tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14745942770492696162024-03-12T16:54:54.704-07:00WHO SAID WHAT AND WHENAnalysis of news and views - from all fields of human interest across the globe - with a view to highlight and promote information useful for human enlightenment and development.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-50526558255477011982023-06-08T01:57:00.002-07:002023-06-08T01:57:20.351-07:00 “This is, in my opinion, political incontinence on our part. We are wetting ourselves and can’t do anything about. This is insane”<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Were672i426f1rJSZ7OUpikb6DlXr5CDYqvb4lCKatQnAHeGd_7canP16KFTRFw7CHY1rawjaA6Xo0tdzTfwfgG42KYW2VupYSQ2GI7ctBbvEqYRBY20gFvGjJZ9L7Y_vtMNA9gTZHqY5a8YNyV9KZ9SKalF02rMhwhzrppy-jzZfWQ_kBRGKxjO-Q/s240/Steve%20Womack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="191" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Were672i426f1rJSZ7OUpikb6DlXr5CDYqvb4lCKatQnAHeGd_7canP16KFTRFw7CHY1rawjaA6Xo0tdzTfwfgG42KYW2VupYSQ2GI7ctBbvEqYRBY20gFvGjJZ9L7Y_vtMNA9gTZHqY5a8YNyV9KZ9SKalF02rMhwhzrppy-jzZfWQ_kBRGKxjO-Q/s1600/Steve%20Womack.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Steve Womack</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Said: <a href="https://womack.house.gov/biography/" target="_blank">Rep. Steve Womack</a> (R-Ark.) commenting on a small faction of GOP leaders who were bent upon blockibg the functioning of the House. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Leadership remains unclear what exactly the group of 11 Republicans want, and different members want different things, making it more difficult to address their concerns.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/07/house-republicans-mccarthy-freedom-caucus/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a></b>, a two-day stalemate between hard-right Republicans and GOP leaders has effectively frozen the House from considering any legislation for the foreseeable future, as both groups failed to find a resolution to the standoff that would allow the majority to vote on bills.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"McCarthy, Biden and their lieutenants had brokered a deal days before to suspend the debt ceiling until 2025 and cut federal spending, prompting outrage from several hard-right GOP lawmakers who argued that the bill did not cut spending enough — and who accused McCarthy of violating several promises that they say helped them elect him speaker. The blockade presents a high-stakes challenge for McCarthy. The conflict not only threatens McCarthy’s tenure with the speaker’s gavel, but also the House’s ability to take up any legislation, contributing to growing irritation within the razor-thin majority," the Post reported.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“This is, in my opinion, political incontinence on our part. We are wetting ourselves and can’t do anything about. This is insane,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said. “This is not the way a governing majority is expected to behave. And frankly, I think there’ll be a political cost to it.”</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Womack did not save criticism for leaders, noting that rank-and-file members had not heard from their leadership all day about what was happening Wednesday.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“You got the tail wagging the dog. You got a small group of people who are pissed off that are keeping the house of representatives from functioning today, and I think the American people are not going to take too kindly to that,” he added.</span></i></p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-39319824467331080232023-05-13T23:42:00.000-07:002023-05-13T23:42:24.611-07:00"Why do anchors and their guests behave like ghouls at a post-mortem when their patient is still alive?"<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYw0g8kmHoJhONXR0Ijlf2EF0MOy49HjYXBFpRFmKHyBj24clPsBUYoCN1RQIWktvMyLI-SWKNXmc5kJNqg-Hjvt0ZZxNAdDl4IEjEldHH77kDEXLU_p8Amrp93Ow93iBBpCILmTTG0lZrdFSefedIYtP1f8GzX5c6QbStF5lKYl9W6GYQFodxSPxryA/s140/Mukul%20Kesavan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="140" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYw0g8kmHoJhONXR0Ijlf2EF0MOy49HjYXBFpRFmKHyBj24clPsBUYoCN1RQIWktvMyLI-SWKNXmc5kJNqg-Hjvt0ZZxNAdDl4IEjEldHH77kDEXLU_p8Amrp93Ow93iBBpCILmTTG0lZrdFSefedIYtP1f8GzX5c6QbStF5lKYl9W6GYQFodxSPxryA/s1600/Mukul%20Kesavan.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>"Why do anchors and their guests behave like ghouls at a post-mortem when their patient is still alive?," asked Mukul Kesavan, a historian, novelist and political and social essayist.<p></p><p>Mukul Kesavan, in his article titled <b>"BJP-bin Dakshin"</b> in <b>The Telegraph online</b>, reviewed the way anchors at different TV channels were covering the live election results of the Karnataka Assembly yesterday. He specially cited a moment during the Karnataka results show when the Congress’s leads dropped to 113, a bare majority. According to him the oddest reaction to the Congress’s brief slump in the leads was Rajdeep Sardesai’s bizarre outburst on the India Today channel. "Sardesai took it upon himself to chide the Congress spokesperson, Congress leaders, and party workers for a) not working hard enough on the ground to ensure a substantial majority and b) for celebrating prematurely," he wrote.</p><p>However, when it became clear that the Congress was all set to comfortably cross the majority mark, most anchors changed their tune and started praising the Congress's overall strategy. Kesavan termed the election coverage as 'T20-style' and asked: "Why do anchors and their guests behave like ghouls at a post-mortem when their patient is still alive?"</p><p>Read the full article <b><a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/bjp-bin-dakshin-the-saffron-partys-rout-in-the-south/cid/1936704" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-77785948510385072862022-10-12T07:21:00.000-07:002022-10-12T07:21:38.553-07:00China’s ruling Communist Party is seeking to create “client economies and governments"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwX7n0CKxilGiEesF5xXGDLj47LyEBI8UJdiCVNXNGSMHI0XQpC8k32AWS9AHXznAQcURxns6PO8yVku6qIyd_lRXBlHS6Rqg3VEUycwf1UKJKxtYI2K6ywfEmj_XDM0LjR4LMc3vaIgyiqJnFRpzNrghjwQsQ6NjnhFzC2VWYXjUUpbS3uJVIWa1SA/s250/Jeremy%20Fleming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="250" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwX7n0CKxilGiEesF5xXGDLj47LyEBI8UJdiCVNXNGSMHI0XQpC8k32AWS9AHXznAQcURxns6PO8yVku6qIyd_lRXBlHS6Rqg3VEUycwf1UKJKxtYI2K6ywfEmj_XDM0LjR4LMc3vaIgyiqJnFRpzNrghjwQsQ6NjnhFzC2VWYXjUUpbS3uJVIWa1SA/s1600/Jeremy%20Fleming.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>"China’s ruling Communist Party is seeking to create <b>“client economies and governments,”</b> said Jeremy Fleming, head of the secretive GCHQ, Britain’s intelligence, cyber and security agency. Fleming said this in an address to the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London. <p></p><p>"In a future crisis, Beijing could exploit information covertly extracted from client economies and governments, or use its monopoly to demand compliance in international fora. To catch a glimpse of that future, one only needs only look at how China has already sought to do just this, leveraging its influence over many smaller nations in votes over technology, ethics and foreign policy," he said.</p><p>Fleming also spoke about Russia's failure in the Ukraine war and “strategic errors in judgment” committed by President Vladimir Putin.</p><p>You can go through the full transcript of Jeremy Fleming's lecture and also watch the entire video <b><a href="https://rusi.org/events/open-to-all/rusi-annual-security-lecture-2022-sir-jeremy-fleming-director-gchq" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-81843780972618477652022-03-06T10:30:00.000-08:002022-03-06T10:30:08.529-08:00“This notion that somehow banning Russian oil would raise prices on American consumers is an admission that this guy, that this killer, that this butcher, Vladimir Putin, has leverage over us.”<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOySwgZZvJjZN6wrcU6oAG-8iNPnKp7banudrXdlVpJ5grZEEcrIUlUdR8V_tgOmCRwo_d1emGQk1frxMRp04A1J__cmey1yJewBxD2fPThhBsF31ZRrQ1apoiQd1zY4PJimbpN14L5GAsQfSzyG7rfRPPzOOxy3ydJWMpXOHye69OYo9g27StnbCyPA=s246" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="225" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOySwgZZvJjZN6wrcU6oAG-8iNPnKp7banudrXdlVpJ5grZEEcrIUlUdR8V_tgOmCRwo_d1emGQk1frxMRp04A1J__cmey1yJewBxD2fPThhBsF31ZRrQ1apoiQd1zY4PJimbpN14L5GAsQfSzyG7rfRPPzOOxy3ydJWMpXOHye69OYo9g27StnbCyPA" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Marco Rubio</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Said Florida senator Marco Rubio (R) on Sunday’s US TV talk shows. This appears in a news item published in today's <b>The Guardian</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rubio said he supported Biden’s resistance to issuing a Russian oil import ban so far. But the US could “phase that in pretty rapidly” using “reserves for the purposes of buffering that”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“We have more than enough ability in this country to produce enough oil to make up for the percentage that we buy from Russia,” Rubio said, adding that: “This notion that somehow banning Russian oil would raise prices on American consumers is an admission that this guy, that this killer, that this butcher, Vladimir Putin, has leverage over us.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“I think we have enough that we should produce more American oil and buy less Russian oil or none – actually, none at all,” Rubio added.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">Marco Antonio Rubio is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States Senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2008.