turbinetree
turbinetree's JournalNext Sunday Marks 100 years since the last "Great War" to end all wars
Armistice: two men separated by four years of war and a few yards of turf
The graves of the first and last British soldiers to die in the first world war face each other in a Belgian cemetery
The full four years of the first world war separate the deaths of 16-year-old John Parr from Finchley, north London, and 40-year-old George Edwin Ellison, a son of Leeds.
Between the firing of the bullet that killed Parr and the ringing out of the shot that struck Ellison down, about 750,000 British soldiers were killed. In a remarkable coincidence, just a few yards of lawn stand between the two men’s graves today.
The bodies of these men, the first and last British soldiers to die in the 1914-18 conflict, face each other in the cemetery of St Symphorien, a plot covered by pine trees, Japanese maples and red roses, on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Mons.
Parr, killed by rifle fire on 21 August as he scouted ahead on his bicycle in the first tentative British advance on the city, was buried by the Germans here on ground donated by a Belgian landowner after it was decided by Kaiser Wilhelm’s government in 1917 to honour all those, on both sides, who had died in the area.
The remains of Ellison, who was killed 90 minutes before the armistice in a last pointless advance when it was clear to all that they were on the cusp of peace, were brought here from a field grave by the British in the 1920s. There was no knowledge at the time of the significance of the plot opposite.
The circularity and symbolism of the two men’s deaths by German guns near the same fields in south-west Belgium will not be lost as the world marks the centenary of Armistice Day.
https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2018/nov/02/armistice-two-men-separated-by-four-years-of-war-and-a-few-yards-of-turf
Buffett's Berkshire doubles profit, repurchases $900 million stock in third quarter
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc, the conglomerate run by billionaire Warren Buffett, on Saturday said its quarterly operating profit doubled as its insurance business dodged hurricanes and benefited from lower taxes.
The strong result gives Buffett more cash to deploy even as the well-known bargain-hunting “value” investor has admitted struggling to find a place to put those earnings to work and resorted to buying back $928 million in his own company’s stock in the latest quarter.
Operating profit in the third quarter doubled to $6.88 billion from $3.44 billion a year earlier, and higher than the $6.11 billion expected by Wall Street, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Helping the company’s insurance operations were lower estimated liabilities from property and casualty insurance in prior years and lower taxes. The year prior included major losses due to three U.S. hurricanes and an earthquake in Mexico.
Insurance underwriting income was $441 million in the third quarter, compared to a loss of $1.4 billion in the year-ago period.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-berkshire-results/buffetts-berkshire-doubles-profit-repurchases-900-million-stock-in-third-quarter-idUSKCN1N80CM?il=0
And my GEICO car insurance just went up..............go fucking figure................ and my piddly tax cut is going to fuck me and wife this coming January, because I live in a "blue state" ..................go fucking figure....................and the United States Congress wants to gut my Social Security and Medicare, so that Buffett and the other hedge fund managers and banks can make there profit margins for wall street pay out bonuses because of this fucking tax cut>
And then to top it all off, the country (US) having a fraudster running the country and fucking in just one state alone over 400 million in delinquent tax that was not paid through a ponzi scheme, but into his family pockets to enrich himself so that he could sell steaks and water.........just so fucking the country and the world can go to Davo's.............and talk about how they are going to make millions off the planet..................so that the elite can schmooze..................
Brett Kavanaugh to be denied inaugural walk down supreme court steps
The US supreme court issued a statement on Friday to say that its newest judge, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, will not take the traditional walk down the courthouse steps after his ceremonial installation – because of security concerns.
Kavanaugh’s investiture ceremony is scheduled for Thursday morning in the courtroom of the majestic building in Washington.
It is customary for a new justice admitted to the highest court in the land then to walk down the 44 marble steps in front of the building, accompanied by the chief justice. The moment provides a chance for news organizations to photograph the justice, since the courtroom event is closed to cameras.
But a court spokeswoman, Kathy Arberg, said on Friday that the change was being made “out of an abundance of caution due to security concerns”.
Kavanaugh was confirmed on 6 October by a 50-48 Senate vote following the most acrimonious and divisive confirmation process in a generation.
