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Sancho
Sancho's Journal
Sancho's Journal
July 17, 2018
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It's clear that the repubs used the Russian hack all the way down to state elections. They won't impeach tRump because most of them are in this all the way...
Florida Republicans play starring roles in Russia hacking indictment
https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/07/13/florida-republicans-play-starring-roles-in-russia-hacking-indictment-510037The new indictment of Russian military officials who hacked Democrats during the 2016 presidential elections has Florida written all over it.
Two Florida Republicans and possibly a third — Rep. Brian Mast — play starring roles in the indictment, although none is named.
Almost as soon as the indictment was released Friday, Florida Republicans, Democrats and even allies of Mast speculated that the congressman’s campaign was likely implicated — in great part because a former campaign consultant for Mast admitted last year to The Wall Street Journal and then to POLITICO that he used some of the hacked information in 2016.
“There was data for our campaign available, so I used it,” Bustamante told POLITICO last year after The Wall Street Journal first reported his involvement. He told the Journal that “I did adjust some voting targets based on some data I saw from the leaks.”
Nevins, another Republican consultant and blogger, separately became involved with Guccifer 2.0 when he saw news reports of its information and an invitation for reporters to get the hacked information. Under his @HelloFLAnews account, he direct-messaged Guccifer 2.0 on Twitter and on Aug. 22 received “approximately 2.5 gigabytes of data stolen from the DCCC,” according to the indictment. “The stolen data included donor records and personal identifying information for more than 2,000 Democratic donors.”
Two Florida Republicans and possibly a third — Rep. Brian Mast — play starring roles in the indictment, although none is named.
Almost as soon as the indictment was released Friday, Florida Republicans, Democrats and even allies of Mast speculated that the congressman’s campaign was likely implicated — in great part because a former campaign consultant for Mast admitted last year to The Wall Street Journal and then to POLITICO that he used some of the hacked information in 2016.
“There was data for our campaign available, so I used it,” Bustamante told POLITICO last year after The Wall Street Journal first reported his involvement. He told the Journal that “I did adjust some voting targets based on some data I saw from the leaks.”
Nevins, another Republican consultant and blogger, separately became involved with Guccifer 2.0 when he saw news reports of its information and an invitation for reporters to get the hacked information. Under his @HelloFLAnews account, he direct-messaged Guccifer 2.0 on Twitter and on Aug. 22 received “approximately 2.5 gigabytes of data stolen from the DCCC,” according to the indictment. “The stolen data included donor records and personal identifying information for more than 2,000 Democratic donors.”
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It's clear that the repubs used the Russian hack all the way down to state elections. They won't impeach tRump because most of them are in this all the way...
May 25, 2018
Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia probe, was present at a controversial DOJ meeting about the investigation.
There was a SPY at the meeting!!!
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/doj-meeting-trump-fbi_us_5b06e0f4e4b07c4ea10613b3Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia probe, was present at a controversial DOJ meeting about the investigation.
WASHINGTON ― Top congressional lawmakers and a White House attorney met with Justice Department officials on Thursday to discuss classified information about an FBI informant involved in the investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election. Democrats have denounced the sit-down as inappropriate and contrary to the rule of law.
Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia investigation, attended part of the classified briefing and was spotted leaving the DOJ headquarters alongside House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and White House chief of staff John Kelly. None of the men took questions from a contingent of reporters standing watch.
White House involvement in an investigation Justice Department investigation is rare. Trump has routinely broken norms about how the White House interacts with the Justice Department, which is supposed to have a degree of independence. While the presidency can certainly shape the direction of the Justice Department through nominations and help broadly outline priorities, the White House is not supposed to be involved in individual cases.
Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia investigation, attended part of the classified briefing and was spotted leaving the DOJ headquarters alongside House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and White House chief of staff John Kelly. None of the men took questions from a contingent of reporters standing watch.
White House involvement in an investigation Justice Department investigation is rare. Trump has routinely broken norms about how the White House interacts with the Justice Department, which is supposed to have a degree of independence. While the presidency can certainly shape the direction of the Justice Department through nominations and help broadly outline priorities, the White House is not supposed to be involved in individual cases.
May 12, 2018
People Control, Not Gun Control
This is my generic response to gun threads where people are shot and killed by the dumb or criminal possession of guns. For the record, I grew up in the South and on military bases. I was taught about firearms as a child, and I grew up hunting, was a member of the NRA, and I still own guns. In the 70’s, I dropped out of the NRA because they become more radical and less interested in safety and training. Some personal experiences where people I know were involved in shootings caused me to realize that anyone could obtain and posses a gun no matter how illogical it was for them to have a gun. Also, easy access to more powerful guns, guns in the hands of children, and guns that weren’t secured are out of control in our society. As such, here’s what I now think ought to be the requirements to possess a gun. I’m not debating the legal language, I just think it’s the reasonable way to stop the shootings. Notice, none of this restricts the type of guns sold. This is aimed at the people who shoot others, because it’s clear that they should never have had a gun.
