Get your entire week's worth of BAD news here.

When I started scanning my news sites over coffee today, it was like "holy shit, nothing but bad news today". So, here's a list of headlines that will allow people to do all their cussin' and throwing stuff at your phone or computer in one place....

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Bad News Summary 012920

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Deployment of new US nuclear warhead on submarine a dangerous step, critics say
First submarine to go on patrol armed with the W76-2 warhead makes a nuclear launch more likely, arm control advocates warn
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/us-submarine-trident-nuclear-warhead-patrols-atlantic-ocean

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Trump impeachment: White House claims John Bolton book contains top secret information – live
White House sends letter saying book cannot be published
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jan/29/trump-impeachment-trial-live-news-bolton-witnesses-mcconnell-2020-latest-updates

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France to send warships to support Greece in Turkish standoff
Greek PM welcomes move as row with Ankara over energy reserves intensifies
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/greece-turkey-standoff-france-send-warships-east-mediterranean

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The Guardian view on Trump’s ‘peace plan’: a con, not a deal (Editorial)
A two-state solution came about as the result of a rules-based world order, which Mr Trump detests because it is inimical to the raw power that he prefers to govern global affairs
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/29/the-guardian-view-on-trumps-peace-plan-a-con-not-a-deal

and..........

Opinion: Trump's Middle East 'peace plan' delivers neither
US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan is largely aligned with Israeli interests, while the Palestinians' concerns are ignored. It will not end the conflict in the region, says DW's Rainer Sollich.
Link: https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-trumps-middle-east-peace-plan-delivers-neither/a-52181110

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Brexit: MEPs ratify UK withdrawal agreement
Politicians join in rendition of Auld Lang Syne after vote confirming UK departure from EU on Friday
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/29/brexit-meps-to-vote-on-withdrawal-agreement-ahead-of-uk-departure

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WUHAN VIRUS OUTBREAK (broad coverage)
Link: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topics/wuhan-virus?cid=cna-sghome_wuhan_virus_outbreak_desktop_22012020_cna

Whole world must be ready to deal with coronavirus, says WHO
Countries urged to be on alert as number of confirmed cases passes 6,000
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/whole-world-must-be-ready-to-deal-with-coronavirus-says-who

and....

WHO to hold coronavirus crisis meeting
The UN health agency has called a new round of crisis talks to decide whether the coronavirus outbreak constitutes an international emergency. The body said it "regrets" previously calling the virus risk "moderate."
Link: https://www.dw.com/en/who-to-hold-coronavirus-emergency-meeting/a-52192252

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Pentagon: 50 US troops received brain injuries after Iran airstrike
It was initially believed no one was hurt in the January 8 missile attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq. Fifty US soldiers have been diagnosed with brain injuries, 18 of whom have been treated in Germany.
Link: https://www.dw.com/en/pentagon-50-us-troops-received-brain-injuries-after-iran-airstrike/a-52181691

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US to put 9,000 South Korea workers on leave as military funding row deepens
Stand-off with Seoul over how much South Korea contributes to the upkeep of 28,000 US soldiers stationed there
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/us-to-put-9000-south-korea-workers-on-leave-as-military-funding-row-deepens

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Beasts of burden: Hooks, chains and pain - How Thailand's elephants have become symbols of despair
In the first part of a series looking at Thailand's changing relationship with its elephants, CNA explored how the animals are made to perform unnatural acts - such as dancing and painting - for people's entertainment.
Link: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-elephant-shows-circuses-abuse-cruelty-training-11867874

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Taliban kill at least 29 Afghan security personnel in renewed clashes
KABUL: At least 29 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in Taliban attacks that followed air and ground assaults by government forces on the Islamist group at the weekend.
Link: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/taliban-kill-at-least-29-afghan-security-personnel-in-renewed-clashes-12368050

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A 40-degree day used to be a playground urban legend. Now it's a reality for our children (Australia)
It's an unsettling thought that extreme temperatures are the new normal for a generation of Australian children.
Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-30/40-degree-day-playground-urban-legend-climate-change/11869292

and.........

Bushfire smoke could cause lung problems for generations, US monkey study suggests
Monkeys in Northern California are providing valuable clues to the health cost of exposure to bushfire smoke, revealing it could have potentially life-threatening consequences for humans.
Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/bushfire-smoke-could-alter-respiratory-health-for-generations/11892520

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Egypt-Turkey tensions continue to rise in wake of newsroom raid
Egyptian security forces stormed the office of the Turkish Anadolu Agency Jan. 14 and arrested four employees, including a Turkish national, then referred them to state security prosecution on the grounds of terrorism accusations.
Link: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/01/egypt-security-raid-turkish-anadolu-agency-relations.html

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Accusers: Weinstein excused lewd acts as a showbiz norm
Harvey Weinstein callously preceded an alleged rape with reassurances that he’d had a vasectomy, one accuser testified Wednesday.
Link: https://apnews.com/8fc80c6e9e7c45bd05c66395c19f888d

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Women, 5 children among 8 victims of Alabama dock fire
Link: https://apnews.com/a9c316ee8aef6849659d0ad62de4fcca

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Temperatures at a Florida-Size Glacier in Antarctica Alarm Scientists
Scientists in Antarctica have recorded, for the first time, unusually warm water beneath a glacier the size of Florida that is already melting and contributing to a rise in sea levels.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/climate/thwaites-glacier-melting-antarctica.htm

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Perhaps someone will have the stamina to post a list of some good news around the globe.

KY............ .......... ...........

Best Photo of the Day?

Lighten up! Cats Reacting To The First Snow

Never knew cats love to play in snow....

Updates on Houston, Texas explosion.

News from Turkey found here.....

Excellent perspectives on U.S. involvement in the Middle East - Video interview

American firefighters killed in Australian bush fire plane crash identified.

Three dead after Large Air Tanker crashes while fighting bushfires in southern NSW

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Three American firefighters died when a Large Air Tanker crashed while fighting a bushfire in southern NSW. Earlier this afternoon, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said it had "lost contact" with a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, used in water bombing operations, in the Snowy Monaro area.

Firefighters, emergency services and military personnel launched a search and rescue and located the wreckage. However, RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said all the crew members were "tragically" killed.

"[The aircraft] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground," he said.

Commissioner Fitzsimmons said there was no indication on what caused the accident, but is working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to determine what happened. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was contracted through American aerial firefighting company, Coulson Aviation (USA).

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-23/nsw-rfs-air-tanker-crashes-near-numeralla-bushfire/11893554

Backtoblue, I think what you experienced was the beauty of community.....

which is something most all of us need in one form or another. Most of our old-fashioned elements of community have been destroyed by capitalism. Back in the 70s, I felt the warmth of community in the volunteer fire service after I moved from the country to a large urban area. Sadly, that old community fire department is now gone and so is the brotherhood.

During the late 70s, I spent quite a time on a service job in a Southern coastal state in the area called "low country" where extreme segregation and poverty abounds. During my Sunday for-fun road trips to see the sights, I would see black people dressed in their Sunday finest walking along the highways to their nearest African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and services would go on for hours. Those churches ARE their community and the only escape from horrible racism.

Those churches were very small and it seemed there was one every mile. I'm now jealous that they have such a beautiful union of people that we sorely need in some form across the nation and I hope they're able to maintain what they have.

Please continue to report your visits. You are warming some hearts that really need it......

Depends on occasion, recipe and mood.