Author: Admin

Reuters

China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported, citing new satellite imagery.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said its findings, made available first to Reuters on Wednesday, come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries.   Continue reading “China installs weapons systems on artificial islands: U.S. think tank”

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The Great Recession – by David Haggith

I’m afraid the Trump train is headed for a sharp economic curve that takes us further away from free-market capitalism. The US already pulled out of the free-market station a long time ago, but Trumponomics moves deeply into a “mixed economy,” an economy in which government funding and private funding are married. The bankster-baron confederation in the Trump cabinet is how business and government consumate their marriage.   Continue reading “Trumponomics: Going for a Ride on the Trump Train”

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The Great Recession Blog – by David Haggith

Banksters and their pocket politicians, barons of industry and their lickspittle lobbyists — these are the establishment, and these are the navigators that surround the helm as Trump takes the wheel and prepares to cast off. Nothing provides better clues as to where this voyage is headed than the carefully selected expertise of the chosen crew. Having described the captain’s first mates in my last article, here is the remaining Trump manifest:   Continue reading “Team Trump (Pt 3): Trunk Loads of Establishment Baggage”

Campus Reform – by Elias Atienza

A University of Southern California professor is asking students not to use the term “illegal immigrants” on their final exams.

The instruction was issued by a teaching assistant in Prof. Alicia Chavez’s AMST 301 course, “America, the Frontier, and the New West,” a general education course that is described as “an interdisciplinary study of American political, cultural, and social life with a particular emphasis on the Western United States as a region.”   Continue reading “Prof bans the term ‘illegal immigrants’ on final exams”

The Express Tribune

Indian investigators arrested a central bank official Tuesday for allegedly illegally exchanging old bills worth some 15 million rupees ($222,000) for new ones as the country faces a cash crisis.

The arrest comes at a time when many Indians are struggling to find the cash to buy food following the government’s shock move last month to withdraw high-denomination 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes from circulation in a bid to tackle tax evasion.   Continue reading “India arrests central bank official over cash scam”

Washington Post

President-elect Donald Trump has picked as his secretary of state Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of ExxonMobil, setting up a possible confrontation with members of his own party in the Senate, Trump’s transition team announced Tuesday.

Since Tillerson’s name emerged as a candidate for the post, leading Republicans have expressed reservations about his years of work in Russia and the Middle East on behalf of the multinational petroleum company.   Continue reading “Trump picks ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state”

Brought up by Mike in AZ.

New York Post – by Jacob Sullum

Last week, the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2016, a k a S. 10, was introduced in the Senate, read three times, and approved by unanimous consent without debate or amendment — all on one day. That sort of bipartisan consensus, which suggests a bill is so obviously unobjectionable that no discussion is necessary, usually means trouble, and this case is no exception.   Continue reading “Congress’ rotten idea for fighting anti-Semitism”

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Tax Revolution Institute – by Philip Schlosser

74,608 pages, 2.4 million words.

That is the present size of Title 26 of the U.S. Code, i.e. the “Internal Revenue Code.” One would think this would be nearly impossible for an enterprise wielding an army of tax experts to absorb, let alone the average taxpayer. However, it doesn’t stop there.   Continue reading “Tax Code Complexity Now Costs U.S. Economy up to $1 Trillion Annually”

WREG 3 News – by George Brown

KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. — An Indiana town is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union over part of its Christmas decorations.

Residents of the town of 2,000 people can’t remember a time when an illuminated cross didn’t sit atop a Christmas tree in the town square.   Continue reading “ACLU suing Indiana town over Christmas decorations”

Wikipedia

The McCollum memo, also known as the Eight Action Memo was a memorandum, dated October 7, 1940 (more than a year before the Pearl Harbor attack), sent by Lieutenant Commander Arthur H. McCollum, who “provided the president with intelligence reports on [Japan]… [and oversaw] every intercepted and decoded Japanese military and diplomatic report destined for the White House”^{[1][unreliable source?]} in his capacity as director of the Office of Naval Intelligence‘s Far East Asia section. It was sent to Navy Captains Dudley Knox, who agreed with the actions described within the memo, and Walter Stratton Anderson.   Continue reading “McCollum memo”

Sputnik

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The assistance include the provision of defense articles and services to forces allied with the United States, according to the release.

“I hereby…determine that the transaction, encompassing the provision of defense articles and services to foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals engaged in supporting or facilitating ongoing US military operations to counter terrorism in Syria, is essential to the national security interests of the United States,” Obama said. “[I hereby] waive the prohibitions…related to such a transaction.”   Continue reading “Obama Waives Restrictions on Military Assistance to Foreign Forces in Syria”

My Fox 8

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Renowned astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn has died, according to the Columbus Dispatch. He was 95.

Glenn was hospitalized “more than a week ago,” according to Ohio State University spokesman Hank Wilson.

Glenn had heart valve replacement surgery in 2014.   Continue reading “John Glenn, astronaut and former US senator, dead at 95”

NPR

Two juveniles have been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting the fire that killed at least 14 people in east Tennessee last month. They might be tried as adults, and authorities say there might be more arrests.

Prosecutors say the two minors started a fire on Nov. 23, according to a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Feeding off a drought-stricken forest, the Chimney Tops 2 fire grew inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On Nov. 28, it swept into Gatlinburg, a popular tourist destination.   Continue reading “2 Juveniles Charged With Arson, Suspected Of Starting Deadly Tennessee Wildfire”

Reuters – by Florence Tan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil major BP BP.L is shipping almost three million barrels of U.S. crude to customers across Asia, pioneering a lengthy and complex operation likely to become more popular after OPEC last week announced deep production cuts.

BP’s efforts, involving one of the world’s longest sea routes, seven tankers and a series of ship-to-ship transfers, underscore a desire among oil traders to develop new routes to sell swelling supplies of cheap U.S. shale oil to Asia, the world’s biggest consumer region.   Continue reading “In mammoth task, BP sends almost three million barrels of U.S. oil to Asia”