1.) Anyone in possession of a gun (whether they own it or not) should have a regularly renewed license. If you want to call it a permit, certificate, or something else that's fine.
2.) To get a license, you should have a background check, and be examined by a professional for emotional and mental stability appropriate for gun possession. It might be appropriate to require that examination to be accompanied by references from family, friends, employers, etc. This check is not to subject you to a mental health diagnosis, just check on your superficial and apparent gun-worthyness.
3.) To get the license, you should be required to take a safety course and pass a test appropriate to the type of gun you want to use.
4.) To get a license, you should be over 21. Under 21, you could only use a gun under direct supervision of a licensed person and after obtaining a learner’s license. Your license might be restricted if you have children or criminals or other unsafe people living in your home. (If you want to argue 18 or 25 or some other age, fine. 21 makes sense to me.)
5.) If you possess a gun, you would have to carry a liability insurance policy specifically for gun ownership - and likely you would have to provide proof of appropriate storage, security, and whatever statistical reasons that emerge that would drive the costs and ability to get insurance.
6.) You could not purchase a gun or ammunition without a license, and purchases would have a waiting period.
7.) If you possess a gun without a license, you go to jail, the gun is impounded, and a judge will have to let you go (just like a DUI).
8.) No one should carry an unsecured gun (except in a locked case, unloaded) when outside of home. Guns should be secure when transporting to a shooting event without demonstrating a special need. Their license should indicate training and special carry circumstances beyond recreational shooting (security guard, etc.). If you are carrying your gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you lose your gun and license.
9.) If you buy, sell, give away, or inherit a gun, your license information should be recorded.
10.) If you accidentally discharge your gun, commit a crime, get referred by a mental health professional, are served a restraining order, etc., you should lose your license and guns until reinstated by a serious relicensing process.
Most of you know that a license is no big deal. Besides a driver’s license you need a license to fish, operate a boat, or many other activities. I realize these differ by state, but that is not a reason to let anyone without a bit of sense pack a semiautomatic weapon in public, on the roads, and in schools. I think we need to make it much harder for some people to have guns.
For those who want to argue legality, please reference: The Second Amendment: A Biography by Michael Waldman
A dead deputy and a felon on probation: Is Florida's depleted prisons budget to blame?
http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/05/12/a-dead-deputy-and-a-felon-on-probation-is-floridas-depleted-prisons-budget-to-blame/Joseph Ables had been on probation since 2016 for aggravated battery, was classified as a "Violent Felony Offender of Special Concern," and had what the Florida Department of Corrections described as "a clean probation record." But when Gentry arrived at Ables' Lake Placid home on Sunday to investigate complaints that the 69-year-old had shot a cat, the officer was shot in the head.
Gentry, 40, died the next day but questions remain as to how Ables got a gun. Police said he had a history of violence toward police, so why wasn't he being more carefully watched by probation officers? Could higher scrutiny have made a difference?
Gentry, 40, died the next day but questions remain as to how Ables got a gun. Police said he had a history of violence toward police, so why wasn't he being more carefully watched by probation officers? Could higher scrutiny have made a difference?
People Control, Not Gun Control
This is my generic response to gun threads where people are shot and killed by the dumb or criminal possession of guns. For the record, I grew up in the South and on military bases. I was taught about firearms as a child, and I grew up hunting, was a member of the NRA, and I still own guns. In the 70’s, I dropped out of the NRA because they become more radical and less interested in safety and training. Some personal experiences where people I know were involved in shootings caused me to realize that anyone could obtain and posses a gun no matter how illogical it was for them to have a gun. Also, easy access to more powerful guns, guns in the hands of children, and guns that weren’t secured are out of control in our society. As such, here’s what I now think ought to be the requirements to possess a gun. I’m not debating the legal language, I just think it’s the reasonable way to stop the shootings. Notice, none of this restricts the type of guns sold. This is aimed at the people who shoot others, because it’s clear that they should never have had a gun.
1.) Anyone in possession of a gun (whether they own it or not) should have a regularly renewed license. If you want to call it a permit, certificate, or something else that's fine.
2.) To get a license, you should have a background check, and be examined by a professional for emotional and mental stability appropriate for gun possession. It might be appropriate to require that examination to be accompanied by references from family, friends, employers, etc. This check is not to subject you to a mental health diagnosis, just check on your superficial and apparent gun-worthyness.
3.) To get the license, you should be required to take a safety course and pass a test appropriate to the type of gun you want to use.
4.) To get a license, you should be over 21. Under 21, you could only use a gun under direct supervision of a licensed person and after obtaining a learner’s license. Your license might be restricted if you have children or criminals or other unsafe people living in your home. (If you want to argue 18 or 25 or some other age, fine. 21 makes sense to me.)