He was accused of attempted rape by the university professor Dr Christine Blasey Ford when the two were teenagers in high school in Maryland. Kavanaugh denied the accusation, as well as allegations of misconduct made by two other women.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/02/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-steps-security-concerns
And maybe the people of the country don't like a fucking drunk that sexually assaulted woman and lied under oath..................he will be called back to answer some questions if we take back the house.......................right along with the other Federalist Society .....
November 6, 2018 cannot get here fast enough...........................vote
What are the US midterms and why do they matter?
Despite Warnings, FDA Approves Potent New Opioid Painkiller
November 2, 20183:05 PM ET
JAKE HARPER
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a potent new opioid painkiller, despite warnings from physician critics who say the drug will contribute to the addiction epidemic.
Dsuvia, a 3-millimeter-wide tablet of sufentanil made by AcelRx, came before an FDA advisory committee on Oct. 12. Such committees weigh in on the safety and efficacy of proposed products, and the FDA generally follows committee guidance in its decisions about drugs. The FDA's Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee voted 10-3 to recommend approval for the medication, and the agency approved the drug Friday.
"There are very tight restrictions being placed on the distribution and use of this product," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a written statement Friday regarding his agency's approval of Dsuvia. "We've learned much from the harmful impact that other oral opioid products can have in the context of the opioid crisis. We've applied those hard lessons as part of the steps we're taking to address safety concerns for Dsuvia."
But vocal critics, including the chair of the FDA advisory committee and the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, had urged the FDA to reject Dsuvia.
In approving the drug, the agency skirted its normal vetting process, these critics say. Dsuvia is an unnecessary opioid, they say, and its size and potency will appeal to people looking to sell or misuse it.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/11/02/663395669/despite-warnings-fda-approves-potent-new-opioid-painkiller
Let me see if I understand the head trump asshole at the FDA.............Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and how he equates putting a fucking opoid out into the country when this country is going through a national crises on over doses, and addiction and is staining the health care system more.......................but nope, not Scott Gottlieb, he thinks that a company that wants to make a profit, should make a profit..........................I guess Gottlieb hasn't been reading newspapers or watching the tv lately.................
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/trumps-opioid-commission-just-released-its-final-recommendations/
https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2017/12/opioids-users-dealers-police-1/
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/the-opioid-epidemic-is-devastating-its-also-really-expensive/
And then there is the Slacker Family.........................
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/09/08/the-man-who-made-billions-of-dollars-from-oxycontin-is-pushing-a-drug-to-wean-addicts-off-opioids/?utm_term=.73c675fd8d43
Trump signed a secret waiver that could have major implications for the Mueller investigation
Noel Francisco's former employer represents Trump's campaign in the Russia probe. He's still next in line to oversee special counsel Robert Mueller.
FRANK DALE
NOV 3, 2018, 6:32 AM
With Tuesday’s midterm elections just days away and media coverage being dominated by polls and campaign rallies, including speeches by President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama, you may have missed a development that could have major implications for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility (CREW) revealed on Friday that Trump signed a secret waiver to prevent Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the man who “built his law practice as if his primary goal was to troll the libs” and is poised to oversee Mueller’s probe if Trump fires Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, from having to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
Trump’s campaign is represented by Francisco’s former law firm, Jones Day, in Mueller’s investigation, which has racked up more than 100 criminal charges against dozens of people, including guilty pleas from Trump’s former national security adviser, former campaign manager, and multiple former campaign advisers.
The president signed an Executive Order shortly after taking office in 2017 that he claimed would strengthen ethics rules in government. CREW explained why that should have caused Francisco to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
-snip-
https://thinkprogress.org/donald-trump-robert-mueller-russia-investigation-special-counsel-noel-francisco-rod-rosenstein-bf9353160f62/
-snip-
And reported by Rachel Maddow last night on her show
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017518614
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017518611
And the Federalist Society ..................just keeps popping up...............fuck the Constitution could be there Mantra.............
Today is..........................NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY - November 3.
Here’s Where To Get Free Sandwiches For National Sandwich Day
Which 'wich will you choose?!
https://www.delish.com/food-news/g24565739/national-sandwich-day-2018-deals/
Get a free sandwich and give it to someone who is homeless...........................just an idea
Supreme Court says lawsuit over census citizenship question can begin
Source: Talking Points Memo
"This is one of (the) most important cases for democracy in years."