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"> <a class="ruhjFe NJLBac fl" data-ved="2ahUKEwjfxLmxjbL2AhXJLqYKHYUQD2MQmhN6BAgSEAI" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio&ved=2ahUKEwjfxLmxjbL2AhXJLqYKHYUQD2MQmhN6BAgSEAI" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); color: #1a0dab; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;" target="_blank"><b>Wikipedia</b></a></span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Read the full news item <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-nAews/2022/mar/06/us-allies-discuss-russian-oil-imports-ban" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span></p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-82156032653019354872022-03-05T08:36:00.004-08:002022-03-05T08:45:49.741-08:00'Putin's personal security is very good and it will be very good until the moment it isn't.'<p><span face="graphik, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizhPUpzIJ_TKzGFmHCj25DVu79hRCRrhsDzvSqwAUoa6jVcM1J_F2-QusHZ5c7bgzHjwL2WNnhcWHgqDwB-jhgylWgltITZMPZaqAzBRCaop7s89bT7VCKX-IH8sJp1vkmAfImdfOrcAfgXYfm5fjuX-hJ_abgtGIr5_7SXFqEgFM-SVmjBPUl6oYaug=s224" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizhPUpzIJ_TKzGFmHCj25DVu79hRCRrhsDzvSqwAUoa6jVcM1J_F2-QusHZ5c7bgzHjwL2WNnhcWHgqDwB-jhgylWgltITZMPZaqAzBRCaop7s89bT7VCKX-IH8sJp1vkmAfImdfOrcAfgXYfm5fjuX-hJ_abgtGIr5_7SXFqEgFM-SVmjBPUl6oYaug" width="224" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Eliot A. Cohen</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face="graphik, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.16px;">Said <a href="https://www.csis.org/people/eliot-cohen" target="_blank">Eliot A. Cohen</a> from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think-tank in an article </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.16px;">by Elmira Tanatarova for Mailonline and AFP.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.16px;">'That's happened numerous times in Soviet and Russian history.'</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.16px;">The article discusses five different ways set out by Experts that Russia's invasion could develop.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span face="graphik, Arial, sans-serif" style="letter-spacing: -0.16px;"> <br /></span><span face="graphik, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.16px;">Russian President Vladimir Putin is keeping a close eye on domestic dissent. </span><span face="graphik, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.16px;">Though not seen as likely at this stage, the possibility of Putin being brought down in a popular backlash or even a palace coup is not being ruled out.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: -0.16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: -0.16px;">Read the full article <b><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10580387/Experts-outline-five-ways-Ukraine-war-10-days-Putins-invasion.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span></div>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-53578355950123345812020-11-13T18:50:00.001-08:002020-11-13T18:53:50.996-08:00"A coup would not stand. It would end the best way possible for the G.O.P.—with him dead or in jail. He doesn’t want either of those, so it’s a con.”<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6FReWV39Ozc/X69CALhpfQI/AAAAAAAAhm0/f-Ga5aAkdpkXP-DSPE5r7j7kdTVL1GS0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s235/William%2BKristol.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="William Kristol" border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6FReWV39Ozc/X69CALhpfQI/AAAAAAAAhm0/f-Ga5aAkdpkXP-DSPE5r7j7kdTVL1GS0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/William%2BKristol.jpg" title="William Kristol" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Said: </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/kristol-bio.html?mcubz=0" target="_blank">William Kristol,</a></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"> the conservative leader of the Never Trump movement when asked "</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Is This a Coup, or Just Another Trump Con?"</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"> by </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/susan-b-glasser" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Susan B. Glasser</a><b> </b>who writes a weekly column in The New Yorker on life in Trump’s Washington. The question asked was in reference to Donald Trump's refusal to concede defeat, and prevent Joe Biden, The President Elect, from smooth transition.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Susan, in her Nov. 13 column "<b><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/is-this-a-coup-or-just-another-trump-con?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_111320&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9e3c33f92a40469fa557e&cndid=28265782&hasha=c7649ec6cfe98123908d3662823931e5&hashb=c207f414ca004ddcb7cde100fe4d3cfd0d16b978&hashc=54a6754d68ca64ea09c55214647ab718df97573b0be7e424fde1f7736099c1a4&esrc=&mbid=mbid%3DCRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily" target="_blank">Is This a Coup, or Just Another Trump Con</a></b>?" in The New Yorker writes: </span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">On Thursday, five days into this insane impasse, I asked a dozen of the smartest Washington hands I know what to make of it all: Was this a coup in the making, or just another Trump con? Taken together, their responses were modestly reassuring. <br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">“A little coup, a lot of con, and a total and reckless disregard for the health of our democracy or country,”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">William Kristol, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">the conservative leader of the Never Trump movement, told me. “He couldn’t organize a one-car funeral; he sure as hell can’t organize a coup,” a leading Republican pollster, who worked with a number of the Party’s candidates this election and asked not to be named, said. “Besides, a coup would not stand. It would end the best way possible for the G.O.P.—with him dead or in jail. He doesn’t want either of those, so it’s a con.”</span></span></div>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-34185729254517800712020-09-30T05:04:00.001-07:002020-09-30T06:10:48.117-07:00 Don't Forget the Workers<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1VHCTb7lAQ/X3Rzza3W-QI/AAAAAAAAhQA/bzRM980lfoQV8FRXPEt51Ys2_QsbDJUnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Earl%2BAnthony%2BWayne.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1VHCTb7lAQ/X3Rzza3W-QI/AAAAAAAAhQA/bzRM980lfoQV8FRXPEt51Ys2_QsbDJUnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Earl%2BAnthony%2BWayne.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Says <b><a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/earl-anthony-wayne" target="_blank">Earl Anthony Wayne</a></b>, Public Policy Fellow, <b><a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/about-21" target="_blank">Mexico Institute</a></b> at the Wilson Center, Washington. In an article titled <b><a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/dont-forget-workers" target="_blank">"Don't Forget the Workers"</a></b> published on September 25, 2020, Wayne, who has served as Career Ambassador to Afghanistan, Argentina, and Mexico, suggests that as the U.S. Congress makes yet another effort to approve a new covid-19 relief package, it is urgent that the legislators include additional robust funding for re-skilling and upskilling workers. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><i style="font-family: helvetica;">"Congressional action should encompass opportunities for workers still on the job as well as those who are out of work, those whose jobs will never return, and younger individuals seeking to enter the job market. If done well, such programs will boost employment, the economic recovery and the future of U.S. workers and businesses," he writes.</i></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wayne quoted a 2019 McKinsey study, which predicted that workers without college degrees would be four times more likely to lose their jobs to automation than those with a bachelor’s degree over the decade. "Those same workers have experienced the greatest losses of employment and income during the pandemic," writes Wayne. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"The pandemic appears to be fueling even greater negative effects for less skilled workers across North America as companies adopt new technology to help deal with the health-related workplace challenges for manufacturing, supply chains, service provision, etc."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wayne warns, quoting a report published in <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/19/finance-202-economists-talking-up-k-shaped-recovery-stocks-surge-inequality-widens/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a></b>, that inequality seems to be widening in the United States, with higher skilled workers adapting more successfully to the downturn than less educated and less skilled workers. It is clear that the economy that emerges from this crisis is not going back to old ways, nor will it put aside the new technologies and automation now being adopted. More jobs will be transformed, requiring new skills, and some will be permanently eliminated. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"The pandemic is more widely driving home the lessons of America’s relative underinvestment in primary and secondary education, for example, with very tough lessons for many families. As the pandemic accelerates technological transformations, the urgency of taking action to build a more skilled workforce grows," he concludes. </span></p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-15548333376924379232020-09-30T04:03:00.000-07:002020-09-30T04:03:46.410-07:00"Part of what I enjoy is what I don’t know"<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ePQxzSiYl6g/X3Rk3F9kIPI/AAAAAAAAhP0/gUlCO-at_hQEvJJkvmFX-W79aUe3iv6cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1067/Jacob%2BKampp%2BBerliner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Jacob Kampp Berliner" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ePQxzSiYl6g/X3Rk3F9kIPI/AAAAAAAAhP0/gUlCO-at_hQEvJJkvmFX-W79aUe3iv6cQCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/Jacob%2BKampp%2BBerliner.jpg" title="Jacob Kampp Berliner" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Said <b><a href="linkedin.com/in/jacob-kampp-berliner-00264824" target="_blank">Jacob Kampp Berliner</a></b>, Social Entrepreneur, in an interview with <b><a href="https://www.tigerofsweden.com" target="_blank">Tiger Of Sweden</a></b> for their website.