5.) If you possess a gun, you would have to carry a liability insurance policy specifically for gun ownership - and likely you would have to provide proof of appropriate storage, security, and whatever statistical reasons that emerge that would drive the costs and ability to get insurance.
6.) You could not purchase a gun or ammunition without a license, and purchases would have a waiting period.
7.) If you possess a gun without a license, you go to jail, the gun is impounded, and a judge will have to let you go (just like a DUI).
8.) No one should carry an unsecured gun (except in a locked case, unloaded) when outside of home. Guns should be secure when transporting to a shooting event without demonstrating a special need. Their license should indicate training and special carry circumstances beyond recreational shooting (security guard, etc.). If you are carrying your gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you lose your gun and license.
9.) If you buy, sell, give away, or inherit a gun, your license information should be recorded.
10.) If you accidentally discharge your gun, commit a crime, get referred by a mental health professional, are served a restraining order, etc., you should lose your license and guns until reinstated by a serious relicensing process.
Most of you know that a license is no big deal. Besides a driver’s license you need a license to fish, operate a boat, or many other activities. I realize these differ by state, but that is not a reason to let anyone without a bit of sense pack a semiautomatic weapon in public, on the roads, and in schools. I think we need to make it much harder for some people to have guns.
For those who want to argue legality, please reference: The Second Amendment: A Biography by Michael Waldman
May 9, 2018
Alien World Is the 1st Cloudless Exoplanet Ever Discovered
https://www.space.com/40526-alien-planet-wasp-96b-has-no-clouds.htmlIn a first, an international team of scientists has discovered an exoplanet with no clouds.
The team, led by Nikolay Nikolov, an astronomer at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, detected this hot gas giant, known as WASP-96b, using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The team determined the atmospheric makeup of the exoplanet by studying it as it passed in front of its host star and measuring how the planet and its atmosphere affected light from the star.
A planet's atmospheric makeup influences the light that scientists can measure as it passes by its host star. This creates a spectrum, which is like a unique fingerprint. Typically, clouds obscure the light released by a planet and affect the spectrum that researchers can study from Earth, according to a statement released yesterday (May 7) by the University of Exeter. [The Biggest Mysteries of Saturn]
The team, led by Nikolay Nikolov, an astronomer at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, detected this hot gas giant, known as WASP-96b, using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The team determined the atmospheric makeup of the exoplanet by studying it as it passed in front of its host star and measuring how the planet and its atmosphere affected light from the star.
A planet's atmospheric makeup influences the light that scientists can measure as it passes by its host star. This creates a spectrum, which is like a unique fingerprint. Typically, clouds obscure the light released by a planet and affect the spectrum that researchers can study from Earth, according to a statement released yesterday (May 7) by the University of Exeter. [The Biggest Mysteries of Saturn]
April 23, 2018
Is there still racism? Check this out...
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180423/sarasota-student-makes-racist-prom-proposalSARASOTA COUNTY -- A Riverview High student is under fire after using a racist sign to ask his girlfriend to the school’s prom.
The sign, reading “If I was black, I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white, so I’m picking u 4 prom,” made the rounds on Twitter Sunday night. The proposal was conducted by 18-year-old student Noah Crowley, the district confirmed. Riverview students found the image on the female student’s Snapchat, with a caption of two heart-eye emojis, implying that she was excited about the request. The Herald-Tribune did not identify Crowley until confirming that he is an adult.
By Monday morning, various Twitter posts had already received hundreds of retweets and favorites. One student tweeted out the image with the comment: “He seems to not know about America’s history. Racism is a problem. Definitely should not be allowed to go to the prom!!”
School district spokeswoman Tracey Beeker confirmed Monday morning that Crowley attended Riverview and the sign was under investigation by the school district. She said administrators have been speaking to the student and his parents on the phone since Sunday evening.
The sign, reading “If I was black, I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white, so I’m picking u 4 prom,” made the rounds on Twitter Sunday night. The proposal was conducted by 18-year-old student Noah Crowley, the district confirmed. Riverview students found the image on the female student’s Snapchat, with a caption of two heart-eye emojis, implying that she was excited about the request. The Herald-Tribune did not identify Crowley until confirming that he is an adult.
By Monday morning, various Twitter posts had already received hundreds of retweets and favorites. One student tweeted out the image with the comment: “He seems to not know about America’s history. Racism is a problem. Definitely should not be allowed to go to the prom!!”
School district spokeswoman Tracey Beeker confirmed Monday morning that Crowley attended Riverview and the sign was under investigation by the school district. She said administrators have been speaking to the student and his parents on the phone since Sunday evening.
April 12, 2018
Are ya'll watching CNN and the story about Cohen having audio tapes???
