot
11. Jimmy Eat World, Damage
12. Foxygen, We Are The 21rst Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
13. Neko Case, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight
14. Generationals, Heza
15. The Olms, The Olms
16. Laura Marling, Once I Was An Eagle
17. Dawes, Stories Don't End
18. San Fermin, San Fermin
19. The Shouting Matches, Grownass Man
20. Tedeschi Trucks Band, Made Up Mind
21. The Civil Wars, The Civil Wars
22. Lorde, Pure Heroine
23. Washed Out, Paracosm
24. Haim, Days Are Gone
25. The Milk Carton Kids, Ashes & Clay


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Tag Archives: Foodworks
NYC Food Manufacturers Networking and Panels Event
from the inbox: On Monday, October 24th (National Food Day), the NYC Council and the NYC Economic Development Corporation will be hosting the first of two food expos aimed at building connections between producers, processors and buyers across New York's food … Continue reading
From Speaker Quinn's office
Quinn's food proposals moving forward. Rather late notice for public hearings scheduled for Monday. Below from her email blast: February 25, 2011 Dear New Yorker, This Monday (Feb. 28th) at 1 p.m. in the 14th Floor Committee Room at 250 Broadway … Continue reading
Quinn Communicates with Cooperatives
Photos and summary from roving reporter Lippe: Last Thursday 1/21, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn visited the monthly meeting of the Food Co-op Alliance NYC, to discuss her recently announced Foodworks plan, and receive feedback from NYC co-ops … Continue reading
Speaker Quinn's Vision: Foodworks
I heard about this thanks to WNYC's Leonard Lopate program. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's office has released a 86 page report that attempts to deal with the problems of waste, hunger, obesity, jobs, and energy consumption, here in New … Continue reading


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The real estate business can be tricky to navigate successfully. There are a lot of ins and out to learn. The more you know the better prepared your are to invest in real estate.
According to Steven Alonge, President of Realty Coach Enterprises, Inc. and author of several published real estate investing books and guides, these are the most important things to do before you purchase a property:
- Research, Research, Research! Get to really know the area that you are considering investing and living in. The more you know about the area the better poised you will be to take advantage of properties that you are interested.
- Visit the area through the day and all seasons. An area may very different in the summer as when you first visited in the winter and the more you know of what each season brings to this area. Climate is important as well as seasonal events and other aspects that make this area special during different times of the year.
- Get pre-qualified for a loan. There are usually multiple loan programs out there for you choose from. Examine all of your options as you may preserve your cash for remodeling by taking a loan that has less upfront costs.
- Make sure you're must-haves are in line with your budget not your wish list. This is not time to to let your emotions run away with you.
- If you have to think about it then it is the wrong house. In most markets by the time you weigh it out its gone. You should continue looking until you can say THIS IS IT!!!
- Have a Home Inspection to eliminate surprises. You can sometimes renegotiate your price after you know the extent of the condition of the property in question.
- Will this be the one and only property you will buy? Some people live in a home forever while others know that in 5 years they will be ready to move on. Postponing items on youre must haves for a later date can satisfy the immediate desire knowing this is the first step to everything.
- Add 10% to what you think things will cost. Be prepared.
And when you find your property that says THIS IS IT, call Realty Coach Enterprises, Inc. We are here to help!


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Jimmy Carter: US "has no functioning democracy"
The former president weighs in on NSA and the future of Internet platforms like Google and Facebook
By Alberto Riva
Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is so concerned about the NSA spying scandal that he thinks it has essentially resulted in a suspension of American democracy.
"America does not at the moment have a functioning democracy," he said at an event in Atlanta on Tuesday sponsored by the Atlantik Bruecke, a private nonprofit association working to further the German-U.S. relationship. The association's name is German for "Atlantic bridge."


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Marinda Wilson
Chattahoochee High Chattahoochee, FL Class of 1979
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