</span><p></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tiger of Sweden is a Stockholm-based fashion house established in 1903 with a heritage in tailoring. Since then, the brand dresses men and women for whom true style is about the confidence to be themselves. Tiger of Sweden's collections encompass men's and women's tailoring, ready-to-wear and accessories. Headquartered in Stockholm, Tiger of Sweden's collections are sold globally, both online and at over 1,200 retail stores. The Company offers jeans, suits, shirts, knit wear, underwear, waistcoats, and accessories for men, as well as jeans, dresses, blazers, shirts, skirts, shorts, and accessories for women.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Excerpts from the interview:</b></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>So, what do you do, in your own words?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I invest and run businesses that all have a social purpose. The goal is always to do something better, or to do something that hasn’t been done before.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What do you mean by social?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Most of the projects I’m involved in is with more than one partner. And there’s always some social aspect of how we make decisions. And a lot of the projects are circled around Copenhagen. Somehow, they’re built like small families. I like the idea of thinking global when you do something but acting local.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Is that how you chose your businesses?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No, all of the businesses I’m involved in are all about doing something better or doing things in a new way. Like working with food in an organic way instead of a conventional way. But it’s always about make a progression of something that has already been invented.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>So would you say that being an entrepreneur is this social aspect of it?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yeah. But I’m not a big fan of the word entrepreneur. It’s like a boss word nowadays. I think the most important part is to create something that has a benefit somehow. Very often a business is just about making a profit and not actually something society gains from. But if it’s something everyone actually burns for, it will end up being a business. I’m not focused on smart ideas, I’m focused on a problem and how we can find a solution for it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What is success in these social businesses then?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think on a personal level success is ending up creating your own work life and that you create a lot of other people’s work-life. And you end up seeing someone go to start their own business. It’s to put ripples on the water somehow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>How do you see the potential?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It can be a business that’s dying out, like the record business a few years ago, and to find another way to do it. There’s always room for a niche.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Can you tell me something about a project you felt failed?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I’ve tried lots of projects that didn’t work out. Of course something can be a failure in the moment, but often it’s about the learning and the experience you gain from it. So I don’t feel afraid of doing something that doesn’t work out. The goal is not to do projects that are an extreme success. The goal is actually to projects that evolve yourself or you learn something new. I wasn’t great at school, and the failure of not getting an education I found out is the strongest thing I have now. I don’t know how to do things so I just do them. Sometimes you just have to do something first and then you find out. What I often bring to the table is energy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>So what inspires you? Someone you look up to?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No not really. If you’re able to rethink an idea and don’t try to copy what you did before, people who can do that I think are interesting. I went home early from my dad’s party the other week, but my dad went on to another party with my friends, and they sent me pictures of him dancing on the table. He’s like 65. I just like the idea that if you think less about what the norm is, what you can do and not do, that energy I think is important. I look up to people who don’t think too much about how they should fit in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What are you curious about right now?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The wheat business. Gender. Africa. And sustainability.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>We’ve been talking about confidence. What do you think that means?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Confidence is about being curious. To be open to new ideas and new solutions. To not rely on what is already said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What do you wish you’d had known when you started out?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Nothing really. Part of what I enjoy is what I don’t know.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Read More..... <b><a href="https://borsen.dk/nyheder/pleasure/historien-om-en-hippiedreng-der-blev-ivaerksaetter-jeg-kan-godt-lide-at-man-ikke-forholder-sig-til-rammerne-74mxt" target="_blank">Story Of </a></b></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://borsen.dk/nyheder/pleasure/historien-om-en-hippiedreng-der-blev-ivaerksaetter-jeg-kan-godt-lide-at-man-ikke-forholder-sig-til-rammerne-74mxt" target="_blank">Jacob Kampp Berliner</a></b></span></p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-90406448207491316872020-09-26T03:39:00.000-07:002020-09-26T03:39:44.001-07:00"Consider all verbal orders as circulars or face consequences"<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWoJeVfPcxE/X28Z7pX5fZI/AAAAAAAAhOw/m9i4AZSep70i6UvWJGYGiagEgrjgl-tGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/Gotabaya%2BRajapaksa%252C%2BExecutive%2BPresident%2Bof%2Bthe%2BDemocratic%2BSocialist%2BRepublic%2Bof%2BSri%2BLanka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWoJeVfPcxE/X28Z7pX5fZI/AAAAAAAAhOw/m9i4AZSep70i6UvWJGYGiagEgrjgl-tGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Gotabaya%2BRajapaksa%252C%2BExecutive%2BPresident%2Bof%2Bthe%2BDemocratic%2BSocialist%2BRepublic%2Bof%2BSri%2BLanka.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Said <b><a href="https://www.presidentsoffice.gov.lk/index.php/the-president/?lang=en" target="_blank">Gotabaya Rajapaksa</a></b>, President of Sri Lanka, on 25 September 2020 as reported by Sri Lanka's <b><a href="http://www.dailymirror.lk/ " target="_blank">Daily Mirror Online</a></b> (DMOL). </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed the officials to treat all of his verbal orders issued for the common good of the people as circulars to be implemented or face stern action if failed to do so.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to the DMOL, the President made these directives at the "Discussion with Villagers" forum which commenced at Velanwita village in Haldummulla, Badulla. The DMOL quoted President as saying: “I expect public officials to consciously comprehend the problems of the people and provide solutions. I will always stand by the officials who make the right and unwavering decisions on behalf of the people. State institutions take a long time to address people's issues. If a written inquiry from one institution does not receive a reply from the other institution within 14 days, consider it as approved.” He warned that “Those who neglect this will face stern action.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as the 7th Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka following the Presidential Election held on 16th November 2019.</span></p><div><br /></div>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-61982949102473037422020-09-20T04:52:00.000-07:002020-09-20T04:52:25.449-07:00 "Citizenship has acquired an enormous economic value"<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hpxmiZzbLQ/X2dB0LjeqqI/AAAAAAAAhMs/QdBxBGt6h8oTLjbr5FCVOmFWBh8HNHD2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s465/branko-milanovic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hpxmiZzbLQ/X2dB0LjeqqI/AAAAAAAAhMs/QdBxBGt6h8oTLjbr5FCVOmFWBh8HNHD2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/branko-milanovic.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Branko Milanović</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Said </span><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu/people/milanovic-branko/" target="_blank">Branko Milanović</a></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, in a blogpost titled "</span><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://glineq.blogspot.com/2020/07/is-citizenship-just-rent_10.html" target="_blank">Is citizenship just a form of rent</a></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">?" </span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Branko Milanović is a visiting presidential professor at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and a senior scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-economic Inequality.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In a globalised world, composed of countries with vastly unequal mean incomes, citizenship has acquired an enormous economic value, argues Milanović. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"The existence of the welfare state in a world of enormous income differences between the countries has drawn a wedge between citizens of rich countries that enjoy these benefits and citizens of poor countries that do not. It has created a “citizenship rent” for those who are lucky to be citizens of the rich countries; and “citizenship penalty” for others. Two otherwise identical citizens of France and Mali will have entirely different sets of income-generating rights which stem from their citizenships alone."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Prof. Milanovic continues: "Our French and Malian citizens can be equally educated, experienced, and hard-working, but their wages will differ by a factor of 5 to 1, or even more, simply because one of them works in a rich and another in a poor country. In fact, around 60% of our lifetime incomes is determined by country of citizenship."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Prof. Milanovic’s paper "<b><a href="https://stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu/files/2015/05/milanovic-global-inequality-of-opportunity-how-much-of-our-income-is-determined-by-where-we-live-2015.pdf" target="_blank">Global Inequality of Opportunity: How Much of Our Income Is Determined by Where We Live?</a></b>" was published in May 2015 in the Review of Economics and Statistics (vol. 97, no. 2. pp. 452-460). The author has provided the above link for those who wish to read this paper.</span></p></div></div>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-32234455921047350032020-09-08T08:29:00.002-07:002020-09-08T08:39:18.375-07:00 “You cannot squeeze blood from a stone” <p><i><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-moO1bJOobVo/X1ejDFooHdI/AAAAAAAAhFA/eks7pOjHPq8rRorIkJwM4k_BQASDfMfSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s747/2020-09-08_205735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="747" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-moO1bJOobVo/X1ejDFooHdI/AAAAAAAAhFA/eks7pOjHPq8rRorIkJwM4k_BQASDfMfSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-09-08_205735.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><b>Maritess Jocson-Agoncillo</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>said Maritess Jocson-Agoncillo</b>, executive director of the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP) to Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat of <b><a href="https://mb.com.ph/" target="_blank">Manila Bulletin</a></b> who wrote a post titled: "Deep job cuts hit garment sector."</i></p><p>It is reported that the labor-intensive garment and apparel manufacturing industry is cutting jobs across all companies following a 50 percent decline in exports in the global market, particularly the US.</p><p>Maritess Jocson-Agoncillo, executive director of the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP), said at least 21,518 garment and apparel workers are going to lose jobs starting last June up to end this year. Some small companies that were not CONWEP members had started laying off since April this year.</p><p>“You cannot squeeze blood from a stone,” said Agoncillo. Already, 20 percent of its CONWEP’s 112,000 workers would be furloughed or retrenched. The entire garment industry employs 260,000 to 280,000 workers of which 112,000 are from CONWEP with most members coming from Regions 3, 4 and 7. The number of workers affected was based on its May survey, another survey is going to be conducted in October to assess the situation.</p><p>It is alleged that most of CONWEP members are big companies and are footloose, meaning they have operations all over. Because of the pandemic and the long lockdowns, some of them may just have shifted their production to other countries like Vietnam and Cambodia with less stringent lockdown and quarantine restrictions.</p><p>Agoncillo, however, denied that some CONWEP members are closing operations permanently but admitted that retrenchments are happening across member firms.</p><p>“Some companies have gone into repurpose and were able to save some jobs, but there are some CONWEP members like those in shoes and bags that cannot just repurpose to manufacture face masks and personal protective equipment because not anyone can spend $3 million to $4 million to get into a clean room set up for a repurpose firm,” she explained.</p><p>Agoncillo also denied reports that retrenched workers were not given advanced notice. "The garment manufacturing sector is one of the most unionized industries in the country," she said.</p><p>Agoncillo, who likened the industry situation in 2006 or the year after the abolition of the garment quota, said, “We live by the day.”</p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-11896375175842929482020-09-03T05:09:00.000-07:002020-09-03T05:09:32.906-07:00We see a world across all warfighting domains where fourth and fifth-generation fighters and tactical forces on the ground can connect seamlessly with holistic situational awareness. Interoperability and battlespace connectivity are critical to staying ahead of our adversaries<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLZRZbAlWPk/X1DcG91vxqI/AAAAAAAAhDU/G2wQ_rKNn78B-I4caEB5LwR62kU2zQHewCLcBGAsYHQ/s281/kay%2Bsears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLZRZbAlWPk/X1DcG91vxqI/AAAAAAAAhDU/G2wQ_rKNn78B-I4caEB5LwR62kU2zQHewCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/kay%2Bsears.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">said Kay Sears, vice president and general manager of <b><a href="https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/index.html" target="_blank">Lockheed Martin Military Space</a></b>.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Lockheed Martin To Build 10 Small Satellite Mesh Network In Two Years</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Space Development Agency Transport Layer will use commercial approaches with rapid development and launch</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Littleton, Colorado (USA), Sept. 1, 2020 – <b><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-development-agency/" target="_blank">The Space Development Agency (SDA)</a></b> awarded a Tranche 0 contract of the Space Transport Layer to Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to demonstrate a mesh network of 10 small satellites that links terrestrial warfighting domains to space sensors – all launching in just two years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The $187.5-million contract for Transport Layer’s Tranche 0 is an initial test and demonstration phase, with two prime contractors building a total of 20 satellites. The first step toward building an interoperable, connected secure mesh network, it will help enable Joint All-Domain Operations, allowing warfighters to stay ahead of emerging threats. By linking nodes together, seamless connectivity is created between all domains, much like today’s smartphones.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“We see a world across all warfighting domains where fourth and fifth-generation fighters and tactical forces on the ground can connect seamlessly with holistic situational awareness,” said <b><a href="linkedin.com/in/kay-sears-9aa5351" target="_blank">Kay Sears</a></b>, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Military Space. “Interoperability and battlespace connectivity are critical to staying ahead of our adversaries.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The 10 satellites, operating in Low Earth Orbit, will provide secure high-bandwidth, low-latency data links. Additionally, new Link 16 network connectivity will be introduced to space. This capability will connect to systems that include fighter aircraft like F-16, F-22, and F-35, missile defense networks like PAC-3 and THAAD, weapons systems, and Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) networks, and will provide sensor-to-shooter targeting and situational awareness for tactical land and maritime warfighters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Changing the Dynamics of Warfighting</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This beyond-line-of-site tracking, targeting and communications will dramatically extend U.S. warfighting options and allows additional coalition and allied partners to eventually bring their capabilities into the network. Interoperability extends into space with prospective data connections to commercial satellite communications (SATCOM) and other military protected satcom systems, which will require close partnership with multiple companies across industry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>How Software Adds Flexibility to Missions</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Each Transport Layer satellite will be fully-software defined, using SmartSat™, Lockheed Martin’s software-defined platform that makes it easier to dynamically add and quickly change missions in orbit through simple app uploads. The satellites will also be fully cyber-hardened from day one using Lockheed Martin’s Cyber Resiliency Level® model to identify cyber strengths and weaknesses so we can address those early in the design process.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Transport Layer contributes to resilience in space communications. Mission resilience comes from being able to form a seamless network of networks, with network nodes spanning multiple domains and services provided via multiple tactical data links, making it much harder for an adversary to disrupt because of network diversity and node distribution.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>About Lockheed Martin</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. </i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Source: Press Release by </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lockheed Martin Military Space</span></i></p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-5288865013873404702020-09-02T04:48:00.006-07:002020-09-03T05:11:56.829-07:00Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">"</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/" target="_blank">Pew Research Center</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> decided a year ago to use 1996 as the last birth year for Millennials for our future work. Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward is part of a new generation," said </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/michael-dimock/" target="_blank">Michael Dimock</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">, president of Pew Research Center in his blogpost.