Absolutely insane...babies with the maid...the fixer-lawyer tapes conversations...and meanwhile you ask the FBI to prove that you did NOT let hookers pee on you when on vaca in Russia!!!
It's not even Friday yet!
March 24, 2018
Personally, I hate changing clocks, trying to explain to dogs that it's not time to eat, and "losing an hour" somehow.
To change or not to change (the clocks!)
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/florida-governor-rick-scott-signs-year-round-daylight-saving-time-billFlorida is just one step away from living up to its nickname as “The Sunshine State."
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed HB 1013 on Friday. The bill would let Florida remain on Daylight Saving Time year round.
The "Sunshine Protection Act," would make Florida exempt from the twice-yearly time change.
While the rest of the Eastern United States would set their clocks back in the fall, Florida wouldn’t, leaving it with more sunshine in the evening during the winter. Northwest Florida is currently in the Central time zone.
The bill still has to be approved by Congress.
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed HB 1013 on Friday. The bill would let Florida remain on Daylight Saving Time year round.
The "Sunshine Protection Act," would make Florida exempt from the twice-yearly time change.
While the rest of the Eastern United States would set their clocks back in the fall, Florida wouldn’t, leaving it with more sunshine in the evening during the winter. Northwest Florida is currently in the Central time zone.
The bill still has to be approved by Congress.
Personally, I hate changing clocks, trying to explain to dogs that it's not time to eat, and "losing an hour" somehow.
March 21, 2018
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-40852227/the-digital-guru-who-helped-donald-trump-to-the-presidency
Facebook and Cambridge Analytica worked side by side at a Trump campaign office in San Antonio
Posted without comment...
https://qz.com/1233579/facebook-and-cambridge-analytica-worked-side-by-side-at-a-trump-campaign-office-in-san-antonio/
When Facebook announced Monday that it had hired a digital forensics company to conduct an audit of Cambridge Analytica, the consultant that harvested the data of 50 million people without their permission, Facebook appeared to once again distance itself from the UK company.
In fact, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica worked side-by-side for the 2016 Donald Trump campaign at its digital operation in San Antonio, Texas—a year after the tech giant discovered that Cambridge Analytica had access to the Facebook users’ data in violation of the company’s policies. In a 2017 BBC report, Therese Wong, a “digital guru” for the Trump campaign walks journalist Jamie Bartlett through the San Antonio office, showing him the room out of which Cambridge Analytica operated—”the brain” of the operation, she says. Nearby were desks where Facebook employees sat embedded with the Trump campaign.
In fact, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica worked side-by-side for the 2016 Donald Trump campaign at its digital operation in San Antonio, Texas—a year after the tech giant discovered that Cambridge Analytica had access to the Facebook users’ data in violation of the company’s policies. In a 2017 BBC report, Therese Wong, a “digital guru” for the Trump campaign walks journalist Jamie Bartlett through the San Antonio office, showing him the room out of which Cambridge Analytica operated—”the brain” of the operation, she says. Nearby were desks where Facebook employees sat embedded with the Trump campaign.
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-40852227/the-digital-guru-who-helped-donald-trump-to-the-presidency
Many of the "Tech Gods" were dismayed when Donald Trump - who holds a very different worldview - won the American presidency. But did they actually help him to win?
A key insider from the Trump campaign's digital operation - Theresa Wong - unravels for the first time the role played by social media and Facebook's in getting Trump into the White House.
Jamie Bartlett learns how Facebook's vast power to persuade was first built for advertisers, combining data about our internet use and psychological insights into how we think.
A key insider from the Trump campaign's digital operation - Theresa Wong - unravels for the first time the role played by social media and Facebook's in getting Trump into the White House.
Jamie Bartlett learns how Facebook's vast power to persuade was first built for advertisers, combining data about our internet use and psychological insights into how we think.
March 16, 2018
One of our schnauzers was just diagnosed with IMT...
IMMUNE-MEDIATED THROMBOCYTOPENIA - say that three times real fast.
In 60 years of dog ownership, I thought I'd seen it all, but this is the first time we've IMT. She is 5 years old.
At any rate, the conversations with the vets are pretty frustrating - lots of "we don't know". After a few hours reading about IMT, I can see why - no clear cause, treatments can be expensive and results depend on the individual dog. Two days of tests and a night in the animal hospital have definitely resulted in a hit on the bank account.
She is a very sweet and intelligent rescue mini-schnauzer who loves to sit at the window and announce visitors. She stands inside the doggy door, and jumps out to chase squirrels that dare come down in the yard.
I'm hoping we can get a treatment plan today after an specialist reviews the tests later today. I guess that it's good that we live in times where veterinary medicine is better than ever.
At this point, I'm for universal care for pets!! If I retire and run for office that will be my top priority. APC!!! Affordable Pet Care.
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