FRANK DALE
NOV 2, 2018, 6:18 PM
The Supreme Court denied a motion by President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop a lawsuit filed by several states over a citizenship question the White House wants to add to the 2020 census.
The top U.S. court’s ruling, which was not endorsed by Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas, means the lawsuit over the controversial census question will begin in New York on Monday, one day before the midterm
elections.https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1058468870825086977/photo/1
A nationwide study commissioned by the Census Bureau confirmed that the proposed census question, which asks whether the respondent is a U.S. citizen, could be a “major barrier” to getting an accurate count during the decennial census.
The Constitution requires counting each person in the United States — including undocumented immigrants — every 10 years.
Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/donald-trump-supreme-court-census-citizenship-question-lawsuit-immigration-wilbur-ross-6865634dc47e/
This is should be interesting from two justices that were basically put on the bench by nefarious means out of the nine ..................
And then there is Wilbur Ross and what this court did to shield him from testifying..................
-snip-
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pushed adding the citizenship question to the 2020 census and pressured Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to speed up their analysis of the proposal. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly responded to tell Ross that his office was “eager to assist.” The Justice Department also recently admitted that former White House adviser Stephen Bannon and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach were also consulted by Ross in a court filing last month. The two men have made numerous remarks in favor of severely restricting immigration.
The Trump administration is facing lawsuits from several states over the addition of the citizenship question. The White House has fought to keep Ross from being deposed in those cases.
The Supreme Court blocked an upcoming deposition of Ross last week before allowing New York’s citizenship question lawsuit proceed on Friday.
And the country is thinking that this court will not be bias, really, look at what happened in North Dakota.............they didn't even follow the Constitution for voting up there for a Sovereign Nation embedded in the Constitution............
Human Rights Group Calls For Investigation Of Giuliani, Trump Money-Laundering Scheme
Prosecutors Asked to Probe Dutch Middlemen Washing Billions in Dirty Kazakh Cash for Real Estate Deals in US and Europe
By David Cay Johnston, DCReport Editor-in-Chief
A human rights organization has asked Dutch prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into multi-billion dollar money laundering schemes that they say were aided by Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and his old law firm.
The complaint is clearly aimed at examining how much money stolen from a former Soviet satellite ended up benefitting Trump. He is named 16 times in the complaint’s footnotes.
The complaint describes “one of the biggest fraud cases ever” in which “some of these money flows ultimately ended up in the Netherlands” because “Dutch service providers helped to cover up the money laundering acts.”
“The money laundering network started in Kazakhstan, where a figure of up to USD 10 billion was purportedly embezzled,” the complaint asserts. “This money was subsequently circulated by two Kazakh oligarch families via a worldwide network of shell companies. A number of these companies were established in the Netherlands. The money was subsequently invested in real estate projects in the United States and Europe, after which it was paid out as ‘profits’ via – once again – a network of shell companies.”
https://www.dcreport.org/2018/10/31/group-calls-investigation-of-guiliani-trump-money-laundering-scheme/
These two are just plain fucking dirty..................
November 6, 2018 cannot get here fast enough...........................vote
Trump administration plans to end program that fights violent extremism
By Caroline Orr - November 1, 2018
Just days after the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, the Trump administration is reportedly about to end a DHS program devoted to countering violent extremism in America.
On the heels of the deadliest act of anti-Semitic violence in American history, the Trump administration is planning to shut down the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program, according to a new report.
The anti-extremism program was initially established under the Obama administration for the purpose of funding groups around the country that work to counter domestic terrorism.
Since Trump took office, funding for certain projects — particularly those focused on stopping far-right violence — has been cut and/or withheld, but the program itself is still operational.
Now that’s about to change. NBC News reports that the Trump administration is not going to renew funding for the program, despite recent high-profile acts of violent extremism and a nationwide spike in white supremacist violence and far-right extremism.
https://shareblue.com/trump-administration-ending-countering-violent-extremism-program/
This is just fucked up...........there are no words.............except:
November 6, 2018 cannot get here fast enough....................vote
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