</span></blockquote></h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S4Tj716D_Ss/X0-Dgqmbr8I/AAAAAAAAhCM/RB2bK5HsMEQ8-5P83ZN1scKsGZeh8yHNACLcBGAsYHQ/s510/PEW-Research-Center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="510" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S4Tj716D_Ss/X0-Dgqmbr8I/AAAAAAAAhCM/RB2bK5HsMEQ8-5P83ZN1scKsGZeh8yHNACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/PEW-Research-Center.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>A short extract from Michael Dimock's blogpost is reproduced below:<span></span></i></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="200" height="299" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNMVyZVdAq0/X0-Fc6MLaSI/AAAAAAAAhCk/YNBuv33wZlglFNrvkkz3gD7qWA-pNrMJwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h299/Dimock_Mike.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;">Michael Dimock</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unlike the Boomers, there are no comparably definitive thresholds by which later generational boundaries are defined. But for analytical purposes, we believe 1996 is a meaningful cutoff between Millennials and Gen Z for a number of reasons, including key political, economic and social factors that define the Millennial generation’s formative years.</span><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Baby Boomers grew up as television expanded dramatically, changing their lifestyles and connection to the world in fundamental ways. Generation X grew up as the computer revolution was taking hold, and Millennials came of age during the internet explosion.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In this progression, what is unique for Generation Z is that all of the above have been part of their lives from the start. The iPhone launched in 2007, when the oldest Gen Zers were 10. By the time they were in their teens, the primary means by which young Americans connected with the web was through mobile devices, WiFi and high-bandwidth cellular service. Social media, constant connectivity and on-demand entertainment and communication are innovations Millennials adapted to as they came of age. For those born after 1996, these are largely assumed.</span></p><div><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Through public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research, the Center generates a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue and supports sound decision-making. It does not take policy positions.</i></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Read the full </span><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/" target="_blank">blogpost</a></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> here.</span></p>Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-72218586513998108602020-03-29T18:28:00.002-07:002020-03-29T18:33:32.522-07:00Beijing is masking the greatest health emergency in a century and the cost of this deceit is global: Thomas Georg John Tugendhat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOwLcSgb-eo/XoFMEaItmPI/AAAAAAAAgGg/joQ9X1r6daAYiKQQSgrqGr0doa2xicrfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Tom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="646" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOwLcSgb-eo/XoFMEaItmPI/AAAAAAAAgGg/joQ9X1r6daAYiKQQSgrqGr0doa2xicrfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Tom.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>(Source: https://www.tomtugendhat.org/)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat said: 'Beijing is masking the greatest health emergency in a century and the cost of this deceit is global,' the <b><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8163707/Chinas-efforts-blame-coronavirus-army-delegation-Wuhan-infuriate-No-10.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail, UK</a></b> reports.<br />
<br />
The report further says there is growing pressure for Britain to lead the way in urging China to reform its record on animal rights. A senior Minister said: 'We have always known their wildlife markets are a recipe for a pandemic. China needs to close these down immediately. If they don't, they will rightly become a pariah state.'<br />
<br />
China also contributed to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) desperately needed by Britain's doctors, nurses and other health professionals. At the height of the epidemic in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, Chinese leaders commandeered vast amounts of PPE, made in factories across China and destined for export.<br />
<br />
UK safety equipment firm JSP had its two factories in China 'requisitioned by the government to make disposable RPE [respiratory protection equipment] for Chinese government agencies', according to a letter its chief executive Mark Johnstone sent to customers on February 3.<br />
<br />
In addition, Chinese state-backed operatives working abroad were directed to bulk-buy medical supplies from Western countries. Overseas offices of Greenland Group, a property firm backed by the Chinese government, bought three million masks, 700,000 hazmat suits and 500,000 pairs of gloves as it 'felt compelled… to assist in efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, which had caused a shortage of crucial medical supplies in China,' according to a company newsletter seen by the Sydney Morning Herald.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<i>Ironically – and for critics, cynically – China has now started to donate masks and other equipment to other countries. Bank of China has sent 200,000 PPE items to Ireland and Chinese tycoon Jack Ma has given test kit, masks and other supplies to 54 African nations.</i></h3>
<br />
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat said: 'Beijing is masking the greatest health emergency in a century and the cost of this deceit is global.' </div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-91917186717932508842018-08-22T17:21:00.001-07:002018-08-22T17:25:08.942-07:00Is Trump an authoritarian, or a crook? The answer is shaping up. Trump must be an authoritarian precisely because he is a crook.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hjvAWnI_fEo/W339amU551I/AAAAAAAAcLc/vuQbt4vQ_lst2sOOO7zbc5HeGeTAhY3AwCLcBGAs/s1600/David%2BFrum%2Blarge_headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="144" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hjvAWnI_fEo/W339amU551I/AAAAAAAAcLc/vuQbt4vQ_lst2sOOO7zbc5HeGeTAhY3AwCLcBGAs/s200/David%2BFrum%2Blarge_headshot.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>David Frum</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said <b><a href="http://davidfrum.com/page/about" target="_blank">David Frum</a></b>, a senior editor at the Atlantic, in his post titled <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/the-president-is-a-crook/568123/" target="_blank">"The President Is a Crook"</a></b> today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Frum indicated that the chances of Trump shutting down Robert Mueller’s Russia inquiry now have increased. "Trump has apparently calculated that the cost of closing down Robert Mueller’s inquiry is greater than the cost of enduring it. That always looked a gamble against the odds. Now it looks a proven bad bet, and a bet that will only worsen over time," he wrote.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Donald Trump has expressed his frustration (<b><a href="http://www.wmal.com/2017/11/03/listen-president-donald-trump-to-larry-oconnor-im-very-unhappy-the-justice-department-isnt-going-after-hillary-clinton/" target="_blank">Listen here</a></b>) many times saying "The saddest thing is that because I'm the President of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. I am not supposed to be involved with the FBI."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Frum concludes writing this: "Trump’s whole philosophy of life is of a kill-or-be-killed competition. It’s an old question: Is Trump an authoritarian, or a crook? The answer is shaping up. Trump must be an authoritarian precisely because he is a crook. The country can have the rule of law, or it can keep the Trump presidency. Facing that choice, who doubts what Trump’s answer, or the answer of his supporters, will be?"</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the full post <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/the-president-is-a-crook/568123/" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span><br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<br /></h4>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-67663043934783991992018-08-15T11:41:00.005-07:002020-09-03T05:12:48.606-07:00‘They have dollars, we have God’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1OqxHUdNHKQ/W3RvwYO2IEI/AAAAAAAAcIU/UY_YPo-bz-85ZGKD0PadPiXw-4-ri3LfACLcBGAs/s1600/Recep_Tayyip_Erdogan_2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1OqxHUdNHKQ/W3RvwYO2IEI/AAAAAAAAcIU/UY_YPo-bz-85ZGKD0PadPiXw-4-ri3LfACLcBGAs/s320/Recep_Tayyip_Erdogan_2017.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Turkish </span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">politician serving as President </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">of Turkey </span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>
</i></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">since 2014. He previously served as </span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>
</i></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014 </span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">and as Mayor of Istanbul </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">from 1994 to 1998.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"> <a class="q ruhjFe NJLBac fl" data-ved="2ahUKEwjry4TO1u_cAhVpqVQKHTpmDFcQmhMwKXoECAcQFw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%25C4%259Fan&ved=2ahUKEwjry4TO1u_cAhVpqVQKHTpmDFcQmhMwKXoECAcQFw" style="color: #1a0dab; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;">Wikipedia</a></span></div>
</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling on his people to trust God during a rallying call to supporters in the Black Sea province of Rize on August 10. He said, "Today we are better than yesterday, tomorrow we will be better than today. You do not need to worry at all. Various manipulations were running. You shouldn't pay attention to those manipulations. Don't forget that, if they have their dollars we do have our people, we do have our God." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Erdogan was pointing in Washington’s direction when he said “they have dollars, we have God.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The exchange rate is around 6.6 liras for one dollar, and 7.5 liras for a euro, compared to 3.5 liras for one dollar and 4.1 liras for one euro in August last year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/recep-tayyip-erdogan-europe-watches-as-turkey-lira-currency-burns/" target="_blank">Politico</a></b>, in its July 14 post titled "<b>Europe watches as Turkey burns"</b> has indicated that Turkey's current crisis is the result of years of loose fiscal and monetary policies and is almost entirely of Erdoğan’s own making. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another observation made in this article points out that "a big part of what makes the situation so dangerous for Turkey is that Erdoğan is the only one with the power to fix things. He is unlikely to do so in the near term."</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Instead of pursuing a compromise in his standoff with the Trump administration over Turkey’s imprisonment of an <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45156368" target="_blank">American pastor</a>, Erdoğan is digging in his heels, signalling this week that he’s prepared for “war.” On Tuesday he said Turks would boycott iPhones and other American electronics. He also lashed out at domestic critics of Turkey, calling them “traitors” and “economic terrorists.” <i>(Politico)</i></b></span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8NRnZhGfbzc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8NRnZhGfbzc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Erdoğan has already <b><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/erdogan-announces-boycott-of-american-electronics/" target="_blank">announced</a></b> ‘boycott’ of American electronics, according to the latest reports.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the full article of Politico <b><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/recep-tayyip-erdogan-europe-watches-as-turkey-lira-currency-burns/" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-22522046348595451872018-07-18T18:45:00.001-07:002018-07-18T18:46:47.120-07:00“I’m a low-key understated guy but that should not be mistaken for what my spine is made of - so I’ll just leave it at that."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eXov0-lg9Go/W0_s1PiJZXI/AAAAAAAAbjo/6NgxtkgfPnwn0fUt30iM0y_YbXaxdjENwCLcBGAs/s1600/Chris_Wray_official_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="219" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eXov0-lg9Go/W0_s1PiJZXI/AAAAAAAAbjo/6NgxtkgfPnwn0fUt30iM0y_YbXaxdjENwCLcBGAs/s1600/Chris_Wray_official_photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_A._Wray" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Christopher Wray</span></a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said FBI Director <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_A._Wray" target="_blank">Christopher Wray</a></b> when asked if he’d threatened to quit his post at any point, in a question-and-answer session at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, reported Bloomberg.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Here are the highlights of what else Director Wray opined:</i></span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mueller investigation is NOT a “witch hunt.” I think it’s a professional investigation conducted by a man that I’ve known to be a straight shooter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stand by the assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia acted - and continues to act - to interfere in American politics.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Russia is “by far the most aggressive actor” trying to disrupt U.S. society and continues to engage in “malign influence operations” aimed at sowing discord and divisiveness.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Asked if he’d threatened to quit his post at any point, Wray said, “I’m a low-key understated guy but that should not be mistaken for what my spine is made of -- so I’ll just leave it at that."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the full article <b><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-07-18/is-trump-a-traitor-is-that-a-fair-question" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also the video of the event below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NoFqNFxBECU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NoFqNFxBECU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-32440238756814502932018-07-16T00:03:00.000-07:002018-07-16T00:08:53.871-07:00“You can almost see the picture of Snowden in handcuffs being dragged into Air Force One"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t-eEzIncBr8/W0xCEPM8deI/AAAAAAAAbiY/iNUdYjb_hMo9gETXWtN1-z-Yar4uoOVbACLcBGAs/s1600/Geoffrey%2BStone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="480" height="254" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t-eEzIncBr8/W0xCEPM8deI/AAAAAAAAbiY/iNUdYjb_hMo9gETXWtN1-z-Yar4uoOVbACLcBGAs/s320/Geoffrey%2BStone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said <b><a href="https://provost.uchicago.edu/directory/geoffrey-r-stone" target="_blank">Prof. Geoffrey Stone</a></b> of the University of Chicago Law School as per an article titled<b><span style="color: red;"> "Trump-Putin summit mystery: What about Snowden?"</span></b> written by Stephanie Murray in today's Politico.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Murray notes that as a candidate, Trump “guarantee[d]” he would bring home the infamous National Security Agency whistleblower. But as president, however, he has shown no desire to bring Snowden back. Murray in his article writes "some experts think handing over Snowden would be an easy way for Putin to do Trump a favor — giving the president a victory that would especially please intelligence and national security officials angry he hasn’t done more to counter Russian election meddling. Before Trump was sworn in in January 2017, former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell wrote that handing over <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden" target="_blank">Edward Snowden</a></b> would be “the perfect inauguration gift” from Putin to Trump."</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OyMv5FikNU8/W0xCV8uAGdI/AAAAAAAAbig/EahPyPLWNEsuF0Cq7eOAdxEekh0fV3S9QCLcBGAs/s1600/putin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1000" height="216" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OyMv5FikNU8/W0xCV8uAGdI/AAAAAAAAbig/EahPyPLWNEsuF0Cq7eOAdxEekh0fV3S9QCLcBGAs/s400/putin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Source: sputniknews.com</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>“If Trump wants this as a victory then I don’t see why Putin wouldn’t give it to him. If Putin wants to either do a favor for Trump or make Trump look good, and if Trump wants this, it would be an easy thing for Putin to do. You can almost see the picture of Snowden in handcuffs being dragged into Air Force One,” Prof. Stone is reported saying.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the full article <b><a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/15/trump-putin-snowden-summit-722256" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span></div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-7953512974852638712018-07-09T13:01:00.000-07:002018-07-09T13:01:08.601-07:00"Capitalism is not a game where the person who dies with the most money wins. Wealth is deferred consumption, and if you die without spending your money or giving it away, then you’ve deferred that consumption a bit too much."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qD8aXurPkhE/W0OvpfXsPkI/AAAAAAAAbV8/jhSiTwPszT8Zy9PbeFYNXSQI1JDPc8tXACLcBGAs/s1600/flex_solmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="271" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qD8aXurPkhE/W0OvpfXsPkI/AAAAAAAAbV8/jhSiTwPszT8Zy9PbeFYNXSQI1JDPc8tXACLcBGAs/s1600/flex_solmen.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Salmon">Source</a></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Said: <b>Felix Salmon, </b>a regular Slate contributor and host of the <b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/slate_money.html">Slate Money podcast</a>,</b> in his </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 8, 2018 </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">piece "Takeaway From the New Billionaires Ranking: Zuckerberg and Bezos Don’t Give Away Enough Money" in </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://slate.com/business/2018/07/zuckerberg-tops-buffett-in-billionaires-ranking-because-he-doesnt-give-away-enough-money.html">slate.com</a>.</b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Felix explains how and why '<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a></b> Tops Warren Buffett' in the Bloomberg’s list of world’s-richest people. In the same way how Amazon's <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos">Jeff Bezos</a></b> has now become richer than Bill Gates. The difference in the net worth is the result of the fact that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are also in "the competition to give away the most money in service of making the world a better place." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/">Bill Gates</a></b> has donated more than 700 million shares of Microsoft since 1994 and <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett">Warren Buffett</a></b> some 290 million Berkshire Hathaway B-shares since 2006 for the charity work being done throughout the world. Felix writes that if they’d simply held on to those shares instead, Bill Gates today would be some $71 billion richer having a net worth of $165 billion, making him comfortably the world’s richest man. Similarly, Warren Buffett would have about $54 billion extra to his current net worth of $81.2 billion, and he would be worth roughly $135 billion today. That’s way more than Zuckerberg.