dixiegrrrrl
dixiegrrrrl's JournalHere is a short and very clear article explaining the issue about Crimea....
Why Russia and Ukraine both claim it, and why Russia will get it.
( The Ukraine issue is separate)
Nikita Khrushchev transferred administrative control of the Crimea Oblast (province) from Russia to the Ukraine in 1954 after he took control of the Soviet Union following Stalin’s death, in large part because Khrushchev (a Ukrainian) was pumping up his own power base.
Sevastopol — the Crimea’s main port and home base to both the Ukrainian and Russian Black Sea naval fleets — didn’t even come under nominal Ukrainian administration until 1978. And it’s still a completely separate political entity from the rest of the Crimea Peninsula.
In fact, the Crimea is barely part of Russia. The Byzantine Greeks, the Mongol Hordes, Goths, Bulgars and Huns, even Venetians and Genovese have controlled the Crimea at various times in its history.
But it did become Russian — not Ukrainian — in 1783 and has remained such ever since.
http://blogs.canoe.com/parker/news/crimeas-crying-for-mother-russia/
Also found a nice video by VICE about Ukraine blockading Russian food trucks from reaching Crimea, last September.
https://news.vice.com/video/right-sector-blockade-russian-roulette-dispatch-111
Full transcript of Pres. Obama's speech here:
https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse/president-obama-s-2016-state-of-the-union-address-7c06300f9726#.naafdi4go
Town in Italy starts using Silent Fireworks as a way of Respecting their Animals
had no idea these existed.
During firework displays animals are often confused as to where the loud noises are coming from which makes them run frantically away. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in them being hit by a car. Other animals may be too close to the explosion and receive burns or eye damage as a result. If you keep chickens, you might find that they produce fewer eggs after a firework display.
People of the town of Collecchio in the province of Parma in Italy are doing something about it. The local government has introduced new legislation forcing citizens to use silent fireworks as a way of respecting the animals and reducing the stress caused them.
The company, Setti Fireworks make fireworks which produce a spectacular light show but without the deafening sounds normally associated with a firework display. They design their fireworks to fit the venue and event that they will be used for.
THIS is why the Yeehadists are still at the Oregon Natural Reserve
Notice all the press vans with satellite dishes, and the cameras and the microphones..........
(and can anyone tell me why you would wear summer cammo in the winter??????)
U.S. state attorneys general joining probe of health insurer mergers
would reduce the number of nationwide health insurers to three from five.
The formation of a large group to scrutinize Aetna Inc's plan to buy Humana Inc and Anthem Inc's bid for Cigna Corp complicate what is already expected to be a tough and lengthy review by federal antitrust enforcers.
Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts and Tennessee are among the states that have joined forces to investigate the proposed deals, according to sources close to the states, who spoke to Reuters over recent days. Antitrust probes are designed to determine if a merger would lead to higher prices or otherwise hurt consumers.
The presence of a large number of attorneys general joining a Justice Department probe underscores the hurdles that both proposed combinations face in winning U.S. regulatory clearance.
About the REAL payout of that Lottery jackpot
The Reality of Powerball
Yes, mathematically it looks good to buy a ticket for a $1.4 billion draw when you have a 1-in-~292 million shot at winning..
But only actual cash in hand winnings matter..
The rest is a fictitious "time value" figure predicated on an annuity, if you do not take lump sum.
That is money in the future, not money today, in hand.
So a cash payout would be around $868 million
then you pay taxes. 39.6% federal, and only 25% is withheld when you get the check.
Plus any state income taxes.
The 868 million assumes you are the ONLY winner.
But as the prize gets bigger, the buying frenzy that develops for each ticket increases the odds of a multiple winner.
Plus, last year the Powerball changed the odds, decreasing them by about half, of hitting the jackpot.
Not that a few million is something to sneeze at.
And eventually people DO win lotteries.
The above is just another way to look at it.
Found the "Please send" listof items that the High Plains Grifters are asking for........
Tampons?????? Really????
and some other interesting items on it.......
Nevada's largest newspaper was sold, paper's own staff not allowed to know who owns it.
This is a remarkable story, beginning Dec. 11th.
It’s the largest newspaper in the state. Nevada is an early primary state: fourth-in-the-nation.
All the publisher would tell the staff is “They want you to focus on your jobs … don’t worry about who they are,”
So the paper's reporters started digging to find out who their mystery owner was, and why he/she did not want to be identified,
and why they had paid 3 TIMES the value of the paper.
And this happened:
Their colleagues around the country were watching and cheered them on. Killer quote: “No matter who owns the Review-Journal,
they don’t own us.”
I will leave you to guess, and go to the blog link to find out.
the implications are grim.
http://tinyurl.com/j7x7fot
On edit.....finding the owner is only half the story, it gets better and better as time goes on, you will want to read it all.
This is All the President's Men stuff.
Lovely photo of Jon Stewart with retired FDNY firefighter Ray Pfeifer on receiving key to NYC
Rep. John Kinf with Jon Stewart commending retired FDNY firefighter Ray Pfeifer on receiving key to NYC for work on 9/11 healthcare
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Gender: FemaleHometown: Washington state, for half my life
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Current location: SW Alabama. for the rest of my life
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