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s to their credit that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett aren’t in the world’s-richest-man competition, and both are quite happy to be overtaken in the richest-man stakes by others. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The important thing to remember is that capitalism is not a game where the person who dies with the most money wins. Wealth is deferred consumption, and if you die without spending your money or giving it away, then, assuming you’re not interested in starting a dynasty, you’ve deferred that consumption a bit too much. If Gates wanted to play the wealth-maximization game, then he would still be the world’s richest person by a comfortable margin. It’s to his credit that he isn’t playing that game, and it’s to Buffett’s credit that he’s happy to be overtaken in the richest-man stakes by Zuckerberg," Felix observes.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read the full article <b><a href="https://slate.com/business/2018/07/zuckerberg-tops-buffett-in-billionaires-ranking-because-he-doesnt-give-away-enough-money.html">here</a></b>.</span></div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-15577856166840264362018-06-15T08:15:00.001-07:002018-06-15T08:16:59.615-07:00"In Silicon Valley, after all, math is less important than intangibles like vision. And when $1 billion can become $1.5 billion, or even $2 billion, in a manner of weeks, you’ve entered a world of abstraction".<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EMZSSZuKjVo/WyPV6vkHLEI/AAAAAAAAatE/wrxxWoiX_V8K6nUV_Nc3Qr3uUPh3_bA1ACLcBGAs/s1600/bird-pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EMZSSZuKjVo/WyPV6vkHLEI/AAAAAAAAatE/wrxxWoiX_V8K6nUV_Nc3Qr3uUPh3_bA1ACLcBGAs/s320/bird-pic.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said: <b><a href="https://twitter.com/mekosoff" target="_blank">Maya Kosoff</a></b> in her column titled "[<b><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/bird-scooters-hysterical-debate-over-silicon-valleys-next-big-thing" target="_blank">“I Want No Part In It”: The Hysterical Debate Over Silicon Valley’s Next Big Thing"</a></b>] in Vanity Fair of June 14. Her comment was based on the astronomical rise in the valuation of <b><a href="https://www.bird.co/" target="_blank">Bird</a></b>, the electric-scooter start-up, from $300 million in March this year to $1 billion at the end of May and now the startup is seeking a fresh round of $200 million funding at $2 billion valuation - double the valuation in less than one month!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maya beautifully </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">illustrates the arguments for and against the scooter culture that is gripping the Metros like San Francisco and Los Angeles where the sudden preponderance of Bird scooters has created a cottage industry of people who collect and charge Bird scooters, known as “Bird hunters.” </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Positive:</b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>True believers see things differently. “It’s been [over] a decade” since the Segway, another scooter-start-up investor told me of the inevitable comparison. “Plenty of things didn’t work a decade ago that work now, due to cultural shifts.” Car- and bike-sharing services have already inaugurated a new way of thinking about public and private transportation, acclimating consumers to the idea that they don’t need their own vehicles to get around. Kevin Roose, reporting for The New York Times, grudgingly admitted that electric scooters, while “kind of dorky,” are also weirdly useful, under the right circumstances. “I wanted to hate the scooters. I really did,” he wrote, before traveling to Los Angeles for work. “Tech hubris on wheels - what’s not to loathe?” Instead, he fell in love. The scooters are ubiquitous, easily discovered and unlocked via smartphone app, and driving is simple: a throttle controls the speed, which tops out at a breezy 15 miles per hour, and a hand brake brings you to a smooth stop. When you arrive at your destination, you leave the scooter wherever you like and lock it with the app.</i></span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Negative:</b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Indeed, the vigor expressed by Bird enthusiasts may be matched only by the company’s detractors, who have condemned the scooters as a plague, a nuisance, and even an existential danger. “It’s wheelmageddon,” one San Francisco resident told me in April. “They are everywhere . . . People are zooming past pedestrians without a single fuck to give.” </i></span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read Maya's full article <b><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/bird-scooters-hysterical-debate-over-silicon-valleys-next-big-thing" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can also watch below how</span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> this new breed of electric scooters is invading San Francisco </span></span></i><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>(Courtesy: Engadget)</i></span></span><i><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">:</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oemCF7FYoC0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oemCF7FYoC0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-68605919894553163472018-05-31T20:49:00.000-07:002018-05-31T20:49:11.438-07:00"Lying is second nature to Trump... Trump has the ability to convince himself that whatever he is saying is true, or sort of true, or at least ought to be true."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Said: <b><a href="https://twitter.com/tonyschwartz" target="_blank">Tony Schwartz</a></b>, Donald Trump's Ghostwriter and Trump’s <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trump-Art-Deal-Donald-J/dp/0399594493" target="_blank">Art of the Deal</a></b> co-author in an interview with <b><a href="https://twitter.com/AriMelber" target="_blank">Ari Melber</a></b> of CNBC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrmwT0w86EI/WxDAxs_y1WI/AAAAAAAAaaA/HlifKNKef5IqjE6hCzcUO28lw0dqY2x3gCEwYBhgL/s1600/ghostwriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="639" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrmwT0w86EI/WxDAxs_y1WI/AAAAAAAAaaA/HlifKNKef5IqjE6hCzcUO28lw0dqY2x3gCEwYBhgL/s400/ghostwriter.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Screen shots from the MSNBC interview</span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pVOCoVFZNCw/WxDBP_6awnI/AAAAAAAAaaM/UgFf8eUf7AMKO7z2N5RWZoNuvx56N-y4ACLcBGAs/s1600/trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="635" height="221" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pVOCoVFZNCw/WxDBP_6awnI/AAAAAAAAaaM/UgFf8eUf7AMKO7z2N5RWZoNuvx56N-y4ACLcBGAs/s400/trump.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watch full video </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/grYIZHFZMxM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/grYIZHFZMxM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-8818734899585680152018-05-06T00:46:00.004-07:002018-05-06T00:49:01.894-07:00"You can’t get in trouble for what you don’t say.”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zyd_YvapxGE/Wu6x9DGT7nI/AAAAAAAAZXY/ZBE0dpnq_XonG87fQqh5yzuEYU0cN3b4ACLcBGAs/s1600/seanspicer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zyd_YvapxGE/Wu6x9DGT7nI/AAAAAAAAZXY/ZBE0dpnq_XonG87fQqh5yzuEYU0cN3b4ACLcBGAs/s320/seanspicer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><i>Sean Spicer</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said Former White House Press Secretary <b><a href="https://seanspicer.com/" target="_blank">Sean Spicer</a></b> commenting on the functioning of Sarah Sanders who replaced him in July last year. The comment appears in The Washington Post story on "As a willing warrior for Trump, Sarah Sanders struggles to maintain credibility."</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Sarah has done a fantastic job of keeping in line with understanding how to effectively communicate what the president’s thoughts are at any given time, recognizing that it is a very dynamic and fluid situation in many cases,” Spicer said. “What she has done is, she has realized, you can’t get in trouble for what you don’t say.”</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the full story <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-a-willing-warrior-for-trump-sarah-sanders-struggles-to-maintain-credibility/2018/05/04/2ff2eb0c-4f0c-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch Sarah Sanders' press briefing below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2xicYiBX3NI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2xicYiBX3NI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>(Courtesy: <yt-formatted-string class="description style-scope ytd-clarification-renderer">PBS - a publicly funded </yt-formatted-string></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><yt-formatted-string class="description style-scope ytd-clarification-renderer">American broadcaster</yt-formatted-string>
</span><span class="source style-scope ytd-clarification-renderer"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBS" target="_blank"> Wikipedia</a></b>)</span></span></i></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-65030725020945956952018-05-03T23:56:00.001-07:002018-05-04T00:00:40.006-07:00"Lying to federal investigators is a crime, though lying on TV is not."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5gN8LrJxD5A/WuwCcnMtRKI/AAAAAAAAZV0/AB9PtDoOrCsvIWvBIrKQ1sjdjJyw6YUsgCLcBGAs/s1600/barbara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="271" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5gN8LrJxD5A/WuwCcnMtRKI/AAAAAAAAZV0/AB9PtDoOrCsvIWvBIrKQ1sjdjJyw6YUsgCLcBGAs/s640/barbara.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_L._McQuade" target="_blank">Source: Wikipedia</a></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said: <b><a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/FacultyBio/Pages/FacultyBio.aspx?FacID=bmcquade" target="_blank">Barbara McQuade</a></b>, a former federal prosecutor and <i>Professor from Practice</i> at University of Michigan. She was commenting on Rudolph W. Giuliani’s statement that the president paid his lawyer Michael Cohen $35,000 monthly to reimburse him the costs he incurred in the widely publicised Stormy Daniels settlement for which he paid $130,000 from his personal funds. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Giuliani is the most recent entrant to the Trump’s legal team. “I’m sure Giuliani's strategy was damage control but I’m not sure he controlled much,” said McQuade as quoted by Washington Post's Analysis: <b>"Giuliani’s media blitz gives investigators new leads, new evidence"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">According to the Washington Post's analysis, Giuliani asserted that Trump fired James B. Comey as FBI director because Comey would not reveal publicly that the president was not under investigation. Commenting on this McQuade said “I think even Trump's asking Comey to publicly exonerate him does interfere with the investigation and could constitute obstruction of justice.” Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is also investigating whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">McQuade said investigators are also likely to explore money-laundering issues. Giuliani’s TV interviews might have been an effort to speak to Cohen and to reassure him that the White House still has his back. “Maybe the strategy there is to try to calm him down so he’s not tempted to cooperate,” she explained.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">Investigators are likely to ask witnesses about the topic and compare what Giuliani said publicly about Trump’s arrangement with Cohen with what people have told them in the past, McQuade said. Lying to federal investigators is a crime, though lying on TV is not. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the full story <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/analysts-giulianis-media-blitz-gives-investigators-new-leads-new-evidence/2018/05/03/a7e86aaa-4ee5-11e8-af46-b1d6dc0d9bfe_story.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</span></div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-46604736850989823762018-05-01T20:22:00.003-07:002018-05-01T20:29:08.187-07:00I can tell you there have been people that have been making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time and I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2X-zZT4k69c/Wukt_hec3FI/AAAAAAAAZVY/1AQDx1DtVEgle9O8WVMCcaJhLYNXdelVgCLcBGAs/s1600/DAG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1019" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2X-zZT4k69c/Wukt_hec3FI/AAAAAAAAZVY/1AQDx1DtVEgle9O8WVMCcaJhLYNXdelVgCLcBGAs/s320/DAG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>(Courtesy: C-Span)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said: Deputy Attorney General <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Rosenstein" target="_blank">Rod J. Rosenstein</a></b> responding to a question from the CNN reporter </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/profiles/laura-jarrett" target="_blank">Laura Jarrett</a></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> about possible articles of impeachment by the House Freedom Caucus over his handling of document requests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Her question was "As you think about the importance of separation of powers on the day, any reaction on the news that certain members of the House Caucus have drafted articles of impeachment?" </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Answering the question, Rosenstein said: “I saw that draft. I don't know who wrote it. It illustrates the important principle of the rule of law. We make mistakes. That is not to say we are flawless. But the way we operate is if we can accuse someone of wrongdoing, we have to have admissible evidence, credible witnesses and be able to prove our case in court and fix our signature to the charging documents. There is a lot talk about <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Foreign_Intelligence_Surveillance_Court" target="_blank">FISA</a></b> applications and many people I see talking about it seem not to recognize what a FISA application is. It is like a search warrant. In order to get a FISA search warrant, you need an affidavit signed by a career federal law enforcement agent. If it is wrong, that person is going to face consequences - you can face discipline or even prosecution. That is the way we operate. We have people who are accountable. I just don't have anything to say about documents like that nobody has the courage to put their name on an State leakage that way, but I can tell you there have been people that have been making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time and I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted. We are going to do what is required by the rule of law and any kind of threats will not affect the way we do our job. We have a responsibility. We take an oath. You raise your right hand and swearing of to defend the United States - swear in an oath to defend the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is your responsibility. Everybody in the department takes that oath. If they violate it, they know they will be held accountable.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rosenstein was speaking on the rule of law, the first amendment, and the mission of the justice department at the </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.newseum.org/" target="_blank">Newseum</a></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in Washington. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" src="https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?444870-1/justice-department-extorted-articles-impeachment-rosenstein" width="512"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Watch full speech of Rod J. Rosenstein here.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" src="https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?444870-1/justice-department-extorted-articles-impeachment-rosenstein" width="512"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474594277049269616.post-67073299203417156862018-05-01T19:54:00.002-07:002020-05-01T08:10:59.799-07:00I can tell you there have been people that have been making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time and I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lKY-BCi73Oc/WukfmYKi0jI/AAAAAAAAZVA/pVEvbY6G-vkUSlLm3gzT6pfo93XzUBuvgCLcBGAs/s1600/DAG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1019" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lKY-BCi73Oc/WukfmYKi0jI/AAAAAAAAZVA/pVEvbY6G-vkUSlLm3gzT6pfo93XzUBuvgCLcBGAs/s640/DAG.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>(Courtesy: C-Span)</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said: Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein responding to a question from the CNN reporter Laura </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jarrett </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">about possible articles of impeachment by the House Freedom Caucus over his handling of document requests.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her question was "As you think about the importance of separation of powers on the day, any reaction on the news that
certain members of the House Caucus have drafted articles of impeachment?" </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" src="www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?c4727590/justice-department-extorted-articles-impeachment-rosenstein" width="512"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Answering the question, Rosenstein said: “I saw that draft. I don't know who wrote it. It illustrates
the important principle of the rule of law. We make mistakes. That is not to
say we are flawless. But the way we operate is if we can accuse someone of
wrongdoing, we have to have admissible evidence, credible witnesses and be able
to prove our case in court and fix our signature to the charging documents. There
is a lot talk about <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Foreign_Intelligence_Surveillance_Court" target="_blank">FISA</a></b> applications and many people I see talking about it
seem not to recognize what a FISA application is. It is like a search warrant.
In order to get a FISA search warrant, you need an affidavit signed by a career
federal law enforcement agent. If it is wrong, that person is going to face
consequences - you can face discipline or even prosecution. That is the way we
operate. We have people who are accountable. I just don't have anything to say
about documents like that nobody has the courage to put their name on an State
leakage that way, but<b><i> I can tell you there have been people that have been
making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time and I
think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to
be extorted.</i></b> We are going to do what is required by the rule of law and any
kind of threats will not affect the way we do our job. We have a
responsibility. We take an oath. You raise your right hand and swearing of to
defend the United States - swear in an oath to defend the United States from
all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is your responsibility. Everybody in
the department takes that oath. If they violate it, they know they will be held
accountable.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rosenstein was
speaking on the rule of law, the first amendment, and the mission of the
justice department at the </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.newseum.org/" target="_blank">Newseum</a></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in Washington. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" src="https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?444870-1/justice-department-extorted-articles-impeachment-rosenstein" width="512"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Watch full speech of </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Rod J. Rosenstein here.</span></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03482593229260378636noreply